THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS

David Colacci gracefully takes listeners through the education--from cradle to grave--of the grandson of President John Quincy Adams and great-grandson of President John Adams. The interrogative premise of the work is posed early: "What might become of such a child of the seventeenth and eighteenth century if he should wake up to find himself required to navigate the twentieth century?" The question is answered at length with occasional pomposity, an over-the-top writing style, and thought-provoking tours through history--all well narrated. The third-person account allows for straightforward storytelling--with no characterizations required for Adams and the historic figures who abound in these pages--from London powerbrokers to twentieth-century scientists. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]