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The Old Lion

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Member Reviews

I had this book on my TBR for a long time and started and stopped multiple times. I loved other books by this author but this one was just a little too much for me to get through. It was clearly very well researched but this felt like a lot of facts without enough narrative. I did skip around a bit but finally finished it. Probably a great book just not one for me. I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read this book - this did not impact my opinion.

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Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. However, I am no longer interested in pursuing titles on this subject

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There are a good many books that have been written about President Theodore Roosevelt, and no two are exactly alike. That said, the two I’ve read—this one, and a biography by Clay Risen—could not be more different. In fact, you would never know they were writing about the same man.

My thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy. This book was published in May, but it took me some time to push my way through it. I started out not knowing what tack Shaara would take here, and it is this introductory note that caused me to sit back a bit:

“Few, very few, would disagree that Theodore Roosevelt ranks high among the most revered, most respected, and most admired presidents in history.”

I guess it’s time for me to change my name to Few.

Because I had signed on for it—on the strength of my admiration for its author, whose books I always read without regard to topic—I hunted down the audio version at Seattle Bibliocommons. The voice actor that reads it is second to none, and does a remarkable TR impression. But I also have to say that the various thoughts and conversations which the historical fiction genre permits its author to create seem a bit on the rosy side. Where is the TR that not only organized volunteers, himself included, to fight in Cuba, but used vast amounts of his family’s connections and wealth to advocate for it? Where is the braggard that crowed to his friends about how much he enjoyed shooting an enemy soldier from just a few feet away “like a jackrabbit,” and called his 45 days of combat the ultimate hunting trip?

This is one more reminder that all history is political. Nobody will, or should, write a book about a public figure that uses every single fact available, but it is when the author chooses what to include, and what to leave out, that bias shows. There’s no way around it, even for the most objective of writers.

I cannot deny that there were positive aspects of TR’s tenure in the White House (which he named,) the birth of the nation’s park system, beginning with Yellowstone; he also gets points for having seen, ultimately, that these are not meant to be preserved as hunters’ playgrounds, but rather to preserve the natural life, including animals, that are native to the park. His attitude toward women and Black peoples’ suffrage is laudatory, compared with other politicians of his time, but Shaara doesn’t comment on the ugly racist attitude Roosevelt displayed toward other races and ethnicities, most notably those from Central and South America.

This is a four star read because no matter what he chooses to write about, Shaara spins a tremendously entertaining tale. If you choose to read this one, I recommend you obtain the audio version, and take the dialogue and in particular, Roosevelt’s innermost thoughts with a larger than usual grain of salt, and also read a second, nonfiction work for balance.

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I’m a history nerd and historical fiction fan. This was not my favorite. It read like a biography being written as a narrative and it was a slog to get through at some points. I had high hopes but wasn’t impressed.

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Rich in historical detail, this book was fascinating. Teddy Roosevelt had a great presence in American history and this book brought him to life.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I was not a fan of this book. I generally enjoy historical fiction, but I found the writing to be bland and the dialogue forced. It seemed to be well researched with a lot of details, but I thought it was slow and at times boring.

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Our library purchased this title, no doubt on the strength of this author's stellar reputation. This was my first Shaara book so I had sky-high expectations. Unfortunately, I did not find this book to be at all engaging and was thoroughly uninspired by prose that was flat and often forced. As a fan of historical fiction I was looking forward to the authors take on this iconic character, but found this book totally lacking in drama and ridden with cliche. I did not finish.

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Princess Fuzzypants here: We have enjoyed the novels of Jeff Shaara and his father. The blending of historical events in fictional form is enlightening and entertaining. When people say ‘they don’t make them like that anymore’ they could be talking about Teddy Roosevelt. A sickly child who often was gasping for breath, through grit and hard work and an unfailing determination, he grew up to be a real man’s man. Whether he was in the Badlands, Cuba or the Amazon, he relished challenges that took him to the limits and beyond.

He was also a man ahead of his time in many of his views. He was able to reduce the grasp of the mighty and build up the lives of those less fortunate. He believed that everyone, no matter what colour or sex, deserved the same rights and privileges as those who had the power and did not wish to relinquish it. He was never in the background. He charged ahead just like he did on San Juan Hill. It meant he had an exciting and colourful life, loved or hated with equal passion.

I realize literary license is expected in a tome of this sort. But if Teddy was half the man that is portrayed in the book, he was a lion. Five purrs and two paws up.

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A very readable biography of Theodore Roosevelt. It spends a lot of time on his youth and activities before politics. The section on his ranching foray in South Dakota is especially interesting.
The biography is written in a fictional format, including presumed conversation. It is well done if you enjoy this format.

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This non-fiction Novel brings to life the life of Theodore Roosevelt. It tells the story of his struggles as a boy and how he learned to live without limitations. It tells the story of his school boy days and when he grew up into his destined political future. I devoured this book because of the writers commitment to his research and his ability to tell the story as if it was fiction. You get a huge peek into the conversations between his siblings and his parents, It feels as if you are peaking into the Roosevelt mansion and having a look around at the goings on of the family.
I would definitely recommend everyone to go get a copy of this incredible novel and be prepared to be enthralled in the story Jeff Shawna tells.

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I've enjoyed a number of Jeff Shaara's historical novels, reveling in his adeptness in blending history into fiction and being a generally captivating author. His choice to write a novel about Theodore Roosevelt would seem to be a good one, using his 1918 interviews with biographer Hermann Hagedorn to spark the former president's reminisces.

If anyone lived a surprising life, it was Roosevelt. From a childhood stifled by asthma, through sheer force of will he recreated himself as an athlete, outdoorsman, politician, visionary. It's a lot to pack in, to the point that it was hard to remain engaged and I found myself skimming portions. So many aspects of "Teedie's" life are well known and he did so much, that there must be new events to explore and discover--come on, someone! Much of "The Old Lion" seemed familiar and not able to spark excitement and anticipation that this kind of historical novel should. If you're a Teedie fan, you'll relish"The Old Lion." Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This novel from an experienced author of historical novels caught my interest right away. I am not a big fan of non-fiction, but this novelized version of the life of Theodore Roosevelt engaged my interest. I liked the way the author showed events through the eyes of Roosevelt himself. I learned a lot about this man from reading this novel. The author's note at the beginning adds perspective to the novel as well. He obviously did his research.

Readers of biographies, historical novels, and American history will no doubt learn more about this great man, just as I did. In addition, they will find an engaging reading experience.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

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Thank you for the chance to read this latest historical novel by Jeff Shaara. I didn’t know much about Theodore Roosevelt and his life, but this book was a great place to learn about his life before and up through his presidency.

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This book was incredibly interesting. I feel like I learned a lot even though I feel like this space in the book world can be pretty saturated. I loved it.

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In reading this book, I learned more about Roosevelt on a "human" level than I could in any text book. He had a personality that was larger than life and an enthusiasm for life that was amazing. Called Teedie by his family, he was a sickly child, riddled with asthma. With the help of his father, he met his illness head on, managing to conquer it and not let it interfere with whatever he wanted to do. A rich and privileged life did not keep him from his love of the common man. A graduate from Harvard gave him a good education, however, once out of school his other interests educated him further. With his fascination of the West, he eventually spent a good deal of time there and established a cattle ranch. It was bully! Nicknamed "four eyes" by the locals in the Badlands due to the fact that he wore glasses, he took it good naturedly...it didn't stop him from much; hunting, was a favorite hobby of his. In politics he was honest and couldn't abide corruption. In life he had his fears, yet he faced those head-on with the same enthusiasm that made him "larger than life." To be honest, I don't think we will see his "like" again.

Well researched and well written, this book was "dee-lightful" and one that I would highly recommend. Jeff Shaara captured the essence of the man and gave us, the readers, something to "chew" on and enjoy. I will definitely read any other book this author writes again. All I can say is "Bully."

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I first have to admit my great love for Theodore Roosevelt, I rejoiced knowing one of my favorite history authors was penning a Roosevelt biography. I didn't expect to learn anything new in this book but was anxious to hear about TR from his perspective, as he would be the ultimate authority. I knew how Shaara would give us insight not as to what TR did but as to why he did it, and he succeeded wholly as to that. There were passages that called forth tears and a great many cheers, much like the public did in Teddy's day. It humanized a great icon of the day, a man fully as American as has ever been. We didn't deserve Theodore Roosevelt, but we were damn fortunate to have had him. This is a first rate book about a man who was larger than life and to this day still has an impact on our nation.

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This was an interesting examination of one of our more eccentric presidents. It read well, almost like fiction and I will be passing it on as a recommendation to my friend, who loves Roosevelt.

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If you would like to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt and prefer historical fiction to nonfiction, Shaara will fulfill your goal while entertaining you. Thoroughly researched and compellingly told as Theodore Roosevelt, near the end of his life, looks back on his experiences, The Old Lion brings to life the man Shaara has come to regard as the third greatest President of the United States next only to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Opening with a December 1918 Prologue, Shaara sets the scene for what is to follow—a dying Roosevelt’s reflections on his life from childhood to old age. Deeply affected by his youngest son Quentin’s death in World War I and fearing similar fates for his other sons also in the war, Roosevelt’s health declined.
Chapter 1 opens on Christmas Day 1918 with Roosevelt surrounded by family and with talk of people wanting him to run again for President, with discussion of Herman Hagedorn’s request an interview, which will play a much larger part later in the book. It ends with a macabre gift from the War Department, which throws Roosevelt into a rage. Chapter 2 opens with nine-year-old “Teedie” Roosevelt in the grips of a monster, the asthma that repeatedly attacked him in childhood.

Shaara divides the book into five parts, the first four consisting of eleven to thirteen short chapters, and the fifth, “The Old Lion,” of six chapters. He shows the transformation from asthmatic child to adventurer, man’s man, war hero, and Progressive world leader, and beyond. Using fiction to get inside his subject’s mind, Shaara sets out to show how Roosevelt might have reacted to his experiences and the thoughts that might have gone through his head. Along with the fictional elements are the solid facts of the man’s life, gleaned from Shaara’s extensive research. Among many other topics, readers learn about the 1884 death of Roosevelt’s first wife Alice, his flight to the Badlands, Dakota Territory, where city man determined to become cowboy and rancher, his leadership during the Spanish-American War, his political rise to Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Vice President, and Progressive President following McKinley’s assassination, and his grueling trip up the Amazon, hampered by an old leg injury.

Shaara’s Afterword opens with Hermann Hagedorn’s and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge’s comments about Roosevelt’s death, additional information about several key figures in Roosevelt’s life, and reflections on his legacy.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader copy of this recommended historical novel.

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I’m a huge Jeff Shaara fan but this one didn’t work for me. I didn’t like the dialog at all, it didn’t feel realistic, perhaps just a personal taste in reading. I can’t write a book so I’ll never be too hard on an author and the fault may lie with me as the reader. It was a very thorough look at Teddy Roosevelt’s life and the political climate he lead in. Filled with lots of interesting factual information.TR was an outsized personality and that comes through in this fictional work. I will continue to gobble up all of Jeff Shaara’s books.

#TheOldLion #Netgalley

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I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this excellent historical novel based on facts from Netgalley. author Jeff Shaara, and publisher St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Old Lion of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

I had a great Uncle, my Mother's favorite uncle, Slim Mardis, who was one of the Rough Riders under Teddy - Slim was an Arizona boy, and also served in the Mexican border issues with Spain and Mexico in New Mexico and Texas. It is beautiful to see an acknowledgment of the efforts made by these men to preserve the borders of our country from European infringement and to understand the many precious gifts presented to us by Theodore Roosevelt over his lifetime. This is a book I am pleased to recommend to friends and family.

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