hpuphd's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this novel when it was published in 1973 but was slightly put off by the deglamorizing picture of the founding fathers. Rereading it now, it just seems honest in pointing out all the feet of clay. After the duel, the book may lessen in drama, but Vidal’s tone of historical gossip humanizes the story.
jennswan's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised to discover that this book is historical fiction rather than non-fiction. It was interesting and well written, but unfortunately I started reading it just before the quarantine for COVID-19 began in spring 2020. Its length, combined with my distraction of the world around me (the world turned upside down?), caused me to struggle a bit to get through the book. While I may have struggled a little to get through it, the book is really well written. I enjoyed much of the humor and found it fascinating to read about the politics that existed among the revered founding fathers. As a fan of the musical Hamilton, I also found it interesting to find facts and phrases pulled from this book that are used in the musical. Overall, I think this is well worth the read.
zena_ryder's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not sure why but this didn't grab me as the other couple of Gore Vidal books I've read did (especially Lincoln, which is one of my all time favourites. Perhaps there was too much straightforward "re-telling" of political machinations, I don't know. However, it did provide interesting portraits of both Washington and Jefferson and I'm now looking forward to reading some time soon the (very short!) biography of Jefferson I have on my bookshelf, written by Christopher Hitchens.
rannie_'s review against another edition
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
davybaby's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting presentation of the late life of Aaron Burr as told by a young admirer. I've never been a huge fan of historical fiction, and this one didn't turn the beat around for me. It was interesting to see the founding fathers reimagined from the perspective of one of the United States' oldest scoundrels, but Burr never really connects emotionally.
jkwriting24's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
smoakwithwifi's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting for the history, but absolutely *horrible* pacing. The bulk of the frame story in particular seems to be mostly about the author showing how much he knows about various minor literary and political figures of the time. I only kept reading because I recognized the character of Helen Jewett and expected there to be more plot forthcoming about her (I'm avoiding spoilers, so apologies for the vagueness here), only to see her bit in history glossed over in favor of yet more imagined inane conversations among New York's elite of the 1830s. Overall about 2 stars for story, but I'm rounding up to 3 for the accuracy of the historical research.
nymfan86's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book in Gore Vidal's American Chronicle series. I read the entire series a few years ago and really enjoyed it. However, Burr was my favorite in the series so I decided to re-read it. It follows Charles Schuyler who is a young author trying to write Aaron Burr's memoirs. (Schuyler or his descendents appear in every one of the American Chronicle books.)
Vidal has a gift for bringing boring dead guys to life. Vidal's Burr is a fascinating character and his interpretation of our nation's founders, particularly Washington and Jefferson, is a bit different than the traditional view. At the very least it makes the reader question their greatness. For historical fiction, this is the best that I've read.
Vidal has a gift for bringing boring dead guys to life. Vidal's Burr is a fascinating character and his interpretation of our nation's founders, particularly Washington and Jefferson, is a bit different than the traditional view. At the very least it makes the reader question their greatness. For historical fiction, this is the best that I've read.