Adams vs. Jefferson

The Tumultuous Election of 1800

By: John Ferling

Narrated by: Jack Garrett

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning author John Ferling is a leading authority on the American Revolution. His entertaining and enlightening histories have greatly improved our understanding of early America and the Founding Fathers. Now Ferling opens a window to the past and explores the contentious presidential election of 1800.

Once close friends, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson became bitter rivals as they fought for control of the young government. In a no-holds-barred brawl, both camps used any and all methods to sway voters. There was mudslinging, name-calling, and backstabbing. After a stalemate in the Electoral College, balloting went on for days and nights. Friendships were crushed, promises were broken, civil war was threatened. In the end, a shady deal gave Jefferson the presidency, and America would never be the same.

Considering the turmoil of the modern era, Adams vs. Jefferson is a timely book through which we can better understand the antagonistic atmosphere of contemporary politics.

The “Pivotal Moments in American History” series seeks to unite the old and the new history, combining the insights and techniques of recent historiography with the power of traditional narrative. Each title has a strong narrative arc with drama, irony, suspense, and – most importantly – great characters who embody the human dimension of historical events. The general editors of “Pivotal Moments” are not just historians; they are popular writers themselves, and, in two cases, Pulitzer Prize winners: David Hackett Fischer, James M. McPherson, and David Greenberg. We hope you like your American History served up with verve, wit, and an eye for the telling detail!

Listen to John Ferling talk about this book on the October 3, 2004, edition of Booknotes.

©2004 John Ferling (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Ferling richly presents the twists and turns of the election, as well as a vivid portrait of a struggling new nation and the bruising political battles of our now revered founding fathers." (Publishers Weekly)

bad narration

Remember the early computer-generated speech? Words strung together without normal patterns of enunciation? Garnet's narration isn't quite that bad -- but it is close. And so THE emphasis is too often ON the wrong word. The longer I listen, the more distracting THIS becomes. I'm half WAY through the book -- and I'm not SURE how MUCH more I can take.
Garnet does have A nice voice, but IT is difficult for me TO understand how someone who reads so awkwardly be a professional narrator. He also has an annoying tendency to hesitate between words. I had to speed it up to make it sound a bit more like idiomatic English. All very distracting.

(Before submitting this, I thought perhaps I ought to listen to samples of other books Garnet has narrated. I listened to samples from four other books -- and in each one Garnet sounded quite good. There is something strange going on with this particular production.)