Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is an excellent presentation of the life of TR from the time he becam president to his leaving that office. I found the book the be informative and very well written. It fully satisfied my interest and left me want more infomration, both about TR and about the pivotal years prior to World War I when the US was becoming a world power but was not completely committed to that role.
Rating:
Summary: Yes Virginia There Are Real American Heroes
Review: I used to wonder how Teddy Roosevelt managed to get his face on Mt. Rushmore. It seemed an odd contrast having the wise, iconic busts of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln accompanied by... a Teddy. The former were all mythical figures striding mightily across the pages of elementary school civics books; the latter was a bespectacled, grinning, pugilistic cartoon character. Everything I knew and felt about this man could be distilled into one seemingly idiotic word: "Bully!" I could only conclude his presence on Rushmore was the result of some kind of political payback, not merit.Then Edmund Morris opened my eyes. With his two books, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, and Theodore Rex, Morris taught me who it was that laid the foundation for American greatness in the Twentieth Century. This thorough and utterly enjoyable two-volume biography takes the reader from Roosevelt's precocious boyhood, through a frenetic political career, to the very pinnacle of world power. Each coherent, well-researched page seems to vibrate, as though Morris has somehow managed to imbibe them with the very energy that allowed Roosevelt to usher his nation to the status of superpower. Yes, Roosevelt more than earned his place among the greats in the American political pantheon. The only significant drawback to reading this excellent work, is the empty feeling it gave me when comparing Roosevelt to more recent White House occupants.
Rating: 
Summary: Better to
Review: The audio cassette reading of this book is a savior for an otherwise ponderous and heavy narrative that lulled me to sleep with each passing page. I found myself longing for the sonerous texts of David McCullough's "John Adams", though I admit comparing the two historical figures in question is like trying to fuse apples and oranges. Still, Harry Chase, though not as easy to listen to as Edward Herrmann's masterful reading of the foremetioned "John Adams", successfully embodies the "bully" style of a time I can only relate to through choppy, black and white celluloid footage and crackly audio from a time long since past.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit "stiff" prior to audio!
Review: I had planned to read this book, and found myself getting bogged down right away. Just wasn't flowing well for me, I guess. Anyhow, I decided to try the audio book - in spite of the horrible reviews that I had read here. I found it to be refreshing! I then decided to do a bit of checking and discovered that the narrator is new to audio books, but is a very familiar voice to most of us. Many of the shows on Animal Planet, Discovery, The History Channel and A&E are narrated by this man. He speaks 3 languages fluently. That put the kabosh on the criticisms of the poorly done dialects. I then discovered that the producer of this book was a child of the diplomatic corps - raised all over the world and a master of language. That put the kabosh on "gaffes". I decided that some of the reviewers were just self important critics with little or no knowledge upon which to base their reviews - full of sour grapes for some unknown reason. I'm very glad I did that research and very glad I decided to resort to the audio book. I will look forward to books narrated by this gentleman and not shy away from a distinguished author simply because he is a bit ponderous for my taste. My advice - Theodore Rex on audio-book is the way to go!
Rating:
Summary: Thank God for Books on Tape !!
Review: I truly wanted to read this book, but found it a tad ponderous... I have NEVER resorted to an audio book, but in this case, I decided to make an acception. Glory be! I may just do this more often. The narrator made this enjoyable for me. What had been "heavy reading" before (And I haven't forced myself to do that since college! ) became an enjoyable listening experience for me. The nuances of accent and character were delightful! The slightly stuffy lingo of the early 20th century was much more palatable with a skilled narrator providing the read. Kudos to Mr. Chase!
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing
Review: There are few writers of history that can turn a droll topic into an exciting read. The late Barbara Tuchman and Garry Wills come to mind although the latter author is more interpretive than definitive; both are exciting authors to read. Edmund Morris belongs with this elite group. By recounting Roosevelt's presidency he breathes life and excitement into the American political process. This is why we have politicians and politics and not just army generals running the country. Thre isn't as much of Teddy's personality in "Theodore Rex" as there was in Morris's "Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" but we faithful readers already know Teddy. The events and challenges of the presidency are what this book is about and how the stubbornly brilliant Roosevelt dealt with them. Morris frequently mentions Teddy's love of tennis. The metaphor is not lost as the determined Roosevelt swats away tennis balls as he does political rivals and world crises. Morris's book rarely drags as so many biographies do. He does not try to impress us with his thorough research of his subject even though he has done that. In the hands of a lesser author "Theodore Rex" might well be a three thoudsand page book. And that is Morris's genius -- giving us the essence of Theodore Roosevelt without boring us with every detail of his life. I look forward to the next installment of the Rooseveltian saga.
Rating: 
Summary: OVERWRITTEN AND LEADEN; A MASSIVE GOOEY CAKE
Review: Twenty years ago I read Edmund Morris' The Rise of Theodore
Roosevelt and thought it was quite possibly one of the best
biographies ever; a book that stayed with an appreciative
reader not just days but years after it was read. It was natural then to anticipate Morris' next two works:
the biography of President Reagan, for which he had
unprecedented White House access, and his next volume on
Roosevelt, Theodore Rex. What makes a writer who was once so certain, elegant, and
yet modest, stumble, not just with one book, the
embarassing DUTCH in which Morris queerly shows a lack
of restrait associated with callow adolescence, but
now with two massive works in a row: Theodore Rex, which is
perhaps the most overwritten, Theasuraus-inspired book
I have ever read. There is not a second of Roosevelt's life that Morris feels
can go unrecorded without his rhetorical flourishes, no
event that is not put down in melodramatic Shakespearean
tones, no exchange that doesn't finally, in the end, feel
like an overwrought, sweaty dimestore romance. Where did Morris go wrong? I personally feel he began to
believe his own press after the enormous--deservedly so--
praise he received with his first book on Roosevelt, and
got it into his mind from that point on that he is a GREAT
WRITER OF CONSEQUENCE, dashing about Washington with a
black cape and quill pen. In fact, the result of all his flourishes reduces him more
to a Liberace of American story-telling, a man for whom
no lace or lavender is too much; Morris is finally our greatest
kitsch author. What a shame that he let his writing talents run so wild,
even worse that he subjected two presidents who deserve
far greater intellectual treatment to his unbridled whims. Twice burned, I can happily report I will never read, much
less purchase, a book by Edmund Moris again.
Rating:
Summary: A Phenomenal Bio
Review: Theodore Rex is i
mportant not only for the wealth of information it provides about the remarkable life and accomplishments of Theodore Roosevelt, but also for the terrific insights it gives into the time period. Here, at the turn of the twentieth century, the seeds of World War II are already being sown. Roosevelt's relationship with the media set the standard for Presidential public relations. It's apparent that his influence on the Presidency still endures. It was fascinating to read about this time so long ago and see it reflected in today's news. Best of all, Theodore Rex read like a novel. The characters are so vividly portrayed that they seem to breathe. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the last edition of the trilogy!
Rating:
Summary: Largely Insufferable? Balderdash!
Review: At the risk of delving into a review of reviews, one should not be misled by reviews with agendas. One review noted that he did not like the imagry that the author employed and cited an example on pg. 36 of a farmer standing at attention as McKinley's funeral train with T. Roosevelt passed by. The additional slam was that this scene was not footnoted (cited) and therefore he "just (could not) grant (the author) that license." This shows how well this reviewer read the book; the note is in the Notes section and on pg. 585.
Others take issue with the author's treatment of Roosevelt, believing it to be too fawning. One even called it "holographic" in a review of the precurser, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt".
Not only do both books give the (lucky) reader a picture and understanding of the many facets of Roosevelt, just look at the other positive reviews, but also of the period and Roosevelt's place within that era of American history. Roosevelt was a giant then and his greatness lasts through to today. Our country is great, and he bears a large part of that responsibility. Parts of Roosevelt's personality do make me uncomfortable, and they are not hidden here. There are too many today who have difficulty with the icons of our past and not only dwell upon the faults of the great, but attempt to bring down the great to their level.
This is a stunning tour de force, and I congratulate Edmund Morris.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile but not perfect
Review: This book provides many of the necessary facts and details on Roosevelt's life (particularly his political life), but has a few shortcomings. The strong aspects of the book are the very comprehensive and solid research Morris performed on the political aspects of Roosevelt's Presidency (and readers should know that this book covers ONLY his Presidency, and no other period of his life). Morris does bring TR to life, and we feel like we understand the man and what he goes through. In particular, I felt I got a very vivid sense of Roosevelt's slow but certain physical demise, which is a sub-plot throughout. This book lacks the historical sweep (and any remnant of the sense of humor) of Morris' first TR biography, however. The issues TR deals with are presented more or less in serial format, and there are no attempts to draw any great themes or lasting conclusions. The reader is left to do all of that him or herself. Also, I never got any real feeling about Edith, TR's second wife. She is mentioned throughout, but we're never given a true sense of her feelings toward her husband and his Presidency. Finally, parts of this book were somewhat confusing to me -- one needs to be a very attentive reader to remember an individual who is briefly introduced 30 pages earlier, but then is not fully re-introduced. It almost feels like this book was somewhat rushed out the door. But this is an important addition to the scholarship of one of the country's most distinguished and important Presidents. TR redefined the Presidency on a level with Washington, Jackson, JFK, and FDR. His involvement in more issues (labor strikes, international diplomacy, etc.) than any President before him would be copied by many of his successors. His prescience regarding the environment, big business, and world war were remarkable. I do recommend this book, but it is not at the extremely high level of Morris' first book. That first book set a high standard, though, and this book is still relevant and worthwhile.
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