An interesting aspect of Lincoln's life was how his faith evolved from scepticism in his youth to the kind of faith he wielded as President. Keneally doesn't attempt to answer the questions that arise: Was his faith real? Or was he merely saying the words he knew would comfort a largely Christian public? Had he come back to traditional Christianity, or embraced something similar to Jefferson's Deism? In the end, the reader is left with these questions. And I think that's the way it should be.
Don't keep reading any further unless you want a spoiler. Okay, so most people know he died. But thankfully Keneally doesn't keep dropping hints as some authors do, ruining the narrative by making the end inevitable. Instead, Lincoln's assassination comes as a shock, as does the abrupt end of the book as Lincoln quietly expires the next morning.
Thankfully, Keneally rounds off the book with a collection of sources, not just a list but a conversational guide to the books he used to put together this biography.
For an absorbing but brief look into the life of possibly America's greatest President, Lincoln will be hard to put down.
Pub/ed:NB
Article comments