His Excellency

George Washington

By: Joseph J. Ellis

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Acclaimed author Joseph J. Ellis penned the National Book Award-winning American Sphinx and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Founding Brothers, a fixture on The New York Times best seller list for an entire year, and one of the most popular history books of all time. Now this master historian turns his attention to the most exalted American hero, Founding Father and first President George Washington.

Washington has always been a larger-than-life enigmatic figure. On the day he was given command of the continental army, he recorded only the temperature and where he ate dinner in his journal. But recently, his papers were catalogued at the University of Virginia. Ellis had primary access to the 90-volume papers, allowing him to paint a thorough and fascinating portrait.

From the French and Indian War to Mount Vernon, from the American Revolution to the presidency, Ellis delivers what will stand the test of time as the definitive biography of the greatest American icon.

©2004 Joseph J. Ellis (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Non-Fiction (unabridged), 2005
• 2005 Quill Award Nominee

"Ellis offers a magisterial account of the life and times of George Washington [that] leaves readers with a deeper sense of the man's humanity." (Publishers Weekly)
"Mr. Ellis gives us a succinct character study while drawing on his extensive knowledge of Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary history to strip away the accretions of myth and contemporary extemporizing that have grown up around his subject....An incisive portrait of the man." (The New York Times)

Easy to see why Ellis won a pulitzer

Though Ellis' Pulitzer was not for this book, the qualities that earned him that prestigious award shine through. I don't know how many hundreds of books about GW and the era have been written, but this one is a gem that stands out from the rest. It is firmly grounded in fact, and filled with compellingly argued analysis where fact fails us. It is well organized and presents an insight not only into the doings of one of the very most important persons in American history, but into the personal character of GW.

Not normally a fan of biographies, but this one I listened to twice. The reader does an outstanding job not getting in the way of the prose. If that sounds like a backhanded compliment to the reader, I assure you it is not backhanded. It takes top talent in this field to turn the text into a living thing without distracting the reader into noticing that they are being read to.

Fire the Narrator

Where does His Excellency rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The narrator makes so much noise with his breathing, and smacking sound from his tongue. Does he need a drink of water? Is he nervous? It is very distracting. I listen to a lot of audio books and this was the first time I encountered this. I was 15 minutes through it and started checking the reviews to see if I was the only one who noticed it. Thankfully, other reviewers mentioned it, too, so I'm not crazy. Who is the producer / director of this project? What a joke.

Great book and reader; poor production

This book was great, but bodily noises from narrator should have been edited out. I would still recommend this book to anyone interested in a general outline of Washington.

Excellent biography

This is a terrific reading and I strongly recommend it to anyone seeking to understand the founding of America and the complex man who was George Washington.

Author is biased

The author consistently tries to contradict Washington’s own words. For example, Washington wrote in his diary that he was not seeking the presidency. But the author says Washington was not being honest.

Charles E.

Fine insight into the character, make up and triumph of the father of our country. The strenghts and complexities of an honorable man along with his opponants and errors. So complex that it became a bit
lengthy at times. Very enjoyable listening.

Honest Assessment

While I can't speak for Ellis' past, I can say that this book was a good look at the life of our 1st President. The book could best be described as an analysis of Washington's life rather than an in depth biographical profile. The book glosses over many of the details that one would expect in a comlete biography. However, Ellis readily presents interesting analysis throughout the work on the underlying motivations of Washington. This analysis admittedly lends an opinionated slant to Washington's life, but the arguments are weighty and well supported. This is my first look at Ellis, but I will purchase more of his books.

Atrocious Narration.

I have dyslexia, so I love audiobooks. This was assigned reading for history class, so I was very happy that this was available on Audible. However, the narrator is the worst I've ever listen to. His breathing is distracting throughout the book, he doesn't read with the proper cadence and runs sentences together, and his stomach actually starts growling about 2 hours in!

I had to find a text version and will hopefully be able to finish the book in time. Audible should redo this book and fire the narrator.

Very distracting narration.

The narration of this book is very distracting. It is hard to believe that this recording was allowed to be published.

Brilliant & Fascinating Portrait

Ellis' book is spectacular in its breadth and depth of analysis of George Washington's life and times. It's a true must-listen for anyone interested in American History, important military and political leaders, and in-depth character studies. Ellis paints a full and vibrant portrait of Washington the man - not the myth. The listener comes to a deeper understanding of Washington as a real flesh and blood man of his time. It makes Washington's achievements all the more remarkable to know about all the missteps and less-than-stellar choices he made along the way. Superbly written and performed.