Rating: 
Summary: Too Reverential
Review: Something is missing from this picture -- a two-time president, three-time presidential nominee and former New York governor who "never, ever" trimmed his sails for expediency, was "always" honest and consistently stuck to his convictions no matter the political cost? Not credible. To read this book one would think that Grover Cleveland was literally the second coming. The portrait is overly worshipful, completely one-sided, and ultimately unpersuasive. In particular, attempts at comparison to Bill Clinton and "Zippergate" (as the author calls it) fall totally flat and are completely gratuitous. There is little real analysis here, and too much regurgitation of what prior biographers have written.I don't doubt that Cleveland was a unique politician, a man well-positioned in his time to take advantage of the public's increasing distaste for the spoils system and the fractional and petty squabbles that marked the Republican party from 1868-84 (Stalwarts vs. Half Breeds, Conkling vs. Blaine, Garfield vs. Conkling, etc). The early chapters on Cleveland's meteoric rise from an obscure sheriff to mayor of Buffalo to governor of New York to president in a few short years are fairly interesting. But Cleveland the man, particularly during his two presidential terms, comes across as a wooden, cardboard figure; no real flavor or insight into his personality and character emerges. Some biographies are too heavy on psycho-babble, maybe this book could have used some of that.
Rating:
Summary: Too Reverential
Review: Something is missing from this picture -- a two-time president, three-time presidential nominee and former New York governor who "never, ever" trimmed his sails for expediency, was "always" honest and consistently stuck to his convictions no matter the political cost? Not credible. To read this book one would think that Grover Cleveland was literally the second coming. The portrait is overly worshipful, completely one-sided, and ultimately unpersuasive. In particular, attempts at comparison to Bill Clinton and "Zippergate" (as the author calls it) fall totally flat and are completely gratuitous. There is little real analysis here, and too much regurgitation of what prior biographers have written. I don't doubt that Cleveland was a unique politician, a man well-positioned in his time to take advantage of the public's increasing distaste for the spoils system and the fractional and petty squabbles that marked the Republican party from 1868-84 (Stalwarts vs. Half Breeds, Conkling vs. Blaine, Garfield vs. Conkling, etc). The early chapters on Cleveland's meteoric rise from an obscure sheriff to mayor of Buffalo to governor of New York to president in a few short years are fairly interesting. But Cleveland the man, particularly during his two presidential terms, comes across as a wooden, cardboard figure; no real flavor or insight into his personality and character emerges. Some biographies are too heavy on psycho-babble, maybe this book could have used some of that.
Rating:
Summary: Weak
Review: The author appears to have done no original research. He quotes so extensively from earlier biographies that I wish I could read one of them instead. Alas, they all seem to be out of print... If you just want an outline of Cleveland's life and presidency, then I suppose this books is okay, but if you want any insight or analysis, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been so much better.
Review: The very best thing about this book is how easy it is to read. Mr. Jeffers has done a great job of writing and this book is not in the least bit dull. His lack of footnotes are explained and he does do a fairly good job of adding sources into the text. This book does a nice job of giving the reader a quick look at the life of a man who does deserve more attention than he gets. Now we get to the problems with the book. First of all since Mr. Jeffers takes most of his book from the works of other men who have written about Cleveland there is little new here. Still, since most people aren't going to pick up and read one of these massive works he draws from, they might read this and Jeffers may indeed bring his subject to light for many who know little of Cleveland. As Jeffers points out Cleveland did face a serious problem in that he was the first elected Democrat in the White House since Buchanan. Jeffers in fact says he was the only Democrat since Buchanan which I am sure would suprise Andrew Johnson. The point is though that Cleveland's party in 1857 was busy with north vs. south issues and when Cleveland went into office they weren't real sure of where the party should stand on anything except tariffs. Cleveland a "Bourbon Democrat" found himself at odds with many in his party as it began to grow into its present progressive form. As with many other of Cleveland's faults Jeffers pays no attention to the part the President played in a split that would cost the Democrats the White House for sixteen years. Finally, Jeffers never seems to be able to draw the reader into the life of Grover Cleveland. One never really feels as if he knows Cleveland. The reader will began to like "Big Steve" as he was called in his youth but I never felt as if I really knew the man. If you are looking for a quick read on Cleveland this is the book to read. If you want details and the sour with the sweet look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid Intro to The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland
Review: This book provides a good overview of the career of Grover Cleveland from his Mayoral days in Buffalo to his days in the Whitehouse. Of particular interest to me was the relationship that Grover Cleveland had with TR. They had a genuine respect and spirit of bipartisanship with each other, except for the Presidential elections. Apparently TR did not want to ruin his future in the Republican party despite his dissatisfaction with the Republican candidate in the first election. The mugwumps were enough to guide Cleveland into the Whitehouse.
Another notion that comes out of the way Cleveland carried himself is his honesty, not to be confused with high morals. He committed to get things done for the electorate and did so, yet made no false claims about high moral standards, which he may or may not have had.
A final point is that it could be concluded that Cleveland strengthened the Office of the Presidency, by weeding out corruption and political patronage that had run rampant through prior administrations. This may have set the stage for the strong presidents to come such as TR, WW, and FDR.
In summation, this book provides a great deal of general information that is easy to understand. The reader will come away with the ability to draw some conclusions about Cleveland's place in U.S. History and how he interacted with his comtemporaries, but by no means be able obtain details about policies.
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