You can purchase a copy of this book here: https://amzn.to/4hgNw3V
Cheney’s book has this as part of the description on Amazon: “James Madison was a true genius of the early republic, the leader who did more than any other to create the nation we know today. This majestic new biography tells his story.”
What that introduction says about Madison is true, but I found Cheney’s telling of his life story far from majestic. As I considered how to review her book what hit me is that it felt like Madison was a bit player in other people’s lives.
Maybe other books do too much to lionize their subjects, and granted that can be a danger. Cheney left me underwhelmed by what I know is an outstanding individual. I finished the book with the impression that Madison was like a moon revolving around greater men. As if he were a supporting character in his own life.
The book has it’s merits, but I believe there must be better biographies of James Madison.
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