Fates and traitors a novel of John Wilkes Booth

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Summary

"The New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker returns with a riveting work of historical fiction following the notorious John Wilkes Booth and the four women who kept his perilous confidence. The world would not look upon his like again. John Wilkes Booth--driven son of an acclaimed British stage actor and a Covent Garden flower girl, whose misguided quest to avenge the vanquished Confederacy led him to commit one of the most notorious acts in the annals of America--has been the subject of scholarship, speculation, and even obsession. Though in his plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln Booth did not act alone--"I am determined to be a villain," he tragically prophesized on the occasion of his acclaimed 1862 New York City debut in the role of Richard III--he is often portrayed as a shadowy figure, devoid of human connection. Yet four women were integral in the life of this unquiet American: Mary Ann, the mother he revered above all but country; his sister and confidante, Asia; Lucy Lambert Hale, the senator's daughter who loved him; and the Confederate widow Mary Surratt, to whom he entrusted the secrets of his vengeful wrath. In Fates and Traitors, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini renders for the first time as fiction the compelling interplay between these pivotal actors--some willing, others unwitting--who made an indelible mark on the history of our nation"--

Published Reviews

Booklist Review: "*Starred Review* One wonders, when learning what veteran historical novelist Chiaverini's (Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule, 2015) latest consummate historical fiction is about, whether President Lincoln and his assassination have been done pardon the unsarcastic pun to death? Wait to judge until you've seen what Chiaverini does with the topic in her copiously researched novel. Remarkably, she manages to build dramatic tension despite the reader knowing how the story ends: with the death of Lincoln in Ford's Theatre and that of assassin John Wilkes Booth at the hands of law-enforcement figures a short time later. Rather than a plot spoiler, previous knowledge of the end of the Lincoln-Booth tale is a plot enhancer. Booth takes shape, with far more definition than the dark and sketchy impression most people have, through the lives of four women who loved him: his mother, his sister, his great love, and the owner of the boardinghouse where Booth and his fellow conspirators met, who was hanged for her efforts. Resurrecting one of the country's most notorious villains as the main character of a completely compelling novel, which presents him in an understanding light, presents no challenge for this talented author.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2016 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

Additional Information

Subjects	Booth, John Wilkes, 1838-1865 Fiction Conspiracies Fiction Assassins Fiction Historical Fiction Thriller Romance Fiction Electronic books. Biographical fiction. Historical fiction. 1838-1865
Publisher	New York :Penguin Publishing Group,2016 Penguin Publishing Group2016
Contributors	OverDrive, Inc.
Audience	General adult
Language	English
System Details	Mode of access: World Wide Web. Format: Adobe EPUB eBook Format: Kindle Book Format: Kobo eBook Format: OverDrive Read Requires Adobe Digital Editions or Amazon Kindle or Kobo eBook
Description	1 online resource
ISBN	9780698404137 9780698404137
Other	Classic View