The man who divided a nation, who endured a political divided Cabinet, and lived in a divided house yet somehow got them united in some form or another before his death. Lincoln by Gore Vidal looks at Abraham Lincoln’s time in Washington from his secret arrival in late February to his death a little over four years later not from the titular character’s point-of-view by those around him.

Abraham Lincoln is the central character of this historical fiction novel that only has three paragraphs from his perspective in the whole 655 pages of text as Vidal’s cast of characters either interact with or reaction from afar to the man in the White House. Though the many valleys and the peaks of the Union war effort are mentioned, Vidal focuses on the political atmosphere within Washington D.C. from faction ridden Republican Cabinet and Congress to the pro-secessionist inhabitants of the capital. While Vidal pieces together an excellent narrative and interesting characters, he obviously stretches the historical facts or downright makes stuff up including reversing some character’s real-life opinions, so reader beware. The focus on Lincoln the man as told from the perspective of those around him is an intriguing premise and Vidal’s prose make it a good read.

Lincoln is a well-written historical fiction novel by Gore Vidal that shows the 16th President in the middle of a political maelstrom inside a civil war. ( )

This is the first book I've read by Gore Vidal, and now I want to read more. He really brought this period to life and made it interesting and understandable. It was nothing like what I would have thought, had I thought more about it. The White House was a rat-infested dump with smelly swamps and garbage all around, where people were often sick or died, and inhabited by mostly confederate sympathizers. It was not the best place to be a Yankee.

Lincoln was always interesting. He and his family didn't really fit in well with the existing society. He seemed to be odd and not too bright, and people thought he was not in control. But somehow, he was always able to arrange things to turn out the way he wanted, often without people realizing he was doing it - probably due to his homey way of talking, injecting stories, etc. I thought he was pretty entertaining. His wife, on the other hand, was a handful and somewhat, if not completely, crazy, especially later in the book. Much of the time, she could not stop spending money on both herself and the Capitol, which neither could really afford. She then had to do whatever she could to stave off the debtors, much of which was illegal or immoral.

Even though I of course knew what was going to happen to him, He was assassinated, there was still an air of suspense as the time approached, and a sense of the sadness and anger after the event.

This book took me longer to finish than normal, but I think it was worth it. Fortunately, I had audiobooks to listen to at the same time. ( )

My favorite in this series remains Burr, but this is nearly as good. It holds up well on rereading. ( )

Lincoln, first published in 1984 is part of a trilogy which also includes "Burr" and "1876". The book is an intelligent, well- researched book. Vidal is remarkably able to present historical figures, such as Lincoln and his cabinet, as well as events, such as the Civil War, and political machinations in a believable, very readable book.
Lincoln is depicted as an imperfect, very human politician. Through Vidal's writing, the myth is stripped away and the man is shown as he deals with uncertainty, political intrigue, as well as family tragedy and sorrow. Vidal uses realistic dialogue which keeps the story moving along at a nice pace.
Lincoln is undermined again and again by his opponents; his outmaneuvering them is enjoyable to read.
Written with Vidal's acerbic wit, this is a must read for those who enjoy history and historical fiction. Even though I knew how the story would end, I could not put it down! ( )

Lincoln is our nation's savior and helped free an entire race of people from slavery. As such, he has risen to near-saint status. Most books by American historians - and even those takes like that in the British HG Well's A Short History of the World - essentially form a hagiography. Fortunately, our age has Gore Vidal's work of historical fiction, which places Lincoln as a politician and lawyer first. Lincoln, like all truly great politicians, was a realist and a pragmatist. He is not saint to Vidal, but cunning, wise, and shrewd.

Vidal captures Lincoln's spirit by frequently nicknaming him as the "Tycoon." Vidal captures Lincoln's racism (and the racism of others in that day) in portraying Lincoln's suggestion that slaves be sent to colonize another country. His rationale, however, proved true: The American South simply could not live with whites side-by-side with blacks.

American history's great unanswered question - what would have happened if Lincoln would have lived? - is briefly tackled at the end of this novel. The Radical Republicans in Congress would have been kept more at bay by the man who fulfilled their egalitarian dreams. Reconstruction would have gone easier. Perhaps Jim Crow laws would never have come about. Or perhaps this comprises more hagiography.

In truth, whites and blacks could not live side-by-side with each other in the rebellious south in 1865. It took a full century (and another American saint Dr. Martin Luther King) for this balance to be definitively reshaped. The fifty years since Dr. King reminds us that the American South's history may have been reshaped, but it cannot be erased. I suggest that Mr. Lincoln would not have been able to change this dynamic as much as one might hope. His present legacy as the best American President cannot be greater given history's unfolding. Vidal reminds us in his realistic take on Lincoln that Lincoln is a man - a rare man, but a man still.
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