I’m done. I’m done. I’m done! That’s exactly how I feel at this moment after finally finishing this book. You see last year, after reading Destiny of the Republic, our book club thought it might be fun to read about a different president each year, so I chose Mornings on Horseback, and I kind of regret that decision.
While this book focuses on Theodore Roosevelt’s early life (up until the point of his second marriage), it really bogs down in his childhood. An entire chapter focused on his asthma early on, almost spelled the end of me. I mean, we get it, he had asthma. It sucked. Yet this chapter went on, and on and on. It really was a forced march to the end with the only saving grace that my kindle had me finishing the actual “story” at only 60+ percent with the rest of the book filled with photos, about the author section, notes, bibliography and index – all of which I skipped.
So while I believe this book could have used a bit more editing and perhaps a bit more focus on the action (e.g., I found his rancher days fascinating), I did learn a bit more about Theodore that I didn’t know, such as:
- He was married twice, his first wife dying tragically just after childbirth
- His father was the real driving force behind New York City’s Museum of Natural History (and by the way much of the book really focuses on his father’s life)
- He became president when McKinley was shot as he was serving as vice president
- He won the Nobel Peace Prize
- His niece was Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin!
So if you’re a huge fan of history and don’t mind dry biographies, go for it. If you’re looking for something with more of a pace and a story arc, you probably want to pass this by.