heyjude1965's review
3.0
Finally finished! I loved the idea of this book, it is So up my alley - Presidents, assassinations, historical trivia treasure hunting! But.....but.... the author's political views are very left and taint every part of this book. Had to force myself through some parts. She seems bitter.
langwidere's review
4.75
such a funny, charming, and informative book. even if i had no knowledge of or interest in the subject matter i would’ve had a good time. in a lot of ways this is kind of a bush era time capsule, which i personally love but may be off putting. such fun & may reignite the long dormant american history fan within me.
blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review
3.0
As a huge fan of Sarah Vowell's work on NPR, it was pretty much a given that I would enjoy her book. This is a witty account of her pilgramage to sites of importance to the assassination of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. The only thing that was surprising, and a little unsettling, was her injection of current politics into the narrative. Don't get me wrong, I definitely share her views, but they distracted from the flow of the story. Overall, it's a fun and interesting book.
zhollows's review against another edition
5.0
This is the second time I've read/listened to this book. I love it! This is how history should be researched and written. So entertaining.
who_is_using_all_30_characters's review
1.5
it has some funny one-liners and a very dry sense of humor and political commentary on bush being bad and stuff, and it makes presidential assassination history moderately interesting, but personally i wasn't a huge fan because i don't care at all about the subject and also some of the writing felt a little clunky and it ends up going off on multiple tangents about important figures/places related to the murders, which makes sense but makes it not a very fluid reading process
lesleyjoy's review
5.0
My favorite of Vowell's books by far (and I love pretty much all of her books.) A perfect blend of the historical and the anecdotal. Whether eulogizing Edwin Booth (long-suffering brother to John Wilkes), side-eyeing would-be ambassador-turned-presidential assassin Charles Guiteau, or delving into the history of the 19th-century Oneida free love commune, this book is enjoyable on every page.
simlish's review
3.0
Assassination Vacation is a weird little book, covering the assassinations of US Presidents via assassination tourism -- visits to places and objects related to each assassination. It gets into some really interesting background details, the sorts of things I'd never heard of before -- not, admittedly, that I previously knew much of anything about Garfield or McKinley's assassinations.
I listened to the audiobook, which I found wildly overproduced -- anyone who gets quoted gets a different voice actor, some of whom I had difficulty understanding, and I always found the cutting from voice to voice jarring, especially in "Lines," she said, "of text like this," where Vowell would read the dialogue tag. It also had random music. As I do most of my listening while driving, each random bit of music startled the hell out of me and had me wildly searching the road for where it was coming from.
In some ways it was very dated -- the r-word gets thrown around pretty casually! she talks about Dubya like he's the worst thing that could happen to the Oval Office! -- and in some ways it was incredibly topical and relevant.
It's a book that definitely grew on me. I disliked the beginning so much I nearly put it down, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. I feel like I learned a lot (particularly fond of the semi-local-to-me sex cult that Garfield's assassin lived in for five years but he was so terrible that no one would sleep with him), and I had fun doing so.
I listened to the audiobook, which I found wildly overproduced -- anyone who gets quoted gets a different voice actor, some of whom I had difficulty understanding, and I always found the cutting from voice to voice jarring, especially in "Lines," she said, "of text like this," where Vowell would read the dialogue tag. It also had random music. As I do most of my listening while driving, each random bit of music startled the hell out of me and had me wildly searching the road for where it was coming from.
In some ways it was very dated -- the r-word gets thrown around pretty casually! she talks about Dubya like he's the worst thing that could happen to the Oval Office! -- and in some ways it was incredibly topical and relevant.
It's a book that definitely grew on me. I disliked the beginning so much I nearly put it down, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. I feel like I learned a lot (particularly fond of the semi-local-to-me sex cult that Garfield's assassin lived in for five years but he was so terrible that no one would sleep with him), and I had fun doing so.
ashleyrhyan's review
5.0
So entertaining! It isn't fiction, but it is wonderfully and hilariously written. Her information about the assassinated presidents is fascintaing too. She gives a lot of information that I had never heard before.
corgi66's review
3.0
At least three reviews list this as hilaroius, but I don't see it.
I would say it is smart, nerdy, interesting and unique.
Vowell retraces the footsteps of the first three presidential assasinations, stopping by every National Park Service run tourist stop and every plaque documenting a "he stood here when..." event.
But then she goes the extra mile and visits the places that formed the actors in each assasiniation. For example, she visits the anarchist colony of Charles Guiteau (Garfield's assasin). I found those places, the two degrees away from the assasination, to be the most interesting. She writes on the family, lovers, and acquantainces who had a hand in the early lives of the assasins.
Not surprisingly, the Lincoln chapter is the most involved. Because I did not know much at all about Garfield or McKinley's assasination, I found those more interesting than Lincoln's.
Vowell goes off on some random political, left leaning rants from time to time. I think a lot of history buffs/aficionados, who I've found in my personal experience tend to lean conservative, would enjoy this book if they can ignore or skip those parts. One could remove all those parts and still accomplish the point of the book.
I would say it is smart, nerdy, interesting and unique.
Vowell retraces the footsteps of the first three presidential assasinations, stopping by every National Park Service run tourist stop and every plaque documenting a "he stood here when..." event.
But then she goes the extra mile and visits the places that formed the actors in each assasiniation. For example, she visits the anarchist colony of Charles Guiteau (Garfield's assasin). I found those places, the two degrees away from the assasination, to be the most interesting. She writes on the family, lovers, and acquantainces who had a hand in the early lives of the assasins.
Not surprisingly, the Lincoln chapter is the most involved. Because I did not know much at all about Garfield or McKinley's assasination, I found those more interesting than Lincoln's.
Vowell goes off on some random political, left leaning rants from time to time. I think a lot of history buffs/aficionados, who I've found in my personal experience tend to lean conservative, would enjoy this book if they can ignore or skip those parts. One could remove all those parts and still accomplish the point of the book.