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Summary: Sedition Act Backstory
Review: Marvelously written, beautifully presented, and great fun.
Rating: 
Summary: dry, boring, poorly done
Review: Mr. Safire (who stands on a bully pulpit and thus has convinced much of the nation that he is some kind of authority on the English language) reads history. He reads a lot of history; he seems to understand what he reads. That does not mean that he is capable of turning his view of history into a story.A novel is, in fact, a long story. Storytelling is an art having to do with plot and characterization and simply engaging the reader. This (and I use this word reluctantly) novel is as dry as bran and like bran, hard to choke down. I had to force myself to turn the page, and this is an era that I love to read about; I'm an easy sell. He may have 25 books in print, but that doesn't make this novel readable, any more than legions of other celebrities who get published on the strength of their fame alone. At least Marilyn Quoyle's (snort) republican romances were good for a laugh. If Mr. Safire didn't have a history of forcefeeding us the (dry dry dry) version of his own English, this book would never have been published.
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Summary: good journalism
Review: Mr. Safire is not a particularly good novelist. For example, he has no skill at developing idiolects for his various characters. But he is a wonderful journalist, who really brings to life a period of American history before the dominance of consumer culture when ideas seem to have mattered and when the question of what constitutes the good life was still "up for grabs." Highly recommended.
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Summary: The best book I've ever read!
Review: My review cannot ever do this book justice. I read it about a year ago and I still find myself reflecting on it. It truly is an astounding book written in beautiful language that captures the reader's imagination and places them in the middle of a fascinating historical scandal. I found myself reading this book for continuous hours not wanting to put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history or politics (I love both). I can't say enough about this book except this: READ IT!!
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Summary: Quite Remarkable!
Review: One of the finest historical novels I have read, William Safire's Scandalmonger is a book about the early tests endured by freedom of the press as defined in the United States Constitution. Based on actual characters and events, Safire brings to life the fundamental freedoms the founding fathers sought to curtail when it suited their tenure in power. The Alien and Sedition Acts were the first assault on our Constitution and occurred at a time when our fledgling Constitution was really a grand set of ideals as opposed to the foundation of American law and liberty that it has evolved into today. Safire's tale is intriguing: Many of our currently venerated heroes, Adams, Monroe, and Jefferson to name just a few, are all shown to have feet of clay. No one individual or group is singled out. All are guilty of trying to deny or to conform freedom to their particular wants, needs and desires. It is actually scary to think that the truth was at one time not an allowable defense against a charge of sedition in the United States. Very broad in scope, yet detailed in its examination, this is a fine work by a very fine author. I can only hope Mr. Safire elects to evaluate and explain the evolution of other freedoms we so thoughtlessly take for granted today.
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Summary: Refreshing honesty
Review: Safire has captured the good, bad and ugly of the relationship between politicians and the press. They are all human, despite their great need to appear otherwise. Few others in the media are willing to admit the symbiotic relationship they have with the subjects of their stories. Safire has laid bare, in the context of important events in the history of the Republic, the all too human character of his subjects. Students of American history will find this a well researched and easy read. My only complaint is the slow start.
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Summary: Scandalmongering of his own
Review: Safire writes an entertaining, educational piece of fiction. The lengths to which he goes to separate fact from fiction only highlights what I believe to be the true weakness of the book, that Safire is himself scandalmongering. By dragging us through the human frailaties of Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Hamilton and Burr, Safire's inuendo is that there is little difference between politics and personalities then and now. Also, there is little difference between partisan press then and now. I don't buy his argument. The ideologues of the early 19th century were fighting to shape the character of an infant nation. History has lionized these men as the Founding Fathers. The truth that they were far from perfect humans and driven by common impulses of humanity does not detract from what these men on both sides accomplished. Throughout the book there is an undercurrent that today's scandals actually pale by comparison to these early issues. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Today's scandals do not occur on a backdrop of a nation stuggling to define itself. Rather they showcase an individual possessed with more power than anyone else on earth abusing the charisma of his office for self gradification. I'll give the book 5 stars for accuracy, subtract one for duplicity and one for his own scandalmongering.
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Summary: The Private Lives of the Founding Fathers
Review: Safire's Scandalmonger is an excellently written and well researched novel. I've read many biographies of Washington, Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson and the rest and this historical fiction rates amongst the best books I've read this year. It provides new insights on the founding fathers from the point of view of the early investigative reporter, James Callender. If you think of the founding fathers as icons above reproach, you may find this book a bit disconcerting. However, if you want to know these historical figures as real people, with personal as well as public motivations, this book is a must.
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Summary: Correction
Review: Several reviewers state that Safire erred in writing that Hamilton could not be President because he was born outside the "geographic boundries" of the US. This is incorrect. Ho could become President. "No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States." Hamilton was a citizen at the time the Consitution was ratified.
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Summary: Superb narration, flawless production values, great story!.
Review: Sturdy plastic binding suitable for library lending standards and the presentation of novels and readers sure to attract a wide audience make this audio book a highly recommended pick for libraries seeking lasting lending value. William Saffire's Scandalmonger is set in 1797 and tells of James, a radical newspaper editor on the presidential hopeful's payroll who finds his journalism and sensationalist approach possible changers of history, with narrator Larry McKeever providing the right degree of tension and drama
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