George Washington: Gentleman Warrior – Stephen Brumwell, 2012 ★★

Same Old George

Some write straightforward biographies of George Washington; others thesis-driven ruminations about his deeper meaning or presumed psychological makeup. Then there is Stephen Brumwell, who splits the difference and still misses the mark.

While George Washington: Gentleman Warrior does have a thesis, it's hardly original or revealing. That Washington was a product of his times, a social striver with a strong sense of honor and a focus on proving his self-worth in battle, isn't much of a leap from the established picture.

Perhaps recognizing this, Brumwell uses his thesis less as a springboard than backdrop for a conventional account of Washington's career, albeit one focused entirely on his time as a soldier. Hence the subtitle. If you want Washington the president or hemp farmer, go elsewhere.

The Return Of The Native – Thomas Hardy, 1878 ★★

A Character and Setting in Search of a Plot

Every good character in fiction deserves a name as singularly memorable as Eustacia Vye, and a setting as breathtakingly depicted as Egdon Heath.

You know what else is nice to have? An engaging story that doesn't play out like a series of tragic contrivances.

As Thomas Hardy would be the first to remind us, you can't have everything.

Howard Hughes: The Secret Life – Charles Higham, 1993 [No Stars]

Ain't No Fun Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire

Howard Hughes had a lot of sex in his life. He also flew planes, built businesses, and made some money, but those things didn't matter as much to Charles Higham in 1993 when he published this sleazy and highly speculative bio of the famous 20th-century American tycoon.

Howard Hughes: The Secret Life was the credited source for the 2004 Oscar-nominated film on Hughes, The Aviator, which was directed by Martin Scorcese and starred Leonardo DiCaprio. You remember all those gay sex scenes in The Aviator, like, well, um, come to think of it, I don't either, unless you count the time Jude Law as Errol Flynn plucks a pea off Leo's plate. No, I guess that really doesn't count.

Which goes to show you you can't judge a book by its film adaptation.