Team of Rivals

The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

By: Doris Kearns Goodwin

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 41 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.

Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded was the result of a character that had been forged by life experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because hepossessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.

This capacity enabled President Lincoln to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to preserve the Union and win the war.

©2006 Doris Kearns Goodwin (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"An elegant, incisive study....Goodwin has brilliantly described how Lincoln forged a team that preserved a nation and freed America from the curse of slavery." (James M. McPherson, The New York Times Book Review)

"Goodwin's narrative abilities...are on full display here, and she does an enthralling job of dramatizing...crucial moments in Lincoln's life....A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

"Splendid, beautifully written....Goodwin has brilliantly woven scores of contemporary accounts...into a fluid narrative....This is the most richly detailed account of the Civil War presidency to appear in many years." (John Rhodehamel, Los Angeles Times)

great history and a great man

loved the details and story of an incredibly difficult time in our history and a leader for the ages

Amazing story of Lincoln

this was a great audio book, very fitting for the format. it took a while to finish as I primarily listened while running. The entire book is about 40 hours. great biography on Lincoln based on primary and secondary documented accounts. highly recommend! it focuses more on the politics And social relationships of the time and gives a great account from the perspective of his cabinet.

Lincoln !!! Very Much Worth the Read

This book was extremely well done. I learned a great deal I did not know.

Excellent

Intelligent, informative, and compelling. Occasionally Ms. Toren mispronounces less common words, but it's still easy to follow.

Highly recommended.

An astoundingly good book!

When I was thinking about buying this book I was a bit skeptical of the author and the scope of the book. To my utter joy, I read the reviews and trusted to the overwhelming positive comments that came from some of the most trusted people, newspapers, educators, etc. and I purchased it.

Out of sympathy to people who read these reviews I try to keep them short and to the,point, so I'll get to the point.

Even if you have a mild interest in discovering who President Lincoln was; what motivated him prior to running for the Presidency; or wonder why he is still considered to be the best President the USA has ever had, this book is a Must Read (or a Must Listen to), get this book and read it.

It's depth, reach, and impact on my understanding of those turbulent times, cannot be expressed in a short review. in my view this book should be required reading for every High School student in this country. Add to that every college student and adult in the the USA.

The narative is informative, eye opening and compelling. The author introduces the most significant men and women in Lincoln's life. Most importantly it introduces and explores the men he worked with, wrangled with, fought with, and who influenced him as President.

Due to disability I buy and listen to Audible books for many reasons. However, I buy hard copies of only the very best. This book has been added to my Buy List.

Great story, slow narration.

As the leignth indicates, This is a very long book, but you have to expect this when you are listening to a book written by an historian. The chapters are long due to the complete accounts of all the lives of the rivals in this book. If yu want to know how a president should run the white house while working with rivals, listen to this. If you do not want to listen to this version, I would recommend the abridgement.

Worth the time!

Fantastic reading. Slow to warm to it, found it moving by the end. Gratifying on many levels.

A Book I Will Never Forget

The best autobiography I have ever read. Lincoln, the US Civil War, the making of a nation, all in one book.

Lincoln: life and politics

Mistitled..book is overarching history of Lincoln's personal and political life. Extremely detailed. In fact, tediously detailed. Excellent reference for scholars but not appropriate even for the quasi-serious student of history. Just too tedious.

Urge reading annotated edition or skimming unabridged edition. As is, just too exhausting for audio book. An audio recording of abridged edition would surely be superior to unabridged audio edition.

Narrator is monotone, barely acceptable.

wonderful experience

Where does Team of Rivals rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best audiobooks I have purchased from audible, this and 1Q84.

Who was your favorite character and why?

the Prez. He was incredible.

Have you listened to any of Suzanne Toren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several.

Any additional comments?

It took a little time to get into the book. But once that happened it was like a suspense story--even though I knew the ending. What a wonderful experience.