Washington's End

The Final Years and Forgotten Struggle

By: Jonathan Horn

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Popular historian and former White House speechwriter Jonathan Horn “provides a captivating and enlightening look at George Washington’s post-presidential life and the politically divided country that was part of his legacy” (New York Journal of Books).

Beginning where most biographies of George Washington leave off, Washington’s End opens with the first president exiting office after eight years and entering what would become the most bewildering stage of his life. Embittered by partisan criticism and eager to return to his farm, Washington assumed a role for which there was no precedent at a time when the kings across the ocean yielded their crowns only upon losing their heads. In a different sense, Washington would lose his head, too.

In this riveting read, bestselling author Jonathan Horn reveals that the quest to surrender power proved more difficult than Washington imagined and brought his life to an end he never expected. The statesman who had staked his legacy on withdrawing from public life would feud with his successors and find himself drawn back into military command. The patriarch who had dedicated his life to uniting his country would leave his name to a new capital city destined to become synonymous with political divisions.

A “movable feast of a book” (Jay Winik, New York Times bestselling author of 1944), immaculately researched, and powerfully told through the eyes not only of Washington but also of his family members, friends, and foes, Washington’s End is “an outstanding biographical work on one of America’s most prominent leaders (Library Journal).

Critic reviews

"Historians rarely place much emphasis on the later years of George Washington. The American Cincinnatus turned his back on power and returned to his farm. But in the tone of a close confidant, [narrator Arthur] Morey shares a history more like that of the later Michael Corleone, who found that the more he tried to get out, the more they pulled him back in. To Washington's dismay, party politics were on the rise, while his envisioned Federal City just across the Potomac remained only a few scattered public buildings. Pitch-perfect, Morey conveys a time in Washington's career unexpectedly fraught with conflict, and a rich retrospect on a complex personality."

A Bunch of Men Overcome with their Own Self Importance

Everyone in the book, including Washington, is focused on their own reputation. I was embarrassed for all of them!

A thorough and detailed coverage

Learn tidbits you don't know, explore other angles of intentions and actions of the founders, and enjoy a most interesting account of the early days of the nation.

I highly recommend this book.

Things they don’t teach you in history class

While I had heard that excessive bleeding was considered one of the causes of his death. The idea he might have been saved by a tracheostomy is interesting. I can’t imagine that was a common procedure at the time.
The animosity between Washington and Jefferson was greater than I realized.
Abigail Adam’s observation that democracy would survive of her husband wasn’t re-elected seems to be echoed on a regular basis.
Perhaps why Mao was said to have observed out of too early to judge the impact of the French Revolution.

Speaker doesn't speak clearly

George Washington is my favorite president in American history. He was the archetype and the founding father who shaped a presidency that would change the world. Some think for the better; others otherwise. I had read a few books related to George Washington and his presidency, and when this audiobook came up, I couldn't wait to read it. The problem I had with this audiobook was that the author has a very "artsy" delivery and it was too hard for me to understand what he said unless I was sitting directly in front of the computer speakers for the whole audiobook. The other problem was that the audiobook is called "Washington's End," but I guess the author ran out of material, because a lot of the information is "Ante-Washington" and "Pre-Washington," as opposed to "Post-Washington." I value this audiobook and I'd love to finish it again.

Washington's End

This autobiography is mostly about George Washington life from the end of his p[residency until his death which is a period of less than three years. It is interesting and worthwhile.