Customer Reviews

Citizen Washington

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

William Martin's latest efforts supports his position as the premier historical novelist of this generation. Like Michener and Vidal in earilier years, Martin is able to bring history alive and shsow us that history is a story and not a recitation of dates so often taught in school. Accurately researched and presented in wonderful detail, Martin sets about doing what Hesperus asks Christopher to do. Find Washington the human. At first I was conflicted reading a narrative that showed Washington as a man with feet of clay like all of us. By the the end of the book I admired Washington more because he was human. By the same devices used on Washington, Martin begins to show us how all the Founding Fathers may be more like us than different or better. I have read all of Martin's novels. Annapolis is by far my favorite but I can't think of any of his historical works that would merit less than 5 stars. Another reviewer wished that this book could be used in a schools curriculum. I wished all his books would become standard. There are fewer literary licenses taken in Martin's works than there are errors in current history books.

I went to Washington College in Maryland, a school founded by a financial donation from George in 1782. I have a special spot in my heart for this man now made more special by this book.

Citizen Washington is the best written and most dramatically satisfying of William Martin's books, and I have read all of them. He captures Washington and his world with more fire and manipulation and chicanery and passion than any history book I've read, and yet he uses all legitimate facts and truths about the man and his times. If you want to read one novel about the beginnings of this nation, this is it.

I want to congratulate William Martin on this work. His use of narratives to tell us the way Washington evolved from a third son to one of this nation's founders is extremely well done. By using characters from all aspects of Washington's life makes it all more real. We read about the man, the "massa", the general and the husband. Great Work.

"Citizen Washington" is one of the most thought provocing historic fiction novels about GW. Martin's novels are educational and extremley entertaining. After reading "Citizen Washington" I read all of Martin's works and everyone of them is incredible. Do yourself a favor and read "Rising of the Moon". If you enjoyed "Gangs of New York" you will see that "Rising of the Moon" is the Boston version of Bostons Tammany Hall and the Irish immigrants stuggle in a new land strife with predudice and corruption. I've been waiting for a couple of years for Martin's new book "Harvard Yard" and finally its here! It's going to be a great November thanks to William Martin when "Harvard Yard" is finally released. I really wish Time Warner would do more to promote Martin's work. "Rising of the Moon" is still out of print and it was one of the best historic fiction novels I've ever read. Very few authors consistently put out great books and ALL of Martin's work is not only incredibly well researched, but well written and entertaining. Many historic fiction authors go wrong by over empasizing historic fact and making a novel feel like a text book. Martin writes so well that each chapter pulls you deeper and deeper and you can't stop until your done.

This novel was one of the most informative books I have ever read. Not only did we get a run-down on the usual suspects of the era, Jefferson, Adams, and Washington, but the insight gained on the characters which history misses sometimes, like Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox and Martha Washington made the book very hard to put down. The way Martin intermingles fictional and non-fictional characters is a work of genius. This novel is a fast-paced, fast-reading tale which NEVER bogs the reader down with an endless string of statistics and facts. The story is always the most important part of the book, and Martin hit a home run spinning this tale. I would recommend this novel, obviously to any Martin fans, but also to anyone who has wondered what historical fiction is like. I can not wait for his next novel!!!!

Citizen Washington is not your typical historical novel. While it is held together by a single voice, it is broken up into many short perspectives that lend the story of George Washington a varied examination. At first I found this inconvenient, but once I got to know the people speaking, I welcomed them again and again as they returned to add their view of an event. The story is told without sentimentality or heroics. In fact, the battles fought (or retreated from) are described very simply and directly. It's been a long time since I studied American history, so it was refeshing to read how the Revolution was fought and won from a "novel" point of view. Citizen Washington is definitely worth a read. I found the Federalist vs. Republican debate especially helful, told, as it is, from characters near the debate.

Special note needs to be made of Barry Bostwick's stellar performance reading CITIZEN WASHINGTON. Having listenned to numerous books on tape, I consider the readings that dramatize the voices of the characters as the most entertaining. Bostwick was able to create a different voice for every character, including John Adams, Martha Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, Negro slaves, and many others. His interpretation of the famous and common men and women of varying ages is worthy of a "Book on Tape Oscar".

I don't think listenning to the tape should replace reading the book, especially one of such high quality as CITIZEN WASHINGTON. However, listenning to the story is an entertaining and vital adjunct, giving life and adding realism to an excellent and creative recollection and interpretation of history. A "Great Job" and sincere "Thank You" to both Mr. Martin and Mr. Bostwick. Both the book and the tape are excellent and very highly recommended!

I love listening to books on tape, so I like to look for reviews by people who have LISTENED to the book on tape because it's a fundamentally different review than just the book itself. As far as the content of the book, you can review the other readers' reviews. This audiobook was top notch! Well written and read with great skill on tape. The reader has an excellent range of voices, accents, and dialects to use for each of the different characters in the book. It didn't matter if a couple of days passed in between listening to parts of the book. As soon as I pushed [play], I could tell which character was speaking based on the voice. I also liked that they played a short segment of music at the beginning and ending of each side of each tape so you could tell when the side was over - not a BIG deal, but a detail that shows how much effort the producers put into making this a good book on tape to listen to. It's a fascinating story of a very critical time in American history, and I would highly recommend the AUDIOBOOK (and I'm sure the non-abridged print version is of equally high standards).

William Martin's attempt at writing about the real human being whose iconic image is on US currency and whose mythical life is stamped indeliably into US minds, succeeds brilliantly in achieving its aims. Washington the farmer, the soldier, the husband, the businessman and the not always accepted suitor are all here. Not once anyplace does Martin succumb to any temptation to deliver the Washington of myth, and his book--and its reader--are better for it. The only thing I might note here is that this book devotes uneven lengths of time to various aspects of Washington's life. I won't say this is wrong, because Martin was at liberty to divide his story however he wished. But I was left wondering why scant pages were dedicated to the Washington Presidency, whereas other epochs in the man's life got much more attention. The people and the world of eighteenth-century America are nowhere in fiction described so skillfully or so three-dimensionally as in the hands of writer William Martin, who did a very good job with a difficult subject in Citizen Washington.

Wonderful read. I feel like I know the man now, not just the politician.