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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While Meacham clearly has a soft spot for Lincoln, he does not shy away from portraying the good, the bad, and the ugly. An enlightening portrait of a man who is perhaps the most important figure in American history and the circumstances that shaped him, held him back, and forced his hand. This is an important reminder that there are no pure heroes in history, but some people do much more good than others.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Jon Meacham chronicles Abraham Lincoln's experiences with confronting challenging situations in the most recent Lincoln biography in a mountain of them available. And There Was Light charts Lincoln's childhood, young political career, presidency, and assassination. He spends the bulk of the book describing these seminal events in his life through the lens of the slavery and the fight going on within the country on what to do with the current state of slavery in the south and what to do as the US continued to expand. This was a relatively easy read- not too dense. Meacham fills the book with historic quotes. As someone who has read a few books on Lincoln, I don't know how much new light is shed with this book, so I would recommend this to someone a bit more fresh to Lincoln's life and legacy.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
On hold; had to return to library and place it on hold list will finish when it comes back to me.
Temporary DNF.
Temporary DNF.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
I have mixed feelings about this book. First, I don't think that its actual content fits the bill. This sounds like a full biography of Lincoln, however, it is very focused on his spiritual and philosophical upbringing and how that impacted how he governed during the Civil War. Parts of his early life (for example, his time as a lawyer) are very skipped over. Meacham's illusions of how Lincoln's first inaugural is exceptionally like January 6th - and how the entire feeling in the country in both times is similar - is very well done. However, the spiritual and religious emphasis goes in and out sometimes to that Meacham can make larger, grander assertions. The epilogue in particular felt like it needed a bit more connective tissue. However, as always, Meacham is a great writer and it was a nice read.