Scandalmonger

Rating:
Summary: Safire delievers another brilliant piece of Histo-FicWriting
Review: The book scandelmonger is brilliant. It is deliciously eventful in the descriptiveness Safire uses to describe our American politican's dark side. Bottom Line is but this book if you would like to be engrossed in a range of important politicans, writings, and thinkers. Characters include a list of : Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, James Callender(the scandalmonger), William Porcupine (of Porcupine Cazzette), William Duane, Benjaming Bache, Alexandar Hamilton, Aaron Burr.

If you are not a current rader of American Historical-Fiction you will be after this experience.

Rating:
Summary: Safire delievers another brilliant piece of Histo-FicWriting
Review: The book scandelmonger is brilliant. It is deliciously eventful in the descriptiveness Safire uses to describe our American politican's dark side. Bottom Line is but this book if you would like to be engrossed in a range of important politicans, writings, and thinkers. Characters include a list of : Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, James Callender(the scandalmonger), William Porcupine (of Porcupine Cazzette), William Duane, Benjaming Bache, Alexandar Hamilton, Aaron Burr.

If you are not a current rader of American Historical-Fiction you will be after this experience.

Rating:
Summary: Good Historical Fiction
Review: This book continues to prove that Safire is: (1) smart; and (2) thorough. Through this book, Safire demonstrates that a scandal seeking function is not unique to the modern press, but was alive and well in the era immediately following the Revolutionary War. Almost everyone knows the historical legacy of Hamilton, Jefferson, Monroe, Adams and Madison, but this book reminds us that even our founding fathers were susceptible to the weaknesses for which we condemn our current leaders. The book was best when it focused on the lives of the principal characters and bogged down occasionally when imparting the political climate of the era. All in all, though, I learned alot by reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent historical novel
Review: This book dovetails nicely into the same period and subjects of two other works I have read recently, "Founding Brothers" and "American Aurora", both of which I enjoyed. This work details the Federalist period from 1790 onward, and the opening years of the Jefferson presidency, and covers the ground very well. It is a novel, of course, but so well written it seems as if Safire was a fly on the wall in the various locales of the tale, and took down verbatim the words of the characters, historical figures all. His language is excellent, as is to be expected from this writer, who is a grammar maven. Once or twice, however, I seemed to detect a hint that some of the historical events were talked about a tad before they acutually happened, and once or twice there was some duplication, which should have been caught by a more zealous editor. They didn't detract from my enjoyment of this work, and I recommend it to anyone interested in this period of American history, and in particular, interested in the human side of the historical drama.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent historical novel
Review: This book dovetails nicely into the same period and subjects of two other works I have read recently, "Founding Brothers" and "American Aurora", both of which I enjoyed. This work details the Federalist period from 1790 onward, and the opening years of the Jefferson presidency, and covers the ground very well. It is a novel, of course, but so well written it seems as if Safire was a fly on the wall in the various locales of the tale, and took down verbatim the words of the characters, historical figures all. His language is excellent, as is to be expected from this writer, who is a grammar maven. Once or twice, however, I seemed to detect a hint that some of the historical events were talked about a tad before they acutually happened, and once or twice there was some duplication, which should have been caught by a more zealous editor. They didn't detract from my enjoyment of this work, and I recommend it to anyone interested in this period of American history, and in particular, interested in the human side of the historical drama.

Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: this was a good read. The story gets a little lost now and again, but the overall plot, which deals with the issue of libelling public figures and whether truth is a defense for libel gives us insight into a way of looking at the media that we can hardly even grasp. Also, I found it interesting. We want to glorify our founders, but these people were ruthless--absolutely ruthless.

Its not a perfect story, and not without its faults, but well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing fiction on early American press
Review: This was my first historical novel ever and - despite the denseness of Safire's writing which requires complete attention - found it a great read. At first, I thought that it was going to be largely about the Hamilton sex scandal with Clinton parallels, but was pleasantly surprised that it delved more into early American journalism (via privately-published "pamphlets") that were hardly subjective. Safire could have even made this more colorful, with less emphasis on the political machinations of the characters. Still, it was a great intro to historical fiction, and made me want to read Safire "Freedom," in which he writes about Lincoln.

Rating:
Summary: If only they had taught High School History like this....
Review: Too good to put down. I called in sick so I could stay home and read it. History is not usually a subject I consider entertaining but this book is a pageturner! It's wonderful and interesting to read about the true passion for their cause and the machiavellian ruthlessness that our founding fathers were willing to use in order to help form a more "perfect union". Historical figures come alive and you get a sense of the enormity of the effects that they knew could happen based on what they did in the early years of our country. The manipulation of the press and behind doors political wheeling and dealing are still alive today. This should be required reading in schools...

Rating:
Summary: History Twistery Lies Truth Or Mysteries?
Review: Twistery is the word used by the Author, William Safire, to qualify where he strayed from known facts. He provides a detailed explanation at the end so there is no confusion. It is impossible for me to judge, but I am confident that to the extent he twisted known history, it is a small part of this book. If he had stayed absolutely faithful to facts as they are known, but continued the novel-like style, as opposed to dry recitation of fact like many textbooks do, the book would be diminished just a bit.

The Players are not new, nor are the stories. Mr. Safire's gift is his ability to transform what can often be the tedious study of dates and facts, into a thrilling read. If he were to write textbooks, without literary license, the study of our Country's History would reach new levels of popularity.

Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, James Monroe, Dr. Benjamin Rush, all old and familiar, but all new here. Duels, stolen letters, written admissions of guilt, peculation, and pecadillos, these bits are all true. The Alien and Sedition act, one of the most notorious pieces of legislation in our Country's History plays a prominent role. Add then murder, wrongful imprisonment, treason, and trials with "The Hanging Judge" Samuel Chase.

And to bring the story into the present, the analyses of certain persons DNA to at once settle 200-year-old questions/accusations. Or do they not?

It may sound strange to say that I don't want to give any of the book's stories away, for how can you give away what is historical fact? But with or without the twistery, the book makes old information fresh, and shows that our elected officials today, and the press that follow their every breath have changed oh so little.

Buy it, you'll love it!

Rating:
Summary: Pouring Old Wine...
Review: Usually I am skeptical of "historical novels" or "docu-dramas." The authors usually do NOT intend to separate fact from fiction and, but choose to cloud their story to present something closer to what they "would have liked to have really happened" so that it fits within their ideology. Accuracy be damned! Such is the arrogance of many of today's history story-tellers. A popular example of this is Oliver Stone.

William Safire approaches things differently. He has done his homework and actually knows his subject intimately. He has done meticulous research and reading and knows how to tell a story. His fans can expect a thought provoking and intelligent discussion that will stem from Safire's trademark word-wrangling.

"Scandalmonger" pours old wine into new skins. Much of the back-story and characters are familiar to any student of American history--amateur or professional (read the above discription). The time period is known but perhaps forgetten. Safire attempts and succeeds in "fleshing-out" the history. He insures that much of the dialogue is actual phrases and vocabulary that wold have been used, because he lifts it directly from documents and letters of Thomas Jefferson or Alexander Hamilton and others, for example. Safire only introduces their words within the proper context of the scene, though he does take advantage of dramatic license to manipulate the dialogue to suit the context.

"So what?" you say, because you understand that many "docu-drama-ists" do the same thing. True, but here lies the catch: Instead of a mere disclaimer at the beginning of a story which is forgotten by the reader/viewer later (which Safire does write), he details page by page, chapter by chapter what is fact--supported by the documentation--and what is imagination. He does not hide the use of fiction for his own ideologies and admits when he is fabricating the scene or dialogue or character. But, like a good storyteller, he understands that these fictional elements assist the story. They fill in the "historical gaps" so to speak.

Any student of history has read a history book they felt was dry. It cannot be avoided within the intellectual field of study. Historians that survive and are successful--and are re-read--are those that possess the talent for telling a vivid story and bringing the story to life for the reader. They adhere to the root of history, that is "to tell a story." To make history dry and only for the university elite, defeats the purpose of history, which is for it to be remembered and heeded by all.

"Scandalmonger" tells the story as it could be told today. It may not be history, but I believe it could be close. The credibility in this opinion is because of Mr. Safire's devotion to accuracy and his use of extensive documentation. Perhaps a theme within this story is that America has not grown up that much in 200 years. The press will still take to task hypocrite politicians, the public will lap it up and criticize themselves, but continue to forgive their leaders. The politicians feel they are above the moral accountability and continue to be corruptible. And good leaders, fearing the "scandalmongering" will fear running for office and the world will be left with mediocrity in their leadership.