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aprillyman's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't really care for this as a biography- I don't really feel like I learned anything new about Lincoln and that it wasn't really about Lincoln all of the time. My rating sums it up, it was ok.
awolgs's review against another edition
5.0
Abe Lincoln and the American Civil War has always been old and historic to me; Lord Charnwood's fine biography, on the other hand, published just fifty years after Lincoln's life ended. There's a different feel to his work as a result ... a freshness, if you will.
Charnwood's proximity to Lincoln doesn't, however, come at the expense of broad perspective. No, this book was written with an appropriate appreciation of all that Lincoln's leadership accomplished ... and how it fell short.
The text feels more conversational than many biographies and historical accounts. Charnwood doesn't just share facts and anecdotes; rather, he unpacks then and discusses context. I think this is likely because he wrote with a Brittish audience chief in his mind - he didn't take it for granted that events from the U.S. would translate neatly to the minds of folks across the pond.
All in all, I learned a great deal about Lincoln and I enjoyed the process of doing so.
Charnwood's proximity to Lincoln doesn't, however, come at the expense of broad perspective. No, this book was written with an appropriate appreciation of all that Lincoln's leadership accomplished ... and how it fell short.
The text feels more conversational than many biographies and historical accounts. Charnwood doesn't just share facts and anecdotes; rather, he unpacks then and discusses context. I think this is likely because he wrote with a Brittish audience chief in his mind - he didn't take it for granted that events from the U.S. would translate neatly to the minds of folks across the pond.
All in all, I learned a great deal about Lincoln and I enjoyed the process of doing so.
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