From Publishers Weekly
Appearing on the bicentennial of Washington's death, Martin's (Annapolis) brisk, engaging and far from worshipful portrayal of the childless father of this country is told from multiple points of view by those who knew him. The first president, war hero and political icon has hardly died when Hesperus Draper, an old nemesis of Washington's and the publisher of a political scandal sheet called Alexandria Gazette, is tipped off that Washington was not all that he appeared to be. Martha is seen burning his letters shortly after his death in an apparent attempt to hide some dark secret. Draper asks his nephew, Christopher, who narrates introductory passages in the first person, to investigate, taking him and the reader on a far-reaching trip through Washington's past. The characters who record their impressions of the late founding father range from Martha, his wife, to Jacob, his slave; his physician, Dr. James Craike; a loyal aide de camp; and such other historical figures as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. Overall, the narratives are lively, rendered in the colloquialisms of the era (though the black dialect may be off-putting to some readers). Washington emerges as less than perfect, a man whose private peccadilloes and initial setbacks in pursuing a career became secondary to his emerging talents as a leader and statesman. According to the narrative, he had an affair with another man's wife before marrying Martha. He was not in fact cut out for politics and would have preferred being a wealthy landowner. Eschewing opportunities to render his subject's life in a sensational manner, Martin exercises considerable restraint in sticking closely to the historical details and social constructs of the time. Yet he enlivens the novel with ribald humor and even some graphic sex scenes, meanwhile humanizing Washington and delivering an entertaining slice of history. Agent, Robert Gottlieb. Author tour. (Feb.) FYI: Martin wrote the PBS documentary George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Shortly after George Washington's death, one of his outspoken critics, Hesperus Draper, learns that Martha has burned her husband's letters. Hoping to unearth a scandal, Draper employs his nephew to discover what they contained. The young man travels widely to interview Washington's acquaintances and assembles their comments about his life. The picture that emerges in this latest historical novel from Martin (Annapolis, LJ 5/15/96) is of a man whose ambition and luck often outstripped his military abilities but who grew in stature as the Colonies melded into a nation. Family, friends, slaves, Indians, military allies, and political enemies all provide perspectives on events. Avid students of the Colonial period may appreciate the multiple viewpoints, but readers with little interest in military maneuvers will be dismayed by the many pages devoted to battle strategy. Washington's engagement in military and political skirmishes left little time for romance, family life, or scandal. Anyone looking for those staples of historical fiction will be bored or disappointed.
-AKathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., MNCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
