Lincoln

A Novel (Narratives of Empire, Book 2)

By: Gore Vidal

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 32 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Lincoln is the cornerstone of Gore Vidal’s fictional American chronicle, which includes Burr; 1876; Washington, D.C.; Empire; and Hollywood. It opens early on a frozen winter morning in 1861, when President-elect Abraham Lincoln slips into Washington, flanked by two bodyguards. The future president is in disguise, for there is talk of a plot to murder him. During the next four years there will be numerous plots to murder this man who has sworn to unite a disintegrating nation.

Isolated in a ramshackle White House in the center of a proslavery city, Lincoln presides over a fragmenting government as Lee’s armies beat at the gates. In this profoundly moving novel, a work of epic proportions and intense human sympathy, Lincoln is observed by his loved ones and his rivals. The cast of characters is almost Dickensian: politicians, generals, White House aides, newspapermen, Northern and Southern conspirators, amiably evil bankers, and a wife slowly going mad.

Vidal’s portrait of the president is at once intimate and monumental, stark and complex, drawn with the wit, grace, and authority of one of the great historical novelists.

©1984 by Gore Vidal. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Interesting but not groundbreaking

A well written story. Not as many historical nuggets as in Burr. As always Grover Gardener is great.

Lincoln

This is a very good historical novel. The author acknowledges at the end what characters he had little knowledge of and for whom he made up a fictional story. Knowing this, I was able to enjoy the book and research from other sources the characters who interested me.

Lincoln/Vidal/Gardner an excellent team

I am a 20-year Audible listener and this was my best experience to date. It is rare to find a combination of a subject one is fascinated with, a great writer, and a master performer.

While this was my first Vidal novel, I have spent many hours reading and listening to Lincoln biographies, reading and listening to Civil War non-fiction, and listening to Grover Gardner reading Civil War non-fiction. I think Gardner is an excellent narrator of non-fiction and now find he is a great performer of non-fiction. I found his portrayal of the different characters just what i would have expected.

I am very tempted to continue on with the "Narratives of Empire" series with Vidal/Gardner.

An amazing performance of a classic

I have always admired this classic historical novel and the way that Gore Vidal brought all of these people to life. What I didn't expect was such an incredible performance by the reader! The reading is incredibly nuanced inspired. Not just in the way he voices the individual characters (which is brilliant) but the layers of subtlety in the interpretation of the dialog leaves me finding something new every time I re-listen. Even if I didn't already love the book, this is worth it, just as a master class on the oral interpretation of literature.

Great book, Great interpretation

A wonderful book I read 30 years ago brought to life here. Thoroughly enjoyable listening. I had forgotten most of the details .

Favourite book of all time

The heaviness that President Lincoln lived through is palpable. Like many greats (Van Gogh, Trump) he was not fully appreciated during his life. Performance by Gardner the narrator is impeccable. His voice for the chicken-like Mr. Henderson is hilarious and had me cracking up whenever that character appeared (the name escapes me, but you’ll know when you hear)

Amazing and I suspect accurate

For Lincoln fans it’s hard to listen to such a human man; however, he always worked tirelessly for the entire USA. He was exceptional, yet imperfect, as we all are.

A grand story

A very entertaining interpretation of the greatest president! Originally read the book in college and fell in love with Mr. Lincoln. The narrator was a perfect choice

Patience with Lincoln Pays Great Rewards

The genius and berth of Gore Vidal's knowledge is on full display with Lincoln. With meticulous detail, vivid imagination, and a eye towards the nuance of historical context, Vidal's Lincoln is a thick stew of storytelling that savors from the inauguration until our 12th President's final days in a way that simultaneously captures the highbrow dynamics of running the US executive branch (complete with the tensions of alternative points of view) and the underbelly of pro-slavery factions from the South.

Vidal's masterful treatment of this turning point in our nation is part lyrical imagination of how Lincoln thought and spoke, part historical context of emancipation, and part psychological expose of all the players of the time.

Narrator Grover Gardner handles the richness of characters brilliantly by modulating this voice according to who is speaking at any given point in the book. After a few hours of listening, one is completely able to determine the speaker, merely by the consistency of Gardner's voice work. His artistry enriches, not only the spoken word, by animates each of the characters in Vidal's extensive tome.

With some 30+ hours of listening, be patient and enjoy this historic novel in fits and starts. By the end, you will feel the pulse of America's history and gain an expert's understanding of Lincoln's Presidency all with an immersive expose that only Gore Vidal can provide.

a masterpiece

This is a great listen. Although it's long, it's worth every minute. Great story and great narration.