Customer Reviews

Mornings On Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

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

 

 

I would read the back of a cereal box if David McCullough wrote it so I'm biased to him as an author.

This book should not be the source material for all things T.R. but does fill in the blanks on an interesting family, and goes a long way to explaining some of the details of the man's future life.

The writing here is very good and the material is interesting enough to keep going, even though you are ostensibly reading about the obscure family background of a famous American. Only a commanding figure could even warrant a book about his deep family tree and the details of the homes they lived in and their neighbors.

Good second tier material once you've read the major bios on TR.

The two readers for this meticulously researched biography of Theodore Roosevelt add appeal, especially when reading the parts with the southern lady or Irish accents. Well done!

This book is an excellent history material. For those who are studying or are just interested in American history, this a great secondary source that brings Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. to life. The style Mr. David McCullough uses is very easy to understand, and it is also very descriptive in nature which makes readers feel they were present at the scene. The only weakness is that the book limits T.R.'s life to a 19 year period, which happens before his greatest achievements. Basically, the author leaves you wanting more...

Great choice of biography, great author, and accessable price!

F.C, GA

David McCullough did a tremendous job with his book: "Truman!" A must read! But, in "Mornings on Horseback," he loses the reader at times in the details of events that are only of marginal importance to the life and development of this great statesman. I would rate the book "good" - but not "great" like Truman!

We so enjoyed this audio book while traveling in our motorhome. An excellent historical background describing Teddy Roosevelts roots with impressive narration. Easy to listen. Captivating.

The audio CDs (9 discs) are abridged and, given the occasionally chatty content and considerable detail, I don't believe the book suffers from the truncation. One might even have gotten by with less elaboration and quotation in certain areas, such as TR's time out west and traveling.

The pleasant surprise was the background on TR's father, mother, siblings and extended family, an impressive lot. The author particularly praises TR Senior directly or lets his words and deeds speak for themselves, while also returning many times to others' describing that positive example. It takes no psychologist to understand how much TR was driven to achieve through a desire to please his father and others. Fortunately, the author treads lightly on his own theorizing.

The bio ends with TR in his late 20s, after his Badlands period, with a new wife, and early in the second major phase of his political life. An afterword summarizes TR's remaining 30 years and what happened to his siblings. Obviously, look elsewhere for a full life's treatment. Perhaps it was the focus on youth and family, and less on the nation or world as a whole, but the book seems to have less heft that McCullough's other historical works.

Even so, I believe many readers (or listeners) mostly familiar with TR's Rough Rider and Presidential days may be informed and entertained by this background, much of which was new to me as considerable refinement beyond the broad outline of his personal story.

David McCullough's writing is superb. I have to admit I liked Thedore Roosevelt better as a person in Theodore Rex. His personal correspondence in this book reveals too much about his apparent enjoyment in killing animals for my taste. IMO his image as a conservationist is tarnished by the joy he took in killing. I was especially offended by his shooting the neighbor's dog when riding his horse. If I had lived back then and he shot my dog, I can safely say it would have been the last dog he ever shot and his departure from life would have been made slow and painful...

But that dislike of his joy of killing aside, he and his family were extraordinary. One cannot change history, so I go with the flow to learn more about it and the people in it...

David McCullough makes Teddy Roosevelt a very dull character and this book is very slow. I stopped reading half was through.

I am a big fan of David's but this book is a stinker.

I was really expecting more TR info in this book... a little more than I needed to know about his family and acquaintances and not enough about the man himself.