Reviews

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

kdaven8's review against another edition

5.0

I have been thinking lately about the history I learned as a kid. It was appropriately cleaned up for children’s minds. With a puritan frosting covering all the messy parts. For many years I felt that kid history was fact. That is how it was taught. Since I took a woman’s history class in college I started to realize maybe that was not the whole story. After reading Howard Zinn’s A people’s history of the United States I have been on the hunt for Historical Fiction that can help me understand time and place.
Booth did that for me. It is also really well written and a very interesting work fiction.

ada_rosales's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

amclauchlan98's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

annekap's review against another edition

3.0

John Wilkes Booth is an infamous killer, who I actually know very little about. In this novel about the Booth family, Karen Joy Fowler writes about "Johnny" and his siblings - their births, their struggling early childhood, their individual successes as actors, wives, and society people. Rosalie, the eldest, struggles with scoliosis and loneliness, and raises many of the younger children herself. Edwin, who watched his father die from drinking, becomes a successful, secretly alcoholic, actor. Asia, the naughtiest, chooses a life of comfort and is John's closest confidante as he develops his angry hatred of President Lincoln.

I was really hoping to love this, and maybe went in with my expectations too high. I adored Karen Joy Fowler's first book, and I love historical fiction. I don't know much about the Lincoln story so was keen to learn something about the context of the times. Initially I was very invested in the Booth family, but as the book went on I felt like the author was trying to pack huge amounts of information into the (pretty long!) story. I feel this could have done with some ruthless editing - not all of the Booth children were that interesting.

I did appreciate the subtle parallels to current America, and the slow evolution of a sweet spoilt boy into an angry, cynical shooter. It's a great concept, to write about and characterise the whole family to the point where it almost comes as a surprise to the reader that one of the children could be a terrorist. Unfortunately for me, it was just far too long and convoluted of a read, and it took me a long time to get through the second half in particular.

sechewning's review against another edition

informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

flowerpotbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bhans1984's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

shmagenls88's review against another edition

5.0

An intimate look at the cost of someone elses actions on a family. Seems deeply researched, lots of character development but it all is necessary to carry the weight of what is to come. Multiple perspectives on an event and a personal we think we know. Truly enjoyed this read.

yers's review against another edition

2.0

This book was deceiving and disappointing on many fronts. The Story starts strong with the portrayal of a marriage that is unequivocally emotionally stale as well as abusive. Then, as each character gets to tell their point of view as to of how they see things within the family unit and society at that time, the writing falls apart. The more you read, the more apparent is the lack of engagement between the narrative and the characters. At times, it feels as if you are reading a very long history essay. For a Shakespearean family (in any possible way), there are simply no lyrical, feverish moments that grip you from start to end. Have I mentioned this is absurdly long? at almost 500 pages, this is a chaotic research paper that got derailed and could not be kept on track, but the deadline was over so here we have the book. The characters are meant to evoke a literary savviness that is much engraved in their DNA since references to Byron, Dickens, Blake and Beecher are seen throughout the book. References to parts of Lincoln's political aspirations were also weakly portrayed and rather undeveloped. Also, for an international reader or someone who is not well adept in American History, this book is highly insufficient and vague while explaining key points involving abolition, secession and political unrest. Many more lost opportunities to give some of the black families a conciliatory background. Overall, not a book worth your time reading.

jen_16's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0