Madison's Gift

Five Partnerships That Built America

By: David Stewart

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Short, plain, balding, neither soldier nor orator, low on charisma and high on intelligence, Madison cared more about achieving results than taking the credit. To reach his lifelong goal of a self-governing constitutional republic, he blended his talents with those of key partners. It was Madison who led the drive for the Constitutional Convention and pressed for an effective new government as his patron, George Washington, lent the effort legitimacy; Madison who wrote the Federalist Papers with Alexander Hamilton to secure the Constitution's ratification; Madison who corrected the greatest blunder of the Constitution by drafting and securing passage of the Bill of Rights with Washington's support; Madison who joined Thomas Jefferson to found the nation's first political party and move the nation toward broad democratic principles; Madison, with James Monroe, who guided the new nation through its first war in 1812, really its Second War of Independence; and it was Madison who handed the reins of government to the last of the Founders, his old friend and sometime rival Monroe.

These were the main characters in his life. But it was his final partnership that allowed Madison to escape his natural shyness and reach the greatest heights. Dolley was the woman he married in middle age and who presided over both him and an enlivened White House. This partnership was a love story, a unique one that sustained Madison through his political rise, his presidency, and a fruitful retirement.

©2015 Originial Material. Recorded by arrangement with David O. Stewart c/o Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Critic Reviews

"Grover Gardner's animated narration makes the material come alive in ways the printed word can't.... The book is a fascinating examination of the making of the modern United States, and Gardner does the work justice." ( AudioFile)

Excellent history of our nation's founding

More than a biography of a single man, this is a wonderful story of the whole team who created the governmental structure we know today. A story of struggle, conflict, and camaraderie.

Reading Several Histories of the Nation's Founding

and bios of the founding fathers, and this one is among the best. A fine book on Madison's life and political career which is both enlightening and entertaining.

meh

The author is trying to do something interesting here, but is not entirely successful. Perhaps if I had not just finished other excellent biographies of Hamilton, Adams, Madison, and Washington in recent weeks, I would have found it more interesting. But, to me, the book lacked a strong narrative flow. To support the stories of the partnerships, backtracking and repeating events occurs, from slightly different points of view, but not quite different enough.

His last "partnership" is poorly supported, as Dolley does not appear central to the story he tells in part five. This was a disappointment.

I did appreciate finding out further information about James Monroe. I had little interest in reading a biography about him specifically, as he has never seemed particularly interesting. this piqued my interest somewhat.

Fantastic

The narration was second to none. The prose, though not the easiest to follow and remember for my chronologically oriented brain, as the book is divided into segments based on Madison's relationships rather than on sequence if events, was very engrossing. Helping the enjoyment was dry humor peppered throughout the book. I found myself laughing aloud, followed by self conscious scanning of my environment to see if anyone thought I were crazy. Something that helped me remember the plot if his life was the periodical repetition of an event, sometimes through the lens of a different relationship
Very enjoyable.

Unique Biography

David O. Stewart's design was wonderfully conceived and brilliantly executed. The partnership prose about Hamilton, Washington, Jefferson, Monroe and his beloved Dolly lends itself to better understand the man, his times and his challenges. That context and his aims are important to clarifying the why, but also the why not.

More importantly, Madison's complexity, his focus and his patience despite even the most bitter setbacks, all lend the reader an in depth and fair glimpse of this founding father.

I especially liked to read of his struggle with slavery from personal, sectional and Constitutional perspectives. James was unsuccessful in removing that evil and presciently foresaw secession, a Southern Confederacy and war.

Great read about a great man in great times

What did you love best about Madison's Gift?

In intricate explanation of how a small, weak, unhealthy man rose to the monumental occasion of building the most import innovation in statecraft, creating America.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Madison's Gift?

Longest and best part of the book was the life of Madison. The small frail ever ready bunny who lived a long productive life

Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

George Washington - the reluctant hero of whole affair.

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

1. The building of Washington DC from a muddy swamp and then rebuilding it after the British set it alight. 2. Second would be the plight of the prominent slave holders. They couldn't live with or without slavery. It was fundamental to their lively hood, they debated it's solutions, but they knew it would some day rip apart the nation.

Any additional comments?

The book is long and slow. Madison and his peers undertook the project of a lifetime. It is a serious work that invites more reading and study.

Great Book of America's Ambiguities

speaking as the great grandson of a slave in Virgina, it is hard to escape the ambiguities have a man who gave us the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, who was unable to give any freedom to his enslaved African-Americans. the irony is he knew slavery was wrong but was unable to come to grips with it. ultimately he sold his slaves even though he knew that it was wrong. the great irony is that in the age of trump who brings on the Specter of dictatorship, it is to Madison that we do the checks and balances that have saved the freedom of all Americans black and white. so that I can say he certainly would have agreed with my great-grandfather is circumstances as being born a Slave we owe Madison our continued freedom in America and freedom from tyrants like Trump to Madison and other slaveholders including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

A good summary of the high-minded Madison

While no military leader or frontier explorer, Madison was clearly a devoted, deep scholar of the human condition of liberty. He was more complex, given his views of freedom and his ownership of slaves for his entire life. The author did a great scholastic job of revealing Madison's thinking on both topics through Madison's writing. This approach is a relief, given today's level of uneducated and irrational protests against leaders of that era. This book summarizes Madison's accomplishments well, though I was surprised at how brief his post-presidency accplishments were covered. There was also less discussion of how integrated Dolly Madison was in his achievements. Instead, a separate chapter summarizes her contributions. I guess that was a writer's choice.

Nevertheless, this book is a very well constructed story and is easy to listen to and learn from.

One of my favorite books

Good treatment of the issue of slavery and Madison’s conflict about it; the “horror” of it and his inability to do anything about it...

The gift to our heritage

It another good book about our country and make one wonder of our country and how it was formed and the reason for it. The disagreement each member has but stilled moved forward for the common good.