Customer Reviews

Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's: Three Men, Five Great Wines, and the Evening that Changed America

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

 

 

Having enjoyed the recent profusion of books on the founders, including Mr. Cerami's excellent Young Patriots, I was disappointed by his work here.

For starters, the book offers very little that's original or unfamiliar. In essence, it assumes no foreknowledge of the founding period, so it spends most of its effort rehashing narratives that have been well-told by others (Joseph Ellis, John Ferling, Gordon Wood, David McCullough, and the author himself) within the last handful of years.

A more serious flaw was the author's willingness to brush by questions that didn't fit his narrative. At one point for example, he simply states in passing that "George Washington was not a racist". Oh really? I'd say that at the least, the question deserves greater consideration than that.

Finally, I take issue with his casual editorializing. In the midst of a narrative, he'll frequently refer to one of the principals as sneaky, haughty, or the like. It feels both sloppy and judgmental.

In conclusion, while I recognize that certain stylistic choices have to be made if a history book is meant to appeal to a popular audience, I don't feel that Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's succeeds on any level.

After reading Joseph Ellis' devotion to the subject in "Founding Brother's" I was looking forward to reading Cerami's book devoted to the subject of the famous dinner of Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton. However after reading this book I was extremely disappointed. The book is a rehash of events with little space actually devoted to the dinner. Cerami has not broken new ground here (maybe with his in depth and drawn out discussion of Jefferson's dinner habits and menu), devotes little to the actually dinner, and spends the rest of the book rehashing the old story of the Hamilton/Jefferson/Madison fued.

On top of that the scholarship is terrible. Readers would be best served going to Cerami's bibliography and reading the materials, especially since Cerami seems to believe that footnoting is a waste of time (none at all in the book). Furthermore the book is filled with assumptions that Cerami doesn't back up with evidence. On top of all this, he constently repaeats himself over and over again as if doing so makes his points better. By doing all of this Cerami seems to be attempting to capture a broader audience, but instead he has turned his book into questionable scholarship at best.

There are other issues with this book. His constant references to Jefferson's last letter to Washington being "friendly." Yet where Cerami fails here is any discussion of the fact that Washington had learned Jefferon had stabbed him in the back with his "Sampson" Letter," and Jefferson's final letter was more of an attempt to make a mends than a friend writing to another friend (especially when more evidence shows that Washinton no longer considered Jefferson a friend...a fact that Cerami leaves out of his book). Cerami devotes 4-5 pages to Hamilton's affair with a married woman, yet off handedly mentions Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings. Cerami paints a picture of President Jefferson holding on to Federalist in his admistration as if it were some move out of the kindness of his heart, failing to even address (and more and more facts have surfaced) the deal Jefferson made with Federalists to get break the dead-lock between him and Burr.

Do yourselves a favor, buy Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation read Ellis' chapter devoted to the subject and avoid this book.

Many of us remember John F. Kennedy's now famous comment to a gathering , "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. "

History corroborates Mr. Kennedy's estimation of Jefferson's mental acuity but it does not recount how often Jefferson dined alone. Fortunately, what it does relate is the story of an evening when Jefferson hosted two guests for dinner - Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. This was a momentous time in our nation's history, and that evening is faithfully recalled by author/historian Charles A. Cerami in Dinner At Mr. Jefferson's.

In 1790 Jefferson evidently decided to resolve differences and perhaps the best way to do it was over excellent food and fine wines. To that end he invited Hamilton and Madison to dinner. The host was correct - during that meal bargains were struck: the Federal government would be responsible for Revolutionary War debts, which pleased Hamilton, and the capital would be moved, which pleased Jefferson and Madison.

While the crux of the evening is well known what delights is Cerami's description of those hours as he not only imagines the conversation but includes recipes for dishes served and notes wines enjoyed.

A remarkable reading by voice performer William Dufris literally transports the listener to that eventful dinner. The winner of thirteen Earphones Awards and voted a "Best Voice at the End of the Century" by AudioFile magazine, he delivers an estimable narration.

- Gail Cooke

....how our Nation's Capital ended up in a malarial swamp? It's a heck of a story, and, as with much else, Thomas Jefferson is central to it....

Several serious problems faced our nation in its early days, one of which was a massive debt burden, and declining confidence in our credit on the part of European bankers. What to do? Alexander Hamilton, a thoroughly brilliant but unpleasant little man had a plan, and he had the ear, and full confidence, of George Washington. As Secretary of the Treasury, he pretty much could do as he liked. His personality made enemies, even among his own faction, like John Adams. [Parties weren't fully developed]. But, his main opposition came from Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Congressman James Madison. Hamilton wanted the new federal government to assume state debts from the Revolution; Madison and Jefferson feared centralization of federal power [and Virginia had paid its debts, anyway].

Alongside this, there was the problem of where to put the new Capital city, and whether to build one from scratch, or use an existing city. New York, and Philadelphia, each had partisans, and various sites were under consideration. A site on the Potomac [which eventually won] had many friends, but there were those who said that George Washington would personally profit [he did].

Jefferson became worried about our credit problem, and decided to give Hamilton what he wanted. He had to make Hamilton think he was "putting one over", and thus had to make him give up something. On June 19, 1790, Jefferson invited Hamilton and Madison to dine with him the next day. Jefferson always spent too much; he had spent way too much remodling a temporary rental in New York, and lavished on food. But, he gave a fine dinner, at which Hamilton pledged to get his New York friends to support the Potomac site, and Madison agreed to quit fighting assumption. The rest is history......

Hamilton was eventually to ruin himself in an illicit affair [with Maria Reynolds], and Jefferson went from glory to glory [broke, however]. Madison, for all his greatness, remains a shadow to us. This fine book will give you a good glimpse of the time they all worked together. The parts about Senator William Maclay are enlightening; we owe this largely forgotten man much. The recipes from Jefferson's kitchen are a nice touch; my chef son says they're all doable with a minimum of effort, and cost. Despite an astounding ability to tolerate contradictions, Thomas Jefferson regretted his part in this whole matter for the rest of his life; still, this volume tells a fascinating story, and tells it well.

A disappointing book with a deceptive title. Very little space is given over to the "historic" dinner while the rest of the book rehashes information easily available elsewhere. Given that Cerami has to provide fill to make what could have been a short treatise into a book, there is a great deal of redundancy.
Skip it!

I'm fascinated by Jefferson, and so for me, it is nearly impossible to write a dull book that features him and other greats of the time, such as Hamilton and Madison.

However, this book promised much more than it delivered. As a foodie and wine lover as well as a history fan, I was hoping more detail and revelation about the dinner in question. Rather than being the true focus, it was simply one more event. I suspect the title and subtitle were merely a marketing decision to reach the food and wine set, and it certainly worked in getting me to read the book. But the thing I found most frustrating of all was that the book simply wasn't well written or edited. There were a number of tortuous sentences with puzzling antecedents; repetitive statements; and suppositions that were not clearly supported.

So, I suppose what I'm saying is, buyer beware. On the other hand, I still don't regret reading it, although I'm glad I checked it out at the library.

This is quite an interesting book. It talks about the underlying tensions that were going on with our leaders at the birth of our country. Intriguing.

After reading 150 pages, I just couldn't force myself to read any more. Being born in the North, I am fully aware and understand the viewpoint that the North is almighty and the South were all stupid and ignorant slave-beating hypocrites, as was Mr. Jefferson. But intelligent people know that that is not entirely the case. This author goes overboard. I felt like I was reading a critique of Southerners and Southern history that was extremely biased and ignorant. I almost felt like I was a Northern solider being force fed propaganda in 1861. And the bashing never ends. It just keeps goin' and goin'.

If you're looking for an interesting book about a) Mr. Jefferson, b) Three Men, c) Five Great Wines, or, d) the Evening that Changed America, KEEP LOOKING. This book promises all four and delivers none. It's a tediously (that's the worst part of "meticulously") written rehashing of an oft-told tale that would have never sold a copy if they had called it what it is, so these editors, in their infinite wisdom, wrote a title that is, simply, a lie. I even wrote to the publisher, requesting a refund, and was told that my expectations of a book about an interesting dinner (i.e., what these great men ate, drank and discussed) was a case of "imagin[ing] . . . your own expectations into the subtitle because the book is clearly about the buildup that led to the dinner meeting . . . and what it led to." How's that for a twist? I'm dreaming and I'm right and I'm wrong. This editor missed her calling at the Bush White House. Save your money, and find another book. This one is a drag. Oh, by the way, no refund. If I had the time, I would sue them for false advertising. Anyone wanna start a class-action suit?! Thanks for listening.

OK read, some new history but could have been better edited. Still any History written about this time period and about these men is always a pleasure to read.