Vidal is erudite and well read on the intricacies of the founding fathers, having written a series of very good books about them and their era. This is like dipping your toes into a nonfiction version of these stories, the interpersonal conflicts, the differing philosophies, of the revolutionary era to the first presidents. Tangents are frequent and opinions come fast and freely, not just about the past but then (then) present, with many allusions to prescience in the founders being relevant to early 2000s politics. ( )

An enjoyable read and a fresh take on these figures, the machinations of the times and how they shaped the post 9/11 reality. However, given the mediocre quality of US history that I received in school, had I not by chance happened to have read a book of Adam's letters[b:Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams|152495|Dearest Friend A Life of Abigail Adams|Lynne Withey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172244026s/152495.jpg|626402] and be in the middle of the [b:The Federalist Papers|721010|The Federalist Papers (Penguin Classics)|Alexander Hamilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238973527s/721010.jpg|707252] I would have been totally lost most of the time, instead of somewhat lost some of the time. ( )

Not one of Gore's great historical novels, but a fun, short historical novel. ( )

Enjoyable. Hamilton, for all that he's not the main player in the title, looms large throughout, probably because he had his fingers in a number of apple pies where they didn't belong. Gore Vidal's writing is vibrant, intelligent, and quite broad, as he makes commentary on not only historical matters but also matters which were on going in his life time. It's neat when a historian can do that (not all of them can). ( )

Interesting contrast to the current celebration of Alexander Hamilton. Vidal obviously didn't like Hamilton and distrusted his influence on Washington and on the early formation of the US. ( )