" I am having a lot of trouble plowing through this one. I've been reading it for almost nine weeks (I know because it's due back at the library after 2 renewals!) and though it is not wholly unenjoyable, it is slow going. The problem is that Adams simply did not write this book for future generations. He writes assuming you have every idea of what he is talking about. I have only a fair grasp of history and have very very very often had to look up people and events that he has mentioned. The name-dropping is incredible. He mentions so many people and places only in passing, almost as an inside joke, "wink wink" type of a thing, I get really frustrated and put the book down and walk away from it for a week at a time. I think the worst part is actually the thing the publishers have done to combat this effect. My edition (not the one pictured here) has a cast of characters, a list of important people mentioned in the book and why they were important. But the frustrating part is that probably only 1/16th of the people Adams casually drops into conversation are listed. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to WHO is listed. People who are written about for 20 pages are not annotated, while someone mentioned only briefly has a prominent entry.
My research into the book itself has told me that Adams did not write this weighty tome for the public, but meant it only for family and friends after his death. So perhaps my beef is not actually with Adams at all, but with the publishers for not providing enough background information.
All that said, there are some passages that are beautifully descriptive and wonderfully written, particularly about his childhood in Boston and Quincy and what life was like here in the mid-1800s. And I always think it's cool when I can get up from my chair, hop on the subway, and check out a particular building or street for myself.
Another plus: It made me want to go back and listen to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill!
In summary: Read if you're really interested, but bring a good encyclopedia along for the journey. "
— Erin, 2/20/2014