A review by spinnerroweok
T. R.: The Last Romantic by H.W. Brands

4.0

Is it possible to write a bad book on Theodore Roosevelt? I think it would be very hard to do. However, I must say that I am glad this is not my first exposure to TR. (I started with the Edmund Morris 3 volume set.) Brands' TR is less Herculean than others. Brands offers a lot of analysis and cuts through TR's attempts to write his own history. Lost is the wow factor that I found in Morris' book. Also lost is a lot of the detail as this is a one volume work vs. three. It almost felt like a summary. Brands presents a more sober look at Roosevelt. Brands also provides lots of analysis. He tries to delve into the mind of TR. What seems to be missing is a lot of TRs relationships. Again, this is primarily due to the length of the book. On the whole, I enjoyed this book, but would not recommend it as a first read on the most fascinating man to hold the office of president.