I was prepared to dislike the book. What I suspected was that Mr. Stewart would present Washington as a canny careerist who failed upward—that is, who escaped accountability for his mistakes and rose to the top of Revolution-era political life by means of charm and guile. Again I was wrong. The book is nothing like that. Mr. Stewart has written an outstanding biography that both avoids hagiography and acknowledges the greatness of Washington’s character, all while paying close attention to his rarely voiced but no less fierce political ambitions. He does not flinch from the cruelty of American slavery and Washington’s part in it, but situates him in the time and place of his origins rather than in ours. Mr. Stewart’s writing is clear, often superlative, his judgments are nuanced, and the whole has a narrative drive such a life deserves..

In a masterfully drawn chapter, 'Biting the Hand,' Stewart details the drama (and theatrics) of that critical relationship [between Washington and his patron Gov. Robert Dinwiddie]. His extensive coverage of Washington’s early professional experience is fitting, given the many documented lessons amassed from colonial-era relationships.

... examines in detail and with excellent analysis how Washington developed the political skills that would serve him during both war and peace.

For some, Washington’s slaveholding disqualifies him from admiration. Stewart obviously doesn’t share that view, but neither does he let his subject off easy.

This book is a testament to the research that Stewart has done. So many factors affected Washington’s life and our history...and he does an excellent job of bringing these details into the narrative.

Stewart closes with an analysis of Washington’s ambivalent distaste for slavery and his posthumous freeing of his own enslaved workers. This is a readable and revealing contemporary look at an oft-studied personality. Includes illustrations and bibliography..

In this lively and admirable study, Stewart offers a balanced and thoughtfully well-written appreciation of George Washington’s life and leadership. A must for fans of biographies..

Historian and mystery writer Stewart (Madison’s Gift) delivers an insightful take on George Washington’s evolution as a politician. Painstaking accounts of episodes from Washington’s life before the American Revolution illustrate the flaws he struggled to overcome.

... readers will enjoy the author’s insightful nuts-and-bolts account of his handling of the politics and infighting of local government.