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The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,014 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the best-selling author of The Emperor of Ocean Park and New England White, a daring reimagining of one of the most tumultuous moments in our nation’s past Stephen L. Carter’s thrilling new novel takes as its starting point an alternate history: President Abraham Lincoln survives the assassination attempt at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. Two years later he is charged with overstepping his constitutional authority, both during and after the Civil War, and faces an impeachment trial . . . Twenty-one-year-old Abigail Canner is a young black woman with a degree from Oberlin, a letter of employment from the law firm that has undertaken Lincoln’s defense, and the iron-strong conviction, learned from her late mother, that “whatever limitations society might place on ordinary negroes, they would never apply to her.” And so Abigail embarks on a life that defies the norms of every stratum of Washington society: working side by side with a white clerk, meeting the great and powerful of the nation, including the president himself. But when Lincoln’s lead counsel is found brutally murdered on the eve of the trial, Abigail is plunged into a treacherous web of intrigue and conspiracy reaching the highest levels of the divided government. Here is a vividly imagined work of historical fiction that captures the emotional tenor of post–Civil War America, a brilliantly realized courtroom drama that explores the always contentious question of the nature of presidential authority, and a galvanizing story of political suspense.
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"Interesting history based book. Lots of trial lawyer detail. Test your knowledge of the exceptions to the hearsay rule, circa 1867. I did not like the ending, however. But the author mixes real people with hypothetical events, and keeps you interested with great historic details."
— Lee (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln Listener Reviews
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" My favorite quote: "But, for all its outward glory, the Capitol was really a glorified mens' club, purchased at enormous expense by the people of the United States for the benefit of those who ruled them without ever quite representing them." "
— Cas, 2/18/2014 -
" Great Stephen Carter times. Loved the main character, fun to wonder what if. "
— Venus, 2/15/2014 -
" I love to read anything about Lincoln and this is a really interesting reimagining of what it would have been like had he survived the assasination at Ford's Theater and the aftermath of the Civil War "
— Jamie, 1/23/2014 -
" This is the first alternative history that I've read, and the premise was interesting. The author obviously did a lot of research, and the book was well done. I wanted to like it enough to give it four stars, but somewhat embarrassingly, the large number of characters and multi-layered, in depth plot confused me at times. "
— Sarah, 1/10/2014 -
" I expected a fascinating alternate history tale about Abraham Lincoln with interesting socio-politico-historical tidbits, but I instead got a Nancy Drew style mystery (Lincoln only appears as a prop) with extremely shallow plot conventions and cardboard characters. I really don't understand how this is a bestseller with so many positive reviews. Putting this one down ~150 pages in. "
— Cara, 1/9/2014 -
" Interesting take on what might have been if Lincoln had survived the assassination attempt at Ford's Theater. "
— Lindsey, 1/7/2014 -
" The ending was a complete cop out. I will not be reading another book by this author. "
— Valerie, 1/1/2014 -
" This book was pretty good...until the last 10%. I the interest of avoiding spoilers all I'm gonna say is I feel like I was robbed...and, yes, I'm bitter. "
— Lori, 12/29/2013 -
" An ambitious and interesting story line. However, it lacked the depth of insight into the inner workings of Abigail, the female lead, in the same way that he has shown the female characters in past novels. It may be that he invested so much into developing such a difficult subject that he didn't have as much left for the character development in this one. So, worth reading, but I like his other works more. "
— Greta, 12/29/2013 -
" Very detailed book.... I prefered Stephen King's take on the JFK assasination instead. (Similar plot of "What if famous person was never assassinated?") "
— Amy, 11/11/2013 -
" Written so well that I caught myself thinking this was a story of fact. "
— Mia, 10/24/2013 -
" This was an ok book but the historical fiction takes a back seat to the mystery surrounding certain events in the book. Other readers have commented that the ending was weak; I agree. "
— Don, 9/17/2013 -
" I really enjoyed it. The view point was good and the ending wasn't what I expected. (Which I enjoyed, yet didn't enjoy at the same time) "
— Deanna, 5/6/2013 -
" Slightly disappointed...great topic and the author did a great job exploring the 'what ifs' of this time period, but the author's style just didn't suit me, personally. It felt long and drawn-out in places. "
— Mandy, 4/20/2013 -
" Clever. Fast paced. Very interesting. "
— Warren, 4/16/2013 -
" Compelling story, interesting characters... ponderous writing. I wanted so desperately to love this book, I constantly wonder "what if?" and alternate history is among my favorite genres. However, try as I might, I just could not get involved in this story. "
— Michael, 11/14/2012 -
" I have enjoyed other and equally long books by this author but this one didn't do anything for me. I just wanted it to end so I could move on to something else. I never got caught up in the alternate history. "
— Lynne, 9/10/2012 -
" Was the end worth the long plodding story that took forever to read? No. "
— Lisa, 7/18/2012
About Stephen L. Carter
Stephen L. Carter is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale, where he has taught for more than thirty years. He is also the author of seven acclaimed works of nonfiction and five bestselling novels. He has published dozens of articles in law reviews and many op-ed columns in the nation’s leading newspapers. He appears frequently on radio and television.
About the Narrators
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.