Rating: 
Summary: Great account, great writing!
Review: Dr. Chernow puts the right spin on the right words. Even allowing for the countless direct references within the text (end notes, please), his HAMILTON has everything, including the Republic's first Monicagate.
In this episode, Hamilton fell for a married tramp whose flim-flamming husband blackmailed the Treasury Secretary. The only element missing was CNN. A more important part of this book is a by-product: The character of Jefferson.
Professor Chernow underscores what a mealy-mouthed politician the VP actually was, running to Washington on every occasion to trip up whoever disagreed with his starry-eyed drivel. Hamilton's actions, however, always spoke louder than TJ's back-stabbing, and the Prez always stood by him.
Perhaps Hamilton would be shocked by the Frankenstein into which his federal system evolved. Whatever the case, this analysis makes clear that Hamilton's efforts remain the cornerstone of the American economic system.
Rating:
Summary: Well Documented and Readable
Review: Hamilton is the co-author of the Federalist Papers, the founder of our modern banking system, and an exemplar of the rags-to-riches story. It's no wonder he is on our ten-dollar bill. As a Revolutionary War hero and a major player in the founding of our country, Hamilton may have become president, except for a sentence in the Constitution that requires a president be natural born in America. Hamilton was born on Nevis, a Caribbean island, and was certainly not a part of Virginia club that included Washington and Jefferson, among others.That said, Chernow does an excellent job of reviving the truth about Hamilton from his investigation of over 20,000 primary documents. I must confess, I am only about half way through this huge book, but have thus far found it very readable, well documented, and interesting to those, such as myself, who are not history buffs. Somehow, this book on one of our Founding Fathers has struck a chord with me. If you want to learn more about the founding of America, and one of its principle players who pledged their life and property for a dream, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Man is Back
Review: I began a serious study of the Founding Fathers in the eighties. My intention was to find out which of them I should be most grateful too since I'm a big fan of the government they created. I assumed when I went into it that Jefferson would be the most admirable because that's what the popular impression was (and is). But it wasn't long before it became apparent to me that Jefferson's charm is shallow to say the least. When you scratch the surface you begin to see tragic flaws of vision and an enthusiasm for preserving slavery that verges on the villainous. His chief adversary, Hamilton, on the other hand began to seem heroic and brilliant. He was the Founding Father who most understood what America could and would become. I was shocked that Dumas Malone's obiously slanted and overly reverential biography of Jefferson was so well respected while much more thoughtful books on Hamilton by Clinton Rossiter and Forrest McDonald were ignored. So it's with great pleasure that I see the publication of a wonderful, sympathetic book on AH that attempts to reestablish him as the great man he was. Thank you Mr. Chernow, your book is greatly appreciated and a hell of a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Audio CD version - a great listening experience
Review: I listen to books in the car on my way to and from work. Usually I like fiction because fiction often moves a little bit faster. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Chernow's Alexander Hamilton. The reader is top-notch and the abridgement is excellent. Alexander Hamilton was everywhere in the early republic. I can't believe how little I knew about him (from high school history) since he was everywhere.
This book does a good job of showing the strengths and weaknesses of Hamilton. He's brilliant, but he's impulsive and this often led to bad judgments. He and Washington were a great team - Washington leaning on his intellect and Hamilton leaning on Washington's judgment. When they are apart, Hamilton does not fair as well.
One thing that may have been done better (and perhaps it was in the unabridged version) was that Jefferson came off as a pretty big jerk. It could just be that most of Jefferson's interactions with Hamilton were hostile, so of course Jefferson looks bad, since all we see of him is when he is angry. And Burr also comes off quite badly. However, I am unsure about how much Burr has to redeem himself by. I know Jefferson was quite accomplished, but Burr minus Hamilton might not have been anyone to emulate. Anyway - a must read for any student of American History. Great story.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worthwhile!
Review: I love that Ron began his book with Betsey! I am thrilled that he has taken so much time to research and fill in this side of Hamilton. It has long been obvious to me, from just the few letters that have been made more widely available, that Hamilton was a man of deep heart and great romance. Forrest McDonald saw it in the 1979. Gertrude Atherton wrote an entire novel based on it in 1902, and then had to defend her position in 1903. Somehow, this insight was glossed over for years, until now. Thank you, Mr. Chernow, for resurrecting this piece of Col. Hamilton's character! You have "done justice to the memory of Betsey's Hamilton."
Rating: 
Summary: Good Effort But a Very Boring Book
Review: I loved Chernow's book Titan. The writing was wonderful and I found out a lot about John D. I went out and purchased this book and I am sorry I did. It is really boring and Chernow's subject seems distance, stale and lacks of life. The book needs a good editor!! Some may look at the size of this book and conclude it is great, but if they would only read the book they would think differently. Finally, do we really need another book about Alex Hamilton? I dont think so. Books that are very good that really do tell good stories would be John Adams, by McCullough and Ben Franklin, Carl Van Doran. Check these out for a good read.
Rating:
Summary: The best Biography I ever read!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Chernow's biography. It is well written, fair and comprehensive. I learned much of Hamilton's life and his place in American history. In addition to his life one learns much about the historical context of the country's growth and Hamilton's struggles with such key figures as Governor Clinton, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Burr. Clearly a superior work of scholarship and communication.
Rating: 
Summary: Jefferson and Madison really come off badly ...
Review: I thought that this biography was excellent. My only criticism is that it was too long and could have been quite a bit shorter without any loss in quality. The thing that surprised me the most however, is how badly Madison and--even more so--Jefferson come off in this book. I am not a historian and I have not read biographies of either man so I don't know whether or not Chernow's views would be generally agreed upon by most historians or not. If his views are correct however, I would find that rather depressing because I had previously assumed that Jefferson and Madison were right up there with Washington in terms of their overall greatness as founding fathers of America. However, this book rudely disabused me of that view, at least to the extent based on their conduct during the 1790's during the height of Hamilton's power (as opposed to judging them by their Presidential tenures). Particularly in comparison to Jefferson (and, to a lesser degree, Madison), Jefferson comes off as being a backstabbing little man who was parochial in this thinking and who could not match Hamilton's intellect, courage or integrity--in fact, he didn't even come close. Even worse, Jefferson's views as to what was best for America (and, correspondingly, his fears about where Hamilton was leading the country) have proven--with the hindsight of history--to be way off the mark, while Hamilton's visions were much more farsighted and accurate precursors of what America would (and should, in the best sense) become. Madison, by virtue of havin his feet planted firmly in his fellow Virginian's camp, also comes off as much less of a great man than was Hamilton. I really felt sorry for Hamilton having to endure the brunt of the many scurrilous attacks upon him by Jefferson and Madison. Thank god that Washington stuck by him. Of course, I am assuming that Chernow's view of history is in fact the accurate view.
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Summary: THE DEFENCE OF AH
Review: In his new book, Ron Chernow sets the achievement record straight on one of our lesser-known founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. The book goes well beyond the brilliance and foresight of Hamilton in his work as our country's first Secretary of the Treasury. In this biography, Chernow gives us a rich historical background of Hamilton's significant imprint on the American Revolution, the establishment of our government and the sharply divided disputes that took place between most of the founding fathers and Hamilton. Wielding his power and influence as Secretary of the Treasury, Chernow shows us where the extreme dislike arose between Hamilton and Jefferson, finally resulting in Washington interceding and requesting both parties to put aside their differences for the betterment of the young country. If you enjoy history or politics or both, Hamilton by Ron Chernow is a book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Alexander Hamilton
Review: In this favorable, hefty biography of Alexander Hamilton, Chernow (The Warburgs; The House of Morgan) makes the case for him as one of the most important Founding Fathers, arguing that America is heir to the Hamiltonian vision of the modern economic state. His sweeping narrative chronicles the complicated and often contradictory life of Hamilton, from his obscure birth on Nevis Island to his meteoric rise as confidant to Washington, coauthor of The Federalist Papers, and America's first Treasury secretary, to his bizarre death at the hands of Aaron Burr. A running theme is the contradictions exhibited during his life: a member of the Constitutional Convention, Hamilton nevertheless felt that the Constitution was seriously flawed and was fearful of rule by the people. A devoted father and husband, he had two known affairs. Lastly, he was philosophically and morally opposed to dueling, and yet that's how he met his end. Although quite sympathetic to Hamilton, Chernow attempts to present both sides of his many controversies, including Hamilton's momentous philosophical battles with Jefferson. Chernow relies heavily on primary sources and previously unused volumes of Hamilton's writings. A first-rate life and excellent addition to the ongoing debate about Hamilton's importance in the shaping of America. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries. [BOMC and History Book Club main selections.
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