Theodore Rex

By: Edmund Morris

Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz

Length: 25 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A shining portrait of a presciently modern political genius maneuvering in a gilded age of wealth, optimism, excess and American global ascension.”—San Francisco Chronicle

WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY • “[Theodore Rex] is one of the great histories of the American presidency, worthy of being on a shelf alongside Henry Adams’s volumes on Jefferson and Madison.”—Times Literary Supplement

Theodore Rex is the story—never fully told before—of Theodore Roosevelt’s two world-changing terms as President of the United States. A hundred years before the catastrophe of September 11, 2001, “TR” succeeded to power in the aftermath of an act of terrorism. Youngest of all our chief executives, he rallied a stricken nation with his superhuman energy, charm, and political skills. He proceeded to combat the problems of race and labor relations and trust control while making the Panama Canal possible and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. But his most historic achievement remains his creation of a national conservation policy, and his monument millions of acres of protected parks and forest.

Theodore Rex ends with TR leaving office, still only fifty years old, his future reputation secure as one of our greatest presidents.

©2001 Edmund Morris (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Impeccably researched and beautifully composed, a dazzling portrait of the man....A book that is every bit as complex, engaging, and invigorating as the vibrant president it depicts." (Publishers Weekly)

Great bio — many tech glitches

The great book by Edmund Morris and solid, if somewhat flat reading, are marred by frequent editing errors. About 100 times throughout the book, a passage repeats, like a record skipping.

I hope the Audible team takes notice and fixes this glaring stain on a great book.

Narrator mispronounces John Pierpont Morgan

The book/story was great but the narrator needs to learn how to pronounce John Pierpont Morgan -- everytime the narrator says Pierpont he says PierPOINT. Please inform the narrator that there is no I between the O and the N in Pierpont.

Brilliant book, underrated reader

Everybody knows how brilliant Edmund Morris's Roosevelt books are, so I want to emphasize how terrific the much-maligned Jonathan Marosz's narration is. He did a wonderful job with this book. Please don't be put off by the negative reviews of his reading, or settle for the abridged version, as some have done after reading bad reviews of his narration. (The one part of those reviews that's accurate is that there are repeated phrases and sentences here and there, but that's on the editor, not the reader.) Marosz doesn't do the great vocal imitations that Mark Deakins does, but at least he doesn't do the iconic Chicago Irishmen Mr. Dooley and Hennessy with a Southern drawl.

Excellent. Highly recommend this book.

Well written, entertaining, tells a great story. TR is a fascinating character and Morris brings him to life.

A GREAT NARRATIVE

Highly enjoyable. TR was a real larger than life character with flaws of similar magnitude. But in the end likable. I found nothing to complain about with the narrator and dont understand the negative comments at all. Test listen for yourself.

Good, but first TR book was better

Not as good as the first book of this pair, but still very interesting. I felt the book was weakened by it's heavy focus on tangential figures in Roosevelt's political life. While such people are always necessary in biographies for context, I felt this excessive focus compromised the description of Roosevelt, the book's actual subject.

Roosevelt

Outstanding account of his presidency. Well written and expertly performed. Gripping narrative of a truly iconic figure in American history.

Great President...kinda, great story, good book

Teddy Roosevelt was like so many of our Presidents, they do not allow the Constitution to get in the way of what they want to do. He did a lot of good but was a socialist at heart. He was a larger than life person and lived an extraordinary life. The story was well researched and adequately read. I am now off to finish the trilogy.

Terrific subject, writing, and performance

This lengthy audible book is one of the best all-around works of non-fiction that I have purchased.

very detailed but very dry

the book was very good from a historical standpoint. However it was hard to make it through some chapters because of the amount of detail included. No doubt the author did his research. it was just not as fun as the first book to listen to.