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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
When you find major historical errors it's difficult not to think most everything in the book is wrong. I just find myself questioning it.
I think you read this as a loose retelling of history, not as historical fact. So many glaring errors.
It made me want to read a book about the Lincoln assassination by a real historian.
I think you read this as a loose retelling of history, not as historical fact. So many glaring errors.
It made me want to read a book about the Lincoln assassination by a real historian.
I didn't think this added anything to what was already known of this historical event. The writing was plodding and workmanlike. It was tedious to get through, and this is before I knew of the inaccuracies. Just started Team of Rivals, though. At least it inspired me to read something better.
It was a little slow but it read it as a fiction thriller as it picked up. I would give it five stars, but the glamorized and sensationalized death of a president seems a little sickening to me. I'm also not sure of the historical accuracy. The author isn't an expert, he's a a good story teller.
See all my thoughts here: http://ilayreading.com/2016/07/18/killing-lincoln/
This actually was a well written history. There was no political slant–which is something I was worried about from such an outspoken TV personality. Apparently, behind the man we love to hate, there is simply an *cough* intelligent *cough* history buff who knows how to do great research.
This actually was a well written history. There was no political slant–which is something I was worried about from such an outspoken TV personality. Apparently, behind the man we love to hate, there is simply an *cough* intelligent *cough* history buff who knows how to do great research.
While the title suggests that this book is just about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, it tells a longer story, starting with the last few battles of the Civil War, and ending with the trials of the conspirators. I found the writing style difficult to get used to, sort of slow going. It seemed to fall into the trap of telling instead of showing. However, it really picks up once it nears the assassination attempt itself; I felt like I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen even though I already knew. I also really liked how he followed up with all of the major players and gave a short summary of the rest of their lives. He also mentioned some of the more far-fetched conspiracy theories surronding the assassination, but just presented them rather than stating whether they were true or not. I liked that he didn't try to over sensationalize it by further exploring the conspiracies. Overall, I think this is a great book for those who have a casual interest in history. It's not very difficult to read, other than an (in my opinion) strange writing style. However, more serious history buffs would probably find it lacking. The book can't seem to decide whether it wants to be historical fiction or nonfiction. Repeated attempts are made to describe the mindset of the people involved, but it only scratches the surface of their complicated motivations, unlike the rich character studies of The Killer Angels. However, if it's trying to be pure nonfiction, then it has too many subjective descriptions. But, this isn't a problem if you're the kind of person who is curious about Abraham Lincoln's death and wants to learn a little more. It's a good book, but it could have been better.