Customer Rating:  
Summary: A good read, but is it good biography? I'm just not sure.
Comment: It's a long, deep, and ultimately engrossing book about the 16th president and his cabinet. The book has a very strong, almost simplistic, point of view about its focuses. Lincoln is a kindly man always with a story to tell and with an almost preternatural grasp of politics. Seward is the loyal consigliere and companion. Chase is the scheming power-hungry plotter pushed by his scheming power-hungry daughter. Bates is the kindly old guy who no one else really cares about. Stanton is the hard-working, hard-driving guy who never lets the President down. Mary Lincoln is the batty, jealous wife. Everyone comes across as a one-dimensional archetype once they start the Administration. Most of them seem like more interesting people BEFORE Lincoln gets elected.
The book is engaging--it has to be with over 750 pages of text, not including notes, index, etc. But I am no Lincoln expert. I suspect the sketches that are drawn are overly simplistic, but without having seen an alternate account, and not being a Lincoln scholar, I hesitate to state an opinion on the accuracy or the perspective Kearns provides. I can say the book is immensely readable and I enjoyed it greatly.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Team of Rivals
Comment: LEARNING from HISTORY... One of our limitations as a nation is that we don't seem to learn from history. Doris Keanrs Goodwin's book THE TEAM OF RIVALS was written before the current election but provides many lessons that are still relevant in today's political situation. First is the conditions that Lincoln had to deal with when he was elected and when assumed power. We think that times today are unique and troublesome, but can you imagine taking over power and having the country divide and a new nation formed..neither McCain nor Obama could imagine or are prepared for this type of division.
Second, it is interesting that LINCOLN choose his rivals to help him lead and was willing to deal with the consequences of this decision. McCain clearly has followed the Lincoln example and is likely to choose his rivals to help him serve...when he is elected.
Overall we can learn from history and if we are smart avoid making the same mistakes... THANK YOU Ms. GOODWIN for the opportunity to do this because of your easy to read, highly researched and presented HISTORY LESSON.
Bill Rothschild, author of THE SECRET TO GE's SUCCESS...which tries to do the same for American businesses.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Basis of the Ultimate Politician
Comment: Doris Kearns Goodwin comes up with an unusual perspective in viewing the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln really won the Office of the President with his oration at Cooper Union.
His main opponents were William Seward, Salmon Chase, Edwin Stanton and Edward Bates.. Lincoln won the election and all of the above served in major cabinet positions during the Civil War. The old saying of keeping your enemies close rings true in this study.
I found the political intrigues to be insightful. However, Doris fails to capture the true essence of Lincoln's political thought. I am grateful that I've learned of Lincoln's political adroitness. However, Doris overplays her hand. Lincoln was more concerned with the state of the union. These team of rivals only served limited purposes in his grand scheme. In all the Rivals were not the Big Bad Wolf that was promoted by Doris!!
The read was insightful but only rates 3 Stars!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wasa Lincoln some sort of God to be worship?
Comment: I have just completed Ms. Goodwin's book. I realize that a huge number of people will not like this review. While no one would denies that Abraham Lincoln was one of the top three presidents in this country's history-perhaps Washington and FDR being the other two-it seems that Goodwin wants to create some type of God out of Lincoln, which he probably was not. Moreover, she makes the south out to be this huge bunch of minsters which they probably was not. Was what the south was doing in sustaining slavery wrong? Yes it was and no one would argue that point. It just takes more of an effort to understand why they were sustaining slavery. There are so many things we encounter today that are just as wrong, but people like to cover them up as Goodwin has done in her biography of Lincoln. I must add, and this should have been pointed out and was not, Lincoln did things as president that would never have been tolerated today, but still he is expected to be worship; and, that is just dangerous.
Customer Rating:
Summary: a fascinating read
Comment: Very interesting read using source material, in their own words, account. The characters are alive and believeable with the background of the election and civil war. The narrative is engrossing and I got lost in the book. It is a biography of the four people who ran for president in 1860. All four biographies enchance understanding of the times and complement Lincoln's story. The history is fascinating and is paced well and comprehensive.
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