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The President's House: 1800 To The Present The Secrets And History Of The World's Most Famous Home (2005)

The President's House: 1800 to the Present The Secrets and History of the World's Most Famous Home (2005)

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Rating
3.55 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0345472489 (ISBN13: 9780345472489)
Language
English
Publisher
ballantine books

About book The President's House: 1800 To The Present The Secrets And History Of The World's Most Famous Home (2005)

There is very little historical value to this book. To me this was pure "fluff" history. Too much of Margaret Truman and not enough facts. Because she lived in the White House Margaret Truman must think that makes her a credible source and therefore she did not need to cite one source, make any notes or even include a bibliography. There were direct quotes but no clue as to where they came from. Truman would also occasionally mention a book that someone else has written, even quote from it but not give the title of the book. All of this really irked me and the book lost pretty much all credibility as far as I'm concerned because of it.I could have done with out many of Truman's personal observations and feelings as well as her little side comments like this one, "You might be surprised by this, I know I was." I guess this added a conversational tone to the book but I did not care for it. I also think that a good history of the White House should give us a little less of a partisan view than the one Truman gave us.Overall, I was not too impressed with this book but there were just enough interesting stories and little bits of trivia to make it worth the time I put into it.

I realize that her father was the president and that Truman herself was a life-long Democrat (both big and small d, according to her), but this book couldn't be much more partisan if it tried. She has a hard time hiding her contempt for a lot of various historical characters (why does she hate the Tafts so much?) and is hopelessly in love with other ones. Years ago, I read her book about the first ladies and this book seems to echo the sentiments expressed there, that certain presidents were basically puppets controlled by their wives or their chiefs of staffs and other presidents were married to insane harpies who did nothing but try and undermine their husbands' terms. However, as before, all of her anecdotes come from the ether, because this book contains no bibliography. Naturally, her own parents seem to receive the best treatment of all the first families covered in the book.There's very little about the architecture and arrangement of the White House, and sadly no diagrams or maps (at least not in the e-book version). It's mainly a wide assortment of anecdotes about the people (and animals) who lived and worked in the White House.

Do You like book The President's House: 1800 To The Present The Secrets And History Of The World's Most Famous Home (2005)?

I usually enjoy anecdotal stories. I was hoping for a bit of “insider” info. This one had “some” interesting tidbits. As with all celebrities, political and otherwise…their personal views will come thru. Margaret was no different. I found her opinions too strong, distracting and aggravating. What a pompous attitude! Guess she felt entitled. Almost stopped reading… thankfully the bits were brief, but unfortunately numerous. You knew who she liked and didn’t like.I also felt the subjects jumped around…for me I would have preferred a chronological order.
—Donna

Thank you Margaret Truman, for a most interesting book. I couldn't stop listening to it.The book is separated into sections and not necessarily chronologically related to the residents of The White House. You'll hear/read about architects who built and remodeled the buildings and rooms, births, deaths, marriages, children and the devoted staff were also featured. Ms Truman has a charming conversational style that is perfect for this type of book (but I have enjoyed her mystery books too). The narrator was skilled in interpreting Ms Truman's writing style.Filled with anecdotes from myriad sources,the intimidating amount of information was parceled out in easily digested vignettes. Delightful choice for a long drive or while working on a tedious project (I was editing photos), you'll find yourself responding to the material. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
—Denise Dougherty

If you like random American trivia, than this book is a must! Very interesting presentation of White House history. This book includes tidbits of everythig from the actual building and its few times it was almost demolished to the White House weddings and which presidential family members actually got married there. Interesting to note - Thomas Jefferson was adamantly against women doing anything than entertaining in the White House. (Maybe we would be better off as a country if we took some of that advice. Also, the development of the secret service is included in this book. The author can write from a unique perspective because she actually lived in the White House. She tells a story of having some friends over for a dinner party. A couple decided to go exploring. In another room was a great big chandelier. The girl asked the guy to lift her up to it so she could see it. When she was close enough, she held on to the metal and he left her hanging there for a while until someone else noticed she was missing. This is just one of the many anecdotes in this book.
—Megan

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