• Abraham Lincoln

  • A Presidential Life
  • By: James McPherson
  • Narrated by: John McDonough
  • Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (82 ratings)

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tried by War, James M. McPherson is acclaimed as the greatest living Civil War historian.

In this compelling biography, McPherson follows Abraham Lincoln from his early frontier days to his turbulent years in the White House. This concise yet comprehensive account reveals why Lincoln still remains a quintessential American icon.

©2009 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about Abraham Lincoln

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

In depth

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would have liked a little more about his personal life even though I realize they wanted us to know about the political part of his life.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The interesting part was his move when becoming President. The least interesting was some of the information about the wars.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance of the reader kept your attention

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This was a quick fix to a long story.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Text and Excellent Narration

Any additional comments?

The text was a wonderful little explanation of the life of Lincoln. The author does not skip on the smaller points of scholarship that he has gained from his extensive experience in history. I could listen to this book a couple of times.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

great short story

If you could sum up Abraham Lincoln in three words, what would they be?

easy to understand but not dumbed down. great narrator

What other book might you compare Abraham Lincoln to and why?

1776 by Mc Cullough but more concise

Any additional comments?

Well done

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well put on

Love the way the story is written and put on. Also, the narrative is so well deep into the book that it feels like he is the one writing the book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great short bio

Wonderful, short biography of Abraham Lincoln I one of America’s greatest historians of the Civil War.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

All too brief

Well done but brief overview of Lincoln’s life written by the master of Civil War writing. Artistically crafted interpretations of speeches may give clearer meaning to some. Only downgraded due to brevity.

Performance was fine throughout.

Thanks to Audible for making this volume available free of charge.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Overview

The stated goal of the author is to provide an overview of Lincoln’s life that neither over-simplifies nor over-generalizes his life. Highly recommend as an introduction to the life of Abraham Lincoln.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story just wanted more

A short but otherwise good story about Lincoln that is worth hearing. Well narrated and touches on the momentous problems American and Lincoln faced during that period of time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

it was a fast way to learn more about Lincoln.

it was a fast read and I enjoyed the short glimpse into his personal life.

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