John Wilkes Booth, assassin of Abraham Lincoln, came from a famous theatrical family. The novel follows the Booths, from a Maryland country childhood through to the assassination and beyond, interspersing the narrative with Lincoln’s rise to the Presidency and greatness. In a vivid portrait of nineteenth century America, with slavery and the theatre as known to the family in the foreground, you see the drama unfolding in the lives of the characters. A long novel, perhaps too leisurely at first, it gathers pace and excitement as the fateful moment approaches.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 107 Winter 2023 ) |
