Reviews for The sage of Monticello

The average rating for The sage of Monticello based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-06 00:00:00 Julimarie Gresham “Jefferson and His Time: The Sage of Monticello” is the sixth and final volume in Dumas Malone’s groundbreaking biographical account of Thomas Jefferson’s life. This volume marks the apex of the series and the end of nearly four decades of work by Malone. Just more than a year after its publication, in recognition of his vast contribution, Malone received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Covering Jefferson’s life from the end of his second presidential term to his death, this volume surveys the final seventeen years of one of our most revered but enigmatic presidents. After a difficult last term in public office, Jefferson returned to his beloved Monticello in 1809 undoubtedly seeking a peaceful retirement. But while his twilight years proved more numerous than might have been expected, they were also more painful – particularly in terms of his ongoing health and personal financial situation. Consistent with earlier volumes, Malone’s writing becomes aggressively detailed at times and the pace lurches back and forth between intensely slow and well-paced. Nonetheless, this was the easiest of the six volumes to read and was by far the most enjoyable. One can almost sense Malone’s relief at the series drawing to a close, but also the author’s gratitude to Jefferson for providing such a rich and complex history to digest, analyze, reconcile and chronicle. The chapters concerning the sale of Jefferson’s personal library to Congress, his personal financial situation (which was surprisingly poor) and his renewed friendship and extensive correspondence with John Adams were highlights. On the latter front, however, I was surprised to find the story somewhat underplayed, particularly given how much of interest is revealed in the letters these two former presidents exchanged in their last years of life. (I’m also surprised given Malone’s propensity for never missing an opportunity to describe in several chapters what might be more concisely written in a few pages.) Most strenuous of the chapters were those relating to the War of 1812 and his initial efforts to create a common vision – and ongoing funding – for what is now the University of Virginia. Both of these topics were presented with so much detail that they eventually became difficult to follow. We learn nothing more of the Sally Hemings controversy that seems to preoccupy contemporary Jefferson scholarship, and Malone skirts past the seeming inconsistencies in Jefferson’s public and private positions on slavery. Nonetheless, Dumas Malone clearly saved his best work for last, and of all six volumes in this series, this final volume is also perhaps the one best-suited to be read on a standalone basis. Though Malone never evolves into the storyteller we seem to expect of modern-day presidential biographers, he has without a doubt chiseled from primeval stone a great work – laboriously, meticulously and with inordinate care. Although this is just the first of several Jefferson-oriented biographies I plan to read, it is hard to imagine finding more rigorous scholarship in any other work on Jefferson, or more commitment on the part of any author. Overall rating: 4 stars

Review # 2 was written on 2018-05-13 00:00:00 Karen Duchaj The final volume covering the long life of Thomas Jefferson, with this one being solely devoted to his years in retirement at his mountaintop home, Monticello. Jefferson lived for seventeen years after leaving the presidency. Dying at age 83, he lived much longer than the average life expectancy of that time period. Dumas Malone, as is his custom, covers it all in painstaking detail, sifting through various aspects of Jefferson's time as a sage and icon in the young country. As was the case with the two volumes covering Jefferson's presidential years, Malone chooses a topic-based theme to his chapters more so than a chronological one. Malone, as is no surprise to any readers of this series, remains strongly pro-Jefferson, constantly referring to him as an “enlightened gentleman”, etc... whenever possible. While not afraid to offer some lukewarm criticism of Jefferson here and there, it is quite diluted and does not nearly equal the amount of superlative praise that Malone continuously dishes out. One might think that, after five books, I would have gotten used to this. I suppose on one level I did, but I never ceased to find it annoying. Despite Malone's favorable treatment, I come away with a distinctly negative opinion of Jefferson. And it is not really due to any of his policies (most Presidents have some good ideas mixed in with some clunkers), but more because of Jefferson's duplicity and his behind-the-scenes maneuvering that characterizes his entire public career. Malone, while acknowledging that Jefferson's operating style was that way, does not criticize him for it. In Jefferson's battles with John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others, Jefferson's views are always the right ones, according to Malone. While the others may have some points, it is usually Jefferson who is the one with the best intentions and most empathy towards others. The story of Jefferson selling his impressive collection of books to the Library of Congress is quite interesting. The British burned the Capitol and the Executive Mansion during the War of 1812. Virtually all of Congress' books were destroyed. Meanwhile, as was the case for most of his life and for all of his retirement, Jefferson was struggling to pay off his many debts. He was cash-poor and land-rich. He devised a plan to sell his library (which was considerably better than what Congress had prior to the British arson) in exchange for paying off a good chunk of his debts. Looking at it now, Congress really got the better end of the bargain as Jefferson's collection of books seemed to be worth more than what he was willing to take for them. And in an ironic twist, as soon as the books were shipped off to Washington, Jefferson began creating a new library, thus adding further debts to his name. Much of the second half of the book revolves around Jefferson's involvement in the founding of the University of Virginia. While this certainly was one of the things that Jefferson was most proud of, and thus it deserves considerable coverage from Malone, once again he just overdoes it. At one point he starts writing about which professors lived in which areas on the campus, and who accepted appointments to teach and who didn't. Malone gets bogged down in minutiae and, at least for me, the narrative once again began to drag. After completing this series, I really do not understand why Malone had to go to such excessive detail about basically everything that Jefferson touched through his life. Throughout all six of these books, one thing seems to be missing to me: Jefferson's actual personality. For all of the laudatory writing that Malone does, I am still somewhat at a loss to peg what Jefferson's sense of humor was like, or if he even had one. Is this the fault of Malone? Or is it due to the many complicated shades of his subject? Or perhaps both? I get that he was a caring grandfather, and that he tried to help his friends out, and that he supposedly treated his slaves well (that is an oxymoron just writing that last part; I am glad that he did not abuse those unfortunate souls – but I remain disgusted that he felt no moral or ethical quandary about owning other human beings, or, if he did, it wasn't strong enough to free them). But I still wonder just what it was like to have been around the man. While this series overall certainly has relevance for anyone interested in Jefferson or the American Revolution, the amount of time it takes to get through all of these books is rather intimidating. Unless you are specifically looking to learn everything that you can possibly know about Jefferson, I cannot recommend Malone's works, despite their excellent scholarship. Grade: C-