Fifty-one days of my life I'll never get back. And what's worse, I don't even feel like picking up another book right now. That's the short version. Here's the sarcastic take: If the Hundred Years War had only lasted Eighty Years, would it have mattered? Would we *really* have needed twenty more years of killing and maiming? I like big books. Some of my absolute favorite reads are doorstoppers. But I know padding when I see it, and I definitely know when an editor's fallen asleep at the wheel....

I think I'll always associate this book with the summer of 2025, when I heard the author give a little spiel about it in my hometown of Saint Louis, Missouri—the setting of Twain’s most famous book and his birth state. I brought a work friend with me, along with a “friend” from Goodreads who drove 45 minutes to meet up for the first time. We had a lovely time listening to Chernow and enjoyed drinks and dinner afterward. I have to be honest, I’d only read *Tom Sawyer* and *Huckleberry Finn* all t...

For as long as I can remember, Mark Twain has loomed large in my imagination. One of my fondest memories is seeing Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight. Leaving the theater that night, it felt like we'd spent the evening with Mark Twain himself—an unforgettable experience. Ron Chernow, one of my favorite historians and biographers, gives us an unbiased look at the life of one of America’s greatest literary icons, living in the volatile Gilded Age. Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens in Hannibal, Miss...

Every year, I treat myself to a long read the week school lets out. There are plenty of quality books in paperback or under three hundred pages that I can carry to work, but once these books reach five hundred pages or more, the task becomes a little daunting. Last year, I actually brought a nine-hundred-page book to work, but it was a paperback, and because I'm me, I was determined to finish it in a week. Now, school's out for the summer, and I have a list of thick books to read. I decided to m...

A brilliant biography of Mark Twain. Let me digest this a bit; a proper review of *Mark Twain: A Life* by Ron Chernow will follow soon. Stay tuned for my full thoughts on this highly anticipated biography of the iconic American author. Looking forward to sharing a detailed book review shortly!

"Mark Twain discarded the image of the writer as a contemplative being living a cloistered existence, and thrust himself into the hurly burly of American culture, capturing the wild, uproarious energy throbbing in the heartland. Probably no other American author has led such an eventful life, a protean figure who played the role of printer, pilot, miner, journalist, novelist, platform artist, toastmaster, publisher, art patron, pundit, polemicist, inventor, crusader, investor and maverick; he co...

It's honestly shocking that someone who wrote a biography of Ulysses S Grant could make such a glaring error as saying Missouri seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy (page 66) in "Mark Twain: A Life." Ron Chernow also misrepresents Twain's Missouri as a southern state entirely loyal to slavery. The truth is Missouri was a state deeply conflicted on the issue, and that conflict shaped Mark Twain himself. Only the first wave of settlers, southerners along the river corridors (including...

Whenever I finish a biography, I always ask myself one simple question: if I met the subject of this book, would I feel like I had a decent understanding of who they were? Ron Chernow consistently hits that mark for me. In "Mark Twain: A Life", he proves once again that he's a master biographer, this time tackling one of the greatest literary minds in American history. Before I dive into the review, I have to warn you: Chernow's books are doorstoppers. This one clocks in at over 1,000 pages. It'...

This book, *Mark Twain: A Life* by Ron Chernow, is a tough one to judge. Chernow has clearly done the most comprehensive job imaginable in covering Mark Twain's life. But in the end, even with Chernow's signature length, the story becomes tedious. The exhaustive detail Chernow brought to someone like Hamilton worked because Hamilton was a truly dynamic person, whose energy and passions were dramatic and impactful. Twain – besides creating a clearly influential body of work – mostly filled his da...

Ron Chernow did it again. That's it. That's the review. If you're looking for a deep dive into Mark Twain's life, look no further than Ron Chernow's "Mark Twain: A Life". Chernow, a master biographer, delivers another meticulously researched and compellingly written account. Seriously, if you enjoy well-written biographies – and especially if you're interested in Mark Twain – just go read it. You won't regret it. For an engaging biography and excellent Mark Twain book review, this is your best b...