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376 reviews for:
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever
Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
3.85 AVERAGE
376 reviews for:
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever
Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
3.85 AVERAGE
Chilling and emotional dramatization of the events surrounding the Lincoln assassination. Filled with more minute detail about the end of the Civil War than I ever thought existed, following the stories of Lincoln, Booth, and even Robert E. Lee as he made his last desperate retreat. I'm glad I read this, and was able to get a better understanding of these important historical events.
I struggled with this book, at first. I'm not a Bill O'Reilly fan, the first (felt like) 100 chapters detailing battles really dragged, and since I listened to it in my car, O'Reilly's continued pronunciation of "cavalry" as "calvary" made me crazy.
Once the battle stuff was over, it definitely picked up for me. By the time Booth was in the box and Powell was charging up Seward's stairs, I felt genuine tension, despite knowing the outcome (it's in the title, after all).
Much better than expected, and I learned a lot about this tragic event in American history.
Once the battle stuff was over, it definitely picked up for me. By the time Booth was in the box and Powell was charging up Seward's stairs, I felt genuine tension, despite knowing the outcome (it's in the title, after all).
Much better than expected, and I learned a lot about this tragic event in American history.
Bill narrates this like a thriller instead of the usual history and I couldn't stop listening. Learning how everything went down kind of blew me away. I did find fault with this narration, though. While most did come across as factual, as expected in a history text, I had to wonder at the bits where he said someone 'hoped' or 'thought', without mentioning how that was known. In many instances, he alludes to the person mentioning it later, or that someone would later tell a reporter, etc. But in a few areas, we are left to wonder how he knew what someone was thinking or how he could be sure someone was still hoping. Other than that, I thought it was awesome.
This is the first book of this genre that I have ever read. Before, I had always thought that books of this genre would just be a compilation of facts with no narrative. I was wrong. Bill O'Reilly combines facts with an exciting narrative that will keep readers wanting more.
I was not interested in Lincoln as I am with another former president, JFK, but I felt like I had to read this book before Killing Kennedy, mainly because I found this book before finding Kennedy, but after reading this book, I am very interested. I don't believe a lot of the controversy with Lincoln as I do with Kennedy, but I definitely learned facts from this book about the Lincoln assassination I didn't know before. For example, Booth originally intended to kidnap Lincoln before the war was over, then after the South lost, he decided to kill him. It's brilliantly written by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, however the reason I do not give it five stars is the first part of the book. The first part takes place during the final days of the Civil War and with me not being very interested in the war, mainly because I thought the whole book was going to be centered on Lincoln and Booth although they do make appearances in the first part, I found that section tedious. The writing is great and I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in American History. I would just warn them before going in that it's not ONLY about Lincoln.
I tend to only read non-fiction when it is selected by my book club and luckily those books tend to be good reads. That is true for "Killing Lincoln". I found it to be very informative but yet still read as a novel rather than a text book - that is key for me to enjoy a non-fiction. If I could give 1/2 stars, this would probably be a 3.5 rather than a 3. I definitely recommend it.
I loved the style in which this book is written. I found myself sucked right into April 1865 and was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what would happen. . . even though I knew what would happen. Excellent read.
Good, but had heard so much about it that I expected great.
Interesting perspectives and paints the picture of various events effectively.
Worth reading but suspect there are better books on the subject.
Interesting perspectives and paints the picture of various events effectively.
Worth reading but suspect there are better books on the subject.