JOHN QUINCY ADAMS A Life

John Adams led one of the nineteenth century's most interesting lives, first going abroad at age 10, later serving his country as ambassador and president, ending as a legislator and an impassioned foe of slavery. Johnny Heller's quirky voice—nasal and raspy—takes some getting used to, and his folksy manner and intonation don't always fit this patrician life. Unger presents a mostly straightforward biography but frequently gives quotations from original sources, with emotional details. Heller uses these as opportunities to act, enlivening the reading, though sometimes he overemotes. His pronunciations of foreign words (usually French or Latin) are uneven and sometimes misleading. But his energy and excellent pacing keep the book moving and help maintain the listener's interest better than a drier reading would. W.M. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2013]