Gore Vidal - Lincoln - 8

[SlowRain]

Lincoln /Narratives of Empire



A look at the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, starting ten days before his inauguration and ending shortly after his death, as told from the points of view of several people around him.

Gore Vidal offers some wonderful insights into the sixteenth President of the United States—a man whom everyone expected to control and manipulate for their own ends, but who, surprisingly, managed to turn the tables on them, unite a divided party, put down dissension, rally the people, and change the course of a nation. It also offers some brief highlights of the American Civil War, and the successes, failures and strategies of both sides. However, the war is secondary to the man, whom Vidal describes vividly, sympathetically, and realistically: not even Lincoln's shortcomings are overlooked.

It's also a very witty novel, both the character of Lincoln and Vidal's prose. Some places are extremely funny, others amusing, but it's all laced with undeniable insightfulness.

As with all historical fiction, the reader often wonders how much is true. I'm not American, nor am I a history expert, so I have to honestly say that I don't know. The novel can easily be read as one hundred percent fiction and still offer a great deal of value, particularly regarding leadership and power struggles. However, I'd be interested to know if any of Vidal's opinions have been proved inaccurate.

It isn't a fast-paced novel, and I savored every word of it. I never found it boring, yet I never stayed up late to finish the part that I was on. It's the kind of novel you read for the history, language, and insight.



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[Blair]

I think maybe I'll have to give Gore Vidal a go.

[SlowRain]

The only other Vidal novel that I've read is Burr, which is also quite good. However, it has a very different feel from Lincoln, so, in that way, it doesn't feel like you're reading the same thing over and over again with different characters. I think he is a good writer and very intelligent.

I've been told that Vidal's fiction can be divided into two categories: the historical novels and the satires (although you could also make another division for his three mystery novels written as Edgar Box). He also writes a great deal of essays.