George Washington: the Forge of Experience (1732-1775)

Well-written, personable, somewhat condensed account of George Washington's first 43 years of life. Covers the period from Washington's birth to his appointment as the commander-in-chief of the (yet unformed) Continental Army. Flexner's criticism of Washington's youthful deficiencies in the French and Indian War are particularly cogent, while the author's obvious admiration of his subject dissipates any fear of authorial axe-grinding.

I also own Freeman's solid and much recommended biography of Washington (which I haven't read yet). This biography looks more comprehensive but I certainly enjoyed reading Flexner's view on Washington. I think he succeeded in bringing to life this complicated person. The text is well-documented but also very interesting to read. It is more than a lot of facts about Washington; it is a very good interpretation of his life and work. I think this is what a biography should be: based on the facts and with references to notes and liteature but with an original interpretation.

I would strongly encourage those interested in both Washington and our early republic to read the entire four volume biography, of which this is the first volume. Volume II is out of print and hard to get, but available in libraries. I got one from a used book store through the Internet, but paid a premium. Washington was at the center of everything important that happened to this country prior to 1800. Through this biography, you not only live through a magnificent life, but you experience the birth and early life of our republic. Flexner makes a persuavise case that the actions of the Founding Fathers after the revolution were perhaps more important that the War itself. I did not once find four volumes to be overly long. Indeed, I relished every detail.As for writing style, the first volume, whether because it was written first, or because the material is less inspiring, has the least interesting prose. It's certainly adequate and competant, but not inspiring. Volumes II, III and IV, however, are not only excellently researched, they are written in a romantic, literary style that too few historians still use. There is a remark, for example, about Adams jealously feeling like he's the girl no one will dance with, while Washington is the belle of the ball; it's not PC by today's standards, but it's funny and makes a point. I'd particularly urge readers not to skip Volume II, on the Revolutionary War, even if you've read many other accounts. To see that War through Washington's eyes brings a new and insightful perspective. This is, in my view, one of the great American historical biographies. It is not heavily read, possibly because of his one volume condensation, or maybe because people just don't read multi-volume works anymore. I doubt few history lovers will be disappointed with this work.

James Thomas Flexner does justice to the early years of George Washington's life. The author has a heavy straight forward writing style, that takes the reader on a journey through the life of Washington. As this is the first installment of a four volume series, the reader gets to know what made and the circumstances related to Washington, that laid the ground work for the framing of his life.As with most of us, we have a mental picture of Washington as an Icon in our schoolrooms as we grew up, but Flexner paints a picture through words of a man. Not much different than you or I, but the times and circumstances are extraordinarilly different. A man subject to the vulnerabilities of life, energetic, somewhat impulsive, gullible to an extent, put into situations of leadership ill prepared but always seemed to prevail. A man using his resourses to forge a respectable life for himself, a resoursful man to make life better through deeds and enterprises. This first volume takes us through the first forty-three years of Washington's life with detail and scholarship, the author gives us a glimpse into the society, family, and events that shaped Washington for the future as America's foremost leader early on, as a new nation is forged. I found that this first volume to be full of interesting details and is accurate for the youthful Washington. Engrossing, adequate, accurate, but the writing style is again straight forward and factually solid leaving the reader with the impression of early experiences of history classes past... needing a breath of life.The overall scholarship rated a 5 star, even in light of rather heavy writing style.

This is a remarkably complete account of Washington's early life, with a strong emphasis on his military experiences and domestic life . Pretty well written, Flexner is a tough but fair biographer who does not shrink from criticism yet does not sink to cheap-shot debunking. It is also a little old (33 years) and could possibly stand a revision, especially in light of more recent scholarship. Major complaints include a miserable selection of maps, a sometimes boring writing style, and a focus on the trivial, such as how much Washington paid for a carriage imported from England. Overall, the book is a decent, balanced summary of Washington's life and a good introduction to the other three volumes in the series which contain much more interesting subject matter.