| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Lincoln (Narratives of a Golden Age) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Allan Massie, THE SCOTSMAN
'An astonishing achievement, the greatest historical novel of our time'
New York Times Book Review
'Reasoned, judicious, straightforward and utterly convincing ... an astonishing achievement'
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Elihu B. Washburne opened his gold watch. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Elihu B. Washburne opened his gold watch. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an extraordinary novel about an extraordinary man. At times when I was reading it I found myself questioning the basis for the seemingly universal admiration he has received. Alternately, lincoln appears autocratic and uncaring; seemingly willing to let his country bleed to death to protect his personal view of the national identity. There is certainly more to his character than can be clearly seen through the accumulated layers of varnish and polished history, which have built up over the years. His ability to manipulate the people aroound him and his actual attitude towards the slavery situation will surprise many. Ultimately, it seems, he was a very pragmatic politician whose sole ambition was to preserve the union, regardless of the cost. Vidal, according to the blurb, used diaries and other records to give real accuracy to events and the wheeling and dealing of political life in war blighted Washington. Nevertheless, he is far too good a writer to just regurgitate dry facts and half remembered conversations. Instead he mixes up a host of colourfull characters from all shades of opinion, who each add something to the plot or the setting, and allows us to discover Lincolns personality as he reacts, confides, or sets out to outmanouvere them. So even when all the main elements of the plot are known from the start (Lincoln becomes president, wins war and is shot!)this is still an absolutely rivetting story which grips for all it's 700 or so pages. I highly recommend this book to anybody with even a passing interest in American history, biography, or good literature.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you want a highly readable account of the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln, then this is the book for you. I couldn't put this book down. Gore Vidal has done a great job weaving the facts about President Lincoln into a story that reads like a novel. Suspicious of this style of writing I decided to check out his facts and he's right on the button, so have no worries on that score.
I shall be reading more of Gore Vidal's historical novels from now on.
"Burr" next I think.
I shall be reading more of Gore Vidal's historical novels from now on.
"Burr" next I think.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Vidal uses the viewpoints of those around the great president to give the reader insights into the man behind the legend. These viewpoints come from his family, friends, and enemies to give a better impression of Lincoln than a history book could hope to achieve.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A masterpiece
I am so glad I saved 'Lincoln' to the the last I read of 'Narratives Of Empire'. It is superb and demonstrates Vidal's mastery as a novelist. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Pensato
Is It A Novel, Is It A History? Yes
I must confess up front that I am a big fan of Gore Vidal's historical novels. I read his CREATION once a year and never fail to enjoy it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Charles Vasey
the best of his series on America
Gore Vidal is known as a great cynic, with an acid tongue and combativeness that create such delicious ironies in his novels and essays. Read more
Published 13 months ago by rob crawford
Inside the Beltway in the Civil War
I am afraid I only got half way through the book before tiring of it.
Vidal has done a wonderful job in creating the ambience of Civil War Washington. Read more
Vidal has done a wonderful job in creating the ambience of Civil War Washington. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2009 by John Nygate
Is this the best fictional portrayal of a historical character?
This book did, if you'll pardon the cliche, change my life. It made such an impression on me that I dropped English Lit at University and switched to US history. Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2008 by Bill Kelly
Incredible feat
I agree entirely with the reviews below. Absorbing book from start to finish. Incredible achievement by Gore Vidal (one wonders how he managed to accomplish this!). Read more
Published on 15 Aug 2007 by Yousef Bassa
Ever falled in love with a dead president?
Vidal's fiction about the factual President Abraham Lincoln is weighty and verbose but it's all the better for that because at the end of the book, you feel like you know Lincoln... Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2005 by Robin
President Lincoln the man.
This is a quite extraordinary book. Without attempting to go into Lincolns head, simply reporting or imagining if you prefer, the impressions of others who were there Vidal gives... Read more
Published on 26 July 2003 by Stephen Bentley
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fiction > Historical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
