A Magnificent Catastrophe

As we near the 2008 election, this book offers an in-depth view of the first true presidential campaign, the 1800 election involving John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and Charles Pinckney. But the Electoral vote ended up in a tie, and the decision was left to the House of Representatives, who chose Jefferson and Burr. The overall election was heated and bitter to the point that it makes today's political disagreements seem almost tame. Narrator John Dossett has a brisk reading style that's easy to follow. He slows his delivery whenever he's reading a direct quotation, a helpful distinction, and uses a slightly aristocratic Southern accent for Jefferson's quotes. The book itself is so detailed that only listeners keenly interested in politics will enjoy even the abridgment fully. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

November 26, 2007
John Dossett lends a melodious and erudite tone to this book about the most disastrous presidential election in American history: the 1800 contest between incumbent John Adams and his polymath v-p, populist Thomas Jefferson. Dossett's Jefferson speaks with a slow, suave Virginia drawl, his elegant voice bathing in the rich words that flowed from the founder's pen. His Adams sounds blunt, curmudgeonly and judgmental—as Larson often portrays him. The abridgment narrows the focus of the 1800 election to a horse race between these two very different men, who saw their friendship torn asunder and, many years after the election, pieced together again. Despite the abridgment's careful editing, the audio still has to contend with the weighty and unexciting technical details of backroom politicking and electioneering that shaped the ballot's outcome. But there's plenty to maintain the listener's interest—including slave rebellions, sexual scandals, backstabbing and festering hatred between Alexander Hamilton and the scheming Aaron Burr. History lovers will enjoy this dramatic rendition of one of America's most turbulent political moments. Simultaneous release with the Free Press hardcover (Reviews, May 21).