On the last, cold Sunday of February 1859, Daniel Sickles shot his wife's lover in Washington's Lafayette Square, just across from the White House. This is the story of that killing and its repercussions.
Thomas Keneally brilliantly recreates an extraordinary period, when women were punished for violating codes of society that did not bind men. And the caddish, good-looking Dan Sickles personifies the extremes of the era: As a womaniser, he introduced his favourite madam to Queen Victoria while his wife stayed at home; as minister to Spain, he began an affair with the Queen while courting one of her ladies in waiting; and in his later years, he installed his housekeeper as his mistress while his second wife took up residence nearby.
The brio with which Thomas Keneally tells the tale is equal to the pace and bravado of Sickles' life. But, more than this, American Scoundrel is the lens through which the listener can view history at a time when America was being torn apart.
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"Why didn't they talk about Daniel Sickles in history class? His story has everything: sex, murder, civil war, reconstruction, Cuba - come on, teachers, this will really get your students talking about the crime of the century of 1859 and the insanity defense - also would be great for a book club." — Anita (4 out of 5 stars)
"Why didn't they talk about Daniel Sickles in history class? His story has everything: sex, murder, civil war, reconstruction, Cuba - come on, teachers, this will really get your students talking about the crime of the century of 1859 and the insanity defense - also would be great for a book club."
" Interesting bit of American history that I'd never heard about before. "
" Meh - interesting character, but too long for the content. "
" I enjoyed this book's presentation of history through the life of Dan Sickles. What an interesting time period in American history. Although the book was a bit slow/boring at times, the overall story and the perspective the author chose to focus on - his wife - was quite intriguing. "
" One of the most fascinating figures from the civil war period. His life outside the military is more interesting than his service during the war. "
" A fascinating, well-written story of a person who should be better known. He may have been a bastard; but he was our bastard. "
" I read this book back in 2005! I loved every page of it! Egotism, heartbreak, philandering, dules, MURDER, an absolute "good read"! "
" Good read on the enigma of General Dan Sickles. "
" Couldn't get through it. So I picked up Sickles: the Incredible. "
" I had high hopes from this book, that it would be a great biography - it's not. The author wrote ""Schlinder's List"" and I think my hopes were justified. Instead I got a good biogra "
" 250 pages of padded research followed by a fine 100 pages of history. THE 100 pages was not enough to make me like the book. "
" A very interesting, intriguing book. Dan Sickles truly lives up to it's title "
" A charismatic sleazeball, even this slightly favorable leaning author cannot make readers love Dan Sickels. The book often has too much superfluous detail and then not enough on other sections. "
" Well written book about someone i would not have read about unless this author wrote the book. Rivetting. "
" Dan Sickles? How did I get to be so old without knowing about this guy? Probably because his story is so amazing that most would have trouble believing it is real. Or maybe because scoundrels (not criminals) do not get the historical attention they deserve. What a fascinating read. "
" Love, love, love this wild story. What a cad. The author's previous book was Schindler's List - the guy has a knack for finding jerks who seem to accomplish good while being bad. "
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