Rating: 
Summary: Abysmal
Review: I have studied Ulysses Grant for 41 years and have amassed a library of 400 volumes that are a biographical studies of him. This book is at the bottom of the barrel. It is poorly researched and inept in it conclusions. Spare yourself the price of this book and read Bruce Catton instead. He got Grant on the mark, Perret misses completely.
Rating:
Summary: Badly Researched
Review: I was actually motivated to read this book by finding Eric Foner's review of it in the N.Y. Times. Foner was less than enthusiastic and after completing the book last week, I am too. Perret is out of his league here and it clearly shows. Though his writing style is adequate (nothing more), the errors are among the most numerous I've found in any quasi-major biography. It's simply appalling that the author did not correct the errors in the galley stages of the book. I don't recommend this biography, not even to novice Grant readers. McFeely's book, though critical, is much the better book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as bad as following reviews
Review: I was surprised at some of the following reviews. Obviously they didn't read the entire book; some of their points were incorrect. Even though there is no bibiography, there were detailed footnotes to quotes & other information. The bibiography would have put the sources in alphabetical order, but some trees were saved instead. And the comment regarding Grant being unfair to Meade? He was far more patient than he should & have been, & unfortunately people died as a result. The author is more even handed with criticisms up through Grant being elected President. Yes, he was unfair to Thomas, but as the author says Thomas's personality & style did not fit Grant's. I thought the author was too kind regarding Grant's presidency. His assertion of Grant as a economics wizard was a little much. I've never bought the view that he was very naive & didn't realize the corruption that was going on. It doesn't fit.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly paced and poorly researched
Review: I won't give this book a paltry one star as others below have done. It's not at the bottom of the barrel, just close. The problem is that Perret is not an historian of the Civil War. He is not a Bud Robertson, Krick, McPherson or Gallagher. In order to write a good biography of Grant, you have to have a solid foundation of his military tactics and strategy. Perret doesn't have this and makes it obvious. The book is not badly written, I thought it was interesting in places. Maybe a bit overblown sometimes. There is no great biography of Grant which is surprising considering he was quite a fascinating fellow and horribly misunderstood. I think the people writing the reviews are fanatics on Grant and resent all the mistakes. I can scarcely blame them, the errors are outrageously numerous. I still think Bruce Catton's books, though 30 years old, still sparkle. This book does not.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Biography
Review: I've read most of the Grant biographies and found this to be one of the better written ones. It seems many of my fellow Amazon reviewers who didn't like it, have a difficult time reading between the lines. It's clear that Perret became an admirer of the General, but he also let it be quite obvious that Grant had major shortcomings. I like biographies that let me draw the conclusions -- I dislike those where the author tells me the conclusions. And, I like even less, reviewers who pass themselves off as such great experts and scholars, who then tell the rest of us we're wrong, the author's wrong and they're right. This is a well-written, easy to read insight into a man who lived both within his times and as an observor of his times. It's a very good read.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, It IS That Bad!
Review: Incredible bravado that demands a response from humble me:"You know, many people love to read about History, but we all can't be such incredible experets like our fellow critics here at Amazon." Right on! And there's no "experet" like Geoff Perret, but what readers want is a soundly-research biography devoid of humiliating gaffes, not this botched job. "Do you like a great story? Well this one is for you." Grant's life is a great story. Too bad Mr. Perret is unacquainted with the essential facts of his life. This isn't fiction. "Bottom line, if you're starting to get to know the Civil War, Mexican War, Lincoln and that time period in History, then you'll enjoy seeing some of it through the eyes of Ulysses Grant." Be prepared, however, to correct your understanding of all of these with sounder works. "Read the book, you'll like it. I've read many Civil War books and biographies and I did. You can always go back later after you've read the other 45 Grant books and say how much you hated it!" Or you can skip it altogether, right? Absolutely horrible on the Grant-Thomas relationship!
Rating:
Summary: Kiss This One Adios!
Review: My Lord, is this a bad book. Since 1949 I have taught, written about and ruminated about the great conflict known as the Civil War. It took me two years to get around to read this book because my students and colleagues bashed it across the board. I just finished this book recently and now I know the source of the contempt. It is justified. Perret, it appears, has done virtually no research into the Civil War, antebellum politics or any of the main players around Grant. His psycho-babble about Grant's marriage, his relationships with subordinates and others is simply nonsense. Names, dates, places, faces and vital information is misstated repeatedly. Bruce Catton, my man, you can rest easy on your mantle as the still the most readable and accessible of all Grant biographers.
Rating:
Summary: Like Good Whiskey.....
Review: Oh my GOD! It's all wrong! The book stinks! Bla, Bla, Bla, Bla Bla! Hey, lets all hunt down the author and tell him how dumb he is and how smart we all are! Are you an Ulysses Sam Grant fan? Spend the 13 bucks and get it. Let's put it this way, it won't actually hurt you. You may actually like it. Ya, "it's not that bad" Even if the fellow critics find it hard to swallow.......like good whiskey.
Rating:
Summary: Solid but not stunning
Review: Perret has written a good biography of Grant, but this is not a book in the same class as McCullough's Truman or Donald's Lincoln. Perret too often dismisses or criticizes Grant's contemporaries, or later historians, without really proving the point with facts and citations. He seeks to make Grant out as a fairly strong president, one who dealt with the critical issues, but the presidential section of the book is so short that one is left not fully persuaded. Finally, although he mentions Grant's own love of maps, the book has only three maps, making it hard to follow the Civil War sections.
Rating:
Summary: Feel Cheated
Review: Since, I love history I am always on the prowl for a good biography about someone who intrigues me. A couple of years ago, while studying the Civil War, I became curious about Ulysses Grant. I grabbed the first book I found on the shelf and bought it. Perret's biography is written in an appealing style and I was satisfied. Satisfied until I began to read on the General in earnest. Little by little I began to recognize the errors both large and small in both fact and interpretation in the Perret biography. Now I feel cheated and a little angry. In my opinion, the author just writes books on anyone who catches his fancy, does some cursory research and sells it to an unwary public. Too bad. I won't buy another as I cannot trust his credibility.
|
