John Adams

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

Length: 29 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Biography/Autobiography, 2002

In this powerful, epic biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution. Adams thought, wrote, and spoke out for the "Great Cause" come what might; he traveled far and wide in all seasons and often at extreme risk; he rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; he was rightly celebrated for his integrity, and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and his marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the most moving love stories in American history.

Much about Adams' life will come as a surprise to many. His rocky relationship with friend and eventual archrival Thomas Jefferson, his courageous voyage on the frigate Boston in the winter of 1778, and his later trek over the Pyrenees are exploits few would have dared and that few listeners will ever forget.

McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. This is history on a grand scale, an audiobook about politics, war, and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, it is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.

©2001 David McCullough (P)2001 Recorded Books, All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"Brilliant...a winner." (Publishers Weekly)
"McCullough writes to be heard as well as read." (AudioFile)

An outstanding biography

David McCullogh's biography of John Adams is an outstanding book about an outstanding man. This is one of the finest biographies I have read or listened to. By the end of the book I felt like I knew John Adams - both his outstanding strengths and his human frailties. I came away with a far better appreciation for Adams and his role in the birth of America than I had previously. The book also provides fascinating glimpses into the other strong personalities of the time, including Hamilton, Franklin and Washington, but most especially Jefferson. It is written beautifully and is so enjoyable to listen to that I was a bit sad when it ended. I strongly recommend this great work.

Lip smacking good

This was an excellent book but almost ruined by the reader. Didn't anybody listen to him before they let him read? Lip smacking, gasping for breath, and swallowing are all art of the readers repertoire. I still listened to the entire book but just tried to ignore the poor quality reader.

Expectations on a Theme

The author has carved out his niche as an historical biographer of great skill, so it is reasonable to come to expect much from him; he does not fail to deliver in this book. Having said that, this book should be judged as a journey into the soul of the subject and not an adventure or a novel - it is not and was not intended to be an edge-of-the-seat experience.

The narrator does an excellent job of portraying the various characters with just enough inflection to make the transitions comfortable and while there may be some exposure of his breathing in the reading it is not irritating. It is obvious that the narrator was "in" to the story, and we can always appreciate that!

The book itself offers the listener an intimate perspective of the Adams in a way that you certainly will not find in a text book or in the standard biography. That John Adams was one of the individuals to place their hands upon history and influence the world is beyond question, and this book offers us the opportunity to drink deeply of the character of the man, giving a clear and unobstructed view of his motives.

In an era in which the actions of the founding fathers are often called into question or are intentionally recast with less than faithful attention to the facts it is all the more important to have works like this to set the record straight. McCullough has no axe to grind, and has held himself to the unusually high standards he adopted for his previous works.

If you are seeking knowledge and wish to understand an important man and important events from the past, this book is one you will regret not experiencing. If you are seeking to be constantly entertained and to have plot and subplot move in fluid motion, perhaps you will find Patrick O'Brian's historical fiction more to your liking.

I found the book to be engaging, easy to follow, and pleasant to listen to in small or large chunks, and I believe you will too. It earned the five stars it received from me.

Better than fiction....

This is the rare history narrative doesn't rely on those dry-as-dust facts that were droned into our adolescent brains to ensure we never discovered the magic of history. This book is fascinating and informative.

There was no sense that McCullough took undue license as a historian in portraying the people of the time; every characterization was fleshed out with an amazing array of letters, love-notes, journals, documents and receipts.

I listened to the unabridged version but I would have enjoyed it more if it were even longer. In the end, I've untangled the screwy chronology I've had in my head regarding America's break from England and have a new admiration for the patriots of the time.

Whether a reader prefers fiction (for the love of a good story) or history this book will more than satisfy. Also, it was very well read.

A delightful experience

I completely enjoyed all aspects of this audio book. The narrator was engaging and his voice was pleasant to listen to for the many hours required. The writing style drew me in and I became enthralled with each small detail revealed about the lives of John and Abigail and the early American and European life depicted. I have gone on to read several books of Abigail's letters with great pleasure. This was an excellent, life affirming, and positive experience. Thank you Audible!

Story Amazing. Narrator Exasperating.

Where does John Adams rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

David McCullough is truly a gifted historian. It is absolutely refreshing how he makes these characters come so alive. Love, Love, Love anything he writes. The narration on this was more than I could handle. You can hear every breath the narrator takes and there seems to be times when he takes a sip of water...I went back and listened to other books and there is none of that. I can only assume the production of the book was not done well. Nelson Runger read well...just all those extraneous sounds were so very distracting!

Drinking and long pauses by narrator distract.

An outstanding tale with incredible details about the characters, places, and events that determined the story of the United States of America. I couldn't help but be annoyed by the narrators constant long pauses and audible drinking. Was there no way to edit those out?!

Gasping

I loved this story line! David McCullough writes history like few have ever been able. That being said, listening to the story as narrated by Nelson Runger boarders on the annoying. Unless one is driving at freeway speeds, you can hear his gasps, gulps and deep breaths. I'm sure these were to be edited out as one narrating a story must breath, but to have them present makes me cringe at every breath. Other than this oversight in editing this story is an amazing history of one of the great founding fathers of America, and does justice to a man seldom remembered by American history books

John and Abigail lived at my house

While I was listening to this book, John Adams and his family came to live with me. I was so absorbed in the history, I thought about it even when I wasn't listening. I am impressed with McCullough's skill at bringing history to life. It's a fascinating time with relevance to today. The time and thought put into the Constitution should never be taken for granted. Also, the knowledge of these people and their efforts to continually educate themselves and engage their intellectual lives is beyond anything we see today. While this will appeal to history buffs, I highly recommend it for anyone interested in people's lives and an in depth view of the minds of brilliant people.

Gasping for air.

This is a very well written book which is so difficult for me to concentrate on due to the narrator's gasping at the end of each paragraph. It's a shame it's so distracting as otherwise the narrator has the perfect voice for this performance.

A great life that kept me listening

Having enjoyed listening to Benjamin Franklin’s biography (by Walter Isaacson) I chose this book to get a different slant on the birth of America as an independent country. John Adams wasn’t as colourful a character as the polymath Franklin, but he probably had a greater influence on the creation of the USA as one of the key men in writing the Declaration of Independence and in formulating the Constitution. An example, like Franklin, of a man from humble beginnings achieving greatness through his intelligence, hard work and courage. Adams dedicated his life to his country, but one has also to give much praise to Abigail, his devoted wife, who endured long absences by Adams as he travelled in Europe negotiating with the British, French and Dutch governments to try and bring peace and prosperity to his country.

While the book illustrates the epic history of the birth of a nation, it is enriched by the personal side of Adams’ life and his relationships with his family as well as with the famous people of his time. I’m often struck by the fact that the personalities and relationships among the main players quite often have a pivotal role in the direction of history. Much of the detail of these relationships is furnished by the copious amount of letters that have survived. I wonder will biographies of the future have this rich source of personal information with so much communication now being done by ephemeral e-mails and texts?

On tends to learn history at school from the point of view of ones own country so it it's educational to hear about the American War of Independence from the other side.

Though a long book the story is engaging and the narration excellent.

Great Biography

This is a magnificent biography by David McCullough. The character and personality of John Adams with all his talents and faults just jumps out of the page. He is the least known and probably the least appreciated of the founding Presidents and the author goes a long way to redress both these factors. Of particular interest is the correspondence between Adams and his remarkable wife Abigail. The test of a biography is to ask yourself after finishing it:- Do I think I know this person? If the answer is yes then then it succeeds. In this case it is a resounding YES. It is up there with Ron Chernows biographies of Hamilton and Washington. I thought it so good that I bought a hard copy for my bookshelf to put beside these two!

Absolutley Outstanding

After reading Benjamin Franklin I wanted to get another perspective on this period in American history. John Adam's was 180-degrees different from BF but both contributed immensely to the American Revolution. The performance of the audio book is also fantastic. Well worth a listen.

Great storytelling of our 2nd president's life

I found many opportunities to discuss details of this book with my wife. Enjoyed it!

Great story

The narrator took a bit of getting used to but in no time I loved how be portrayed each of the characters. Adams' story is amusing, annoying and full of colour and character.

A worthy tale of a great man

When starting this I knew little of the man, John Adams and much about Jefferson.

That mistake is now corrected and I now hold in esteem this man, this second President of the States united.

A review the man or a review of this book?

The tale is indeed a page turner, but only for ones prepared to go the course.

It makes the HBO series a postcard, a pretty, well acted and directed postcard, but a postcard nonetheless.

The idea that written discourse could take months to fulfil its function and yet still raise incredible ideals which stand up to the huge odds against it. Inspiring indeed.

Even as an Englishman

Dayum

What made the experience of listening to John Adams the most enjoyable?

Nelson Runger has a really pleasing rustic voice. Good for colonial American history.

What did you like best about this story?

John Adams. What a great person to write a readable story about. He's unbelievably prolific in his writing and straight-forwardly opinionated on every topic.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

John and Tom's Magical English Garden Tour '86

Great story - v well told and narrated

McCullough Runger double act is hard to beat; especially with such good subject material- this is as good as Team of Rivals.

Fab history

Great work in all ways. It inspires and delights and is a tome to Abigail too

An Honest Politician and Honourable Husband

Excellent portrayal not only of an honest man who served his country faithfully, but also the story of a marriage that was a real and rare partnership.