Well researched and a good book for any history buff, but not really for the average reader. A lot of information and a good look into the man and his life.

The Three Lives of James Madison would be a great gift for any history buff. It is incredibly detailed and well researched.

A well-rounded and balanced biography of the fourth President of the United States, pne of the last of the founding fathers, which works to show both the good and the bad in a group of men who were able to call for Liberty for All while defending the rights of others to keep slaves. Placed within the context of his times, Madison comes across as a fully-fledged politician in what is a worthwhile biography.

A superb, substantial biography of the sometimes maligned (here's looking at you, Hamilton musical!), or forgotten James Madison.

A must read for anyone interested in the Founding Fathers and the political debates, challenges and battles of the early Republic. It's quite accessible, but it is a hefty tome - so, if you've never read anything about Madison, you may want to start with something a bit shorter so you have the basics before diving into this details volume.

Recommended.

Very good biography of James Madison. The most interesting part is how Madison and the other Founders thinking about the Constitution evolved over time, and how much they differed in their various interpretations. It implies that there is no way today to claim what "the Founders intended" because they all had different and sometimes very different opinions.

I thought this book was brilliant. I loved the way that it was split into three parts, covering first his birth until the ratification of the Constitution; second, the Continental Congress and Secretary of state; and thirdly, his time as President and his life afterwards.

I've studied a lot of this time period before, but never really paid much attention to Madison, which I now realise to be a mistake after reading this book. Feldman has created an incredible biography which is well written, well researched and incredibly interesting. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. I particularly liked how Feldman found letters and documents concerning each and every event and happening that Madison was involved in, and also showed the other side, whether Madison was right or wrong. I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to anybody who likes presidential history or early American political history.

James Madison is best known as the father of the U.S. Constitution. As with many of the Founding Fathers, there's a risk of the myth outshining the man. Madison undoubtedly was a genius, but Noah Feldman's new biography show him to be a far more complicated figure than is often portrayed.

"The Three Lives of James Madison" is an intellectual biography of Madison focused on his contributions to the Philadelphia Convention, leadership of the Republican Party, and Presidency. Where Feldman excels is in pointing out the contradictions between these three roles. Madison-the-partian often expressed views at odds with Madison-the-constitutional-lawyer. Madison designed a constitution grounded in the idea that political opponents could resolve disagreements peaceably, yet as a partisan leader Madison spearheaded harsh attacks on his Federalist opponents. Feldman tries to point out these changes in Madison's thinking and explain the reasons for his multiple evolutions. Occasionally, Madison would reach the same conclusion, but shift his reasoning. For example, his argument for a strong federal government morphed from the need to have a strong government that could set policy to the need to prevent abuses of minorities.

An interesting subtext of the book is that using original intent as a means of interpreting the Constitution can end up being a fool's errand. Even Madison himself, Father of the Constitution, did not have a single, immutable understanding of the Constitution. Madison did try to adhere to a core set of republican principles, but he bent his principles when it came time to grapple with the practical challenged of government.

As noted above, Feldman's book is an intellectual biography of Madison. He does occasionally touch upon some details from Madison's personal life, such as his marriage to Dolley, but largely sticks to Madison's professional life and his writings. Feldman himself is a constitutional law professor and sometimes dives into the weeds of constitutional theory. This book is highly recommended for readers interested in early American history and constitutional thought.

I found this to be a well written and informative perspective on the life of Madison. The organization and flow was a bit different but added to its appeal. I always find histories written from a bit different perspective illuminating.This one was no different.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

James Madison is a former President that people do not mention often. The only references to him are about the fire at the White House and how his wife saved items from being destroyed during it. This biography was so thoroughly researched that even the most minute details of President Madison's life are covered and information is provided in a non-biased way.

Thank you to the author for opening my eyes to the importance this President had on our history! This book held me captive from beginning to end, as I learned so much that I didn't want to stop reading!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC kindle edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a scholar of early American history, I have read and studied numerous texts about many of our founding fathers, but somehow an all-inclusive, solo work about James Madison has never been something I have accessed even though his influence on our nation’s founding has always fascinated me. I have often found more information available about his wife rather than Madison, himself. Noah Feldman’s The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President answers the call for the book I have always wanted to read about Madison. Feldman examines Madison’s life in three sections with such detail and with such comprehensive research that I learned facts about Madison that I had never suspected.
I would recommend this to any history buff or student that would like to get a more in-depth examination of America’s 4th president.

I received a free Kindle copy of The Three Lives of James Madison by Noah Feldman courtesy of Net Galley and Random House, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I have read a number of biographies on American Presidents which included Madison as a participant, but I have not read one devoted to James Madison. It is the first book by Noah Feldman that I have read.

This book is well researched and well written. The title is accurate in that besides displaying Madison as a genius, partisan and President it also breaks into three parts. The first part covers his birth up to the ratification of the Constitution. The second part of the book covers his participation in the Continental Congress and his influence as Secretary of State. The final part is devoted to his presidency and his role afterwards.

In many mentions of Madison he is unfortunately only remembered as the President who was in office when the White House was burned down and the many items that were rescued by his wife Dolley. The biography also clearly displays the influence that Mdison had on the other founding fathers and clearly outlines his role in the early development of our country.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Presidental biographies and in learning more about one of our founding fathers.

I am such a history buff and was excited to read an in depth perspective on James Madison. It was so interesting and hard to put down. It is definitely a favorite of mine.

This is a carefully researched and detailed biography presumably intended for students of political history rather than the casual reader. It brings a famous name to life with appropriate analysis of the thinking behind the writings and speeches of this outstanding and important statesman. The author gives due place to the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on Madison. Given that significance,it is disappointing that he considers British and English to be interchangeable using them often in the same sentence. There was no 'English' parliament, government or monarch at the time he is writing about. That inaccuracy lets his research down.

This is a book like no other in that it reveals the true complexity of one of the founding fathers of our country not only as a politician but also as a patriotic firebrand and also as a diplomat. James Madison is revered as “the Father of the Constitution” but rarely described as a radical. Yet Madison fundamentally changed the United States no fewer than three times. As a founder, he invented the Constitution and wrote the Bill of Rights. As a partisan, he co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party and transformed the face of American political rivalry. And as the first wartime president, Madison took the United States to war and won—and also invented economic sanctions as a political weapon along the way.