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Top of the pile
87
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
94/100Critics
81/100Scholars
Author:
Ted Widmer
Publisher:
Simon Schuster
Date:
April 7, 2020
A history professor delivers an account of the weeks Lincoln spent traveling to Washington, D.C., for his inauguration, navigating rowdy crowdsâmany of them angryâas the nation slouched toward civil war and the future President developed his resolve to lead the nation through crisis.
What The Reviewers Say
Although Ted Widmer writes evocatively of Lincoln’s emotional departure, little of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that preceded or followed it features in his magisterial Lincoln on the Verge—a bit surprising, since the author is a former Clinton White House speechwriter. But this is not a book about politics. In a wholly original, gorgeously crafted reimagining, Mr. Widmer instead portrays Lincoln’s demanding journey as a Homeric odyssey through perilous terrain toward almost preordained immortality.
... superb.
Widmer offers riveting descriptions of the dangers on the journey, the many and varied people involved in Lincoln's goals, the technological improvements of telegraph and railroad, and the larger historical context of the secession crisis. These all give his book resonance and insight into the man and the moment.
Riveting. Enthralling. Rewarding...Ted Widmer has written a history book that jumps from the page.
