gore vidal burr review

This is the greatest novel that I've ever read, Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2015. Gore Vidal once described himself as a “border lord” in the “dying kingdom of literature.” While the kingdom may in fact be dying, Vidal's rank in it is of course far more baronial than his modest trope suggests. But the editor, who is deep into New York and national politics, has an offer the penniless young man can’t refuse: a lucrative contract to write an anonymous pamphlet accusing Martin Van Buren (current vice-president and future presidential candidate) of being Aaron Burr’s illegitimate son which could hand the presidency to the likely contender Henry Clay. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 'Burr' is the lead novel in Gore Vidal's seven-book series on U.S. history.

Beginnings tend to be messy, and the Revolution and Articles and Constitution seem messier and more ambiguous than one might have expected, based on high school history. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. Vidal's novel goes a long way in humanizing Burr, but does not necessarily minimize his notoriety. Somehow, Gore Vidal has done what PBS has spent millions and decades trying to do: he's made learning fun. Plot - 3, Characters - 3, Theme - 4, Voice - 4, Setting - 3, Overall - 4, Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2013. Vidal wrote a subtle, fascinating book about a misunderstood founding father. Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2020.

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2017 Gore Vidal's "Burr" is everything an historical novel should be, and more. Discovering Gore Vidal's sparklingly cynical novel about the birth of the American Republic was wonderful escapism. Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2016. He ended up as Jefferson's Vice-President and, four years later, while still in office, he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, which killed his own political career. Jun 25, 2018 | Books, Fiction, Reviews | 0 comments. What I remembered of Aaron Burr before reading this novel: he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, fled to “the west” (of the Alleghenies), and beat a treason rap. I've read this book three times, and getting ready to take it on vacation next week for the fourth. Thanks to Vidal's Burr, I'm now wild about a topic that I snoozed through in high school: early American history. Enjoy! Required fields are marked *. I really didn't know anything about Burr, other than he had been Vice President and that he shot Alexander Hamilton. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Burr by Gore Vidal, book of a lifetime: This cynical novel is, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. Gore Vidal's "Burr" is everything an historical novel should be, and more.

Prior to reading this novel, I wouldn't have believed that I could enjoy a work of fiction containing a long list of dates, facts, political explanations about the founders' differences and motives, and a list of characters broad enough to capture even the most mundane participants in America's earliest days. Vidal’s was an annoying tendency to describe Burr’s desk as “baize-covered” in every single scene in which it is mentioned (which were MANY). Your email address will not be published. Burr is the one you want to win. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Burr (1973), by Gore Vidal, is a historical novel that challenges the traditional founding-fathers iconography of United States history, by means of a narrative that includes a fictional memoir, by Aaron Burr, in representing the people, politics, and events of the U.S. in the early nineteenth century. Half of the book is about the ambitious young journalist, which I skimmed because it wasn't especially interesting.

By the end of his life his relentless criticism of US foreign policy was both too cynical and too moralistic to be taken seriously.

Schuyler tries to get his evidence by interviewing Burr.

Overlook that minor annoyance and read the book.

This novel starts from the point of view of Charles Schuyler, a young law clerk working in the law office of an aged Aaron Burr. With the popularity of Hamilton at present it seems appropriate to consider other points of view. A tiny flaw, but it annoyed me. Vidal takes Burr's side to show that he was much better than that: a chancer, for sure, but self-aware enough to know that's what he was, which makes him intensely likable.
If you've never read Vidal, there are other places you might want to begin ('Julian' is a marvelous novel, as is 'Messiah.' Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Vidal's novel goes a long way in humanizing Burr, but does not necessarily minimize his notoriety.

It was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1974.

The afterward spelled that out. Rather, Vidal's novel reflects a plausible portrait of the only vice-president to literally get away with murder. Random House.


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