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Summary: An excellent one volume biography of Lincoln
Review: Mr. Donald does an excellent job of placing the important events of Linclon's life and presidency into one volume. Although it is not complete, it is a comprehensive overview of one of America's greates heroes. The author leaves the minutae of the civil war to the historians dealing with that event: instead he focuses on the role Lincoln played in helping to keep the union together. From a simple childhood to the complex politics of the civil war era, Lincoln is portrayed by Donald as a man who was consistent to the law and to his ideals.
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Summary: An Inspirational Biography of a Great Man
Review: Donald's biography of Lincoln is an inspiring and fascinating account of the man and President. The book clearly portray's Lincoln's personal humility, clear understanding of the Constitution and vision for the Union and people. It is a must read for those interested in U.S. history. The founding fathers (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, etc.) gave birth to our nation and constitution. Lincoln put it into practice and gave us a new understanding of ourselves.
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Summary: Review of Audiobook
Review: Having just enjoyed McCullough's Truman, this audiobook was disappointing. Although the isolated comments about vignettes contained in the other reviews seem generally true, the overall book seemed insufficiently cohesive. The story seemed fragmented in a way that made it difficult to follow any overarching theme. The story line failed to move along in a coherent and timely manner. The content overall also seemed superficial in that it failed to convey adequately the great issues underlying the Civil War conflict.
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Summary: great biography
Review: This is a great biography. It's a comprehensive and intelligent account, but the author's easy style of prose makes it a fun read. It's the only Lincoln bio I've read, so I can't compare it to others, but I've read many biographies of other famous people over the past year and a half and this was one of the most engrossing. The book is one of the most thoroughly annoted I've seen, and Donald provides good information for furthur reading on specific topics (such as JW Booth or the Emancipation Proclamation). (If I had one complaint, it's that the book ends (rather abruptly) with Lincoln's death (all other biographies I've read contains at least a brief chapter on the funeral, the surviving family, the aftermath, etc.).)
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Summary: The definitive account of our nation's greatest president
Review: The joy of reading is one that cannot be adequately expressed. The sense of accomplishment along with gaining another life chapter of knowledge is why I continue to seek out great literature. I have had the pleasure of reading several books on President Lincoln, but will always consider this masterpiece the biography to base the life of a complex hero. Along the course of the swiftly reading, eloquently paced chapters, we find our way meandering through a river of Lincoln's experiences. From his humble Kentucky beginnings and following him on the trail to his greatest challenge (No, I do not mean Mary Todd, all together as exasperating as she appears to be), the White House. Donald brings to life the vignettes of Lincoln engaged in playtime with his sons, to pacing frantically through the Telegraph office awaiting word on the recent war events. We tend to think of Lincoln as a stone figure, but we see insecurities and doubt with the fate of the Union resting in his hands, but never surrendering the belief in a Unified nation. After finishing a novel of this caliber, my gratitude must be given to the author for a job well done. I recalled that the dedication was to his children thanking them for "living their entire lives with Lincoln". After absorbing this book, I can't imagine a better person to have lived near.
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Summary: What does a foreigner think?
Review: President Lincoln was one of people whom I admired since I was child. As I speak English as a second language, it was challenge for me to read nearly 600 pages book, but this book contains a lot of specific detail about the great man of American history.I was impressed the author's careful research. Only thing that I thought it didn't fully satisfy in this book was I wanted to know more details about after the death of Lincoln.; How did his death effect on his emancipation policy? How did other Northern or Southern Politicians react after the incident? How wre the life of his wife, Mary and their children after his death? etc.. Anyway, even though I still have many questions about Lincoln, I really enjoyed reading this book. At least I could comprehend about Civil war and Lincoln's life. ---m.o
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Summary: AN IMPORTANT BOOK ABOUT OVERCOMING ADVERSITY!!!!!
Review: Professor Donald has expertly written about a man who for me, is one of the earliest personifications of the American dream. Lincoln is a legend and for the first time I truly understand and appreciate his achievements. His accomplishments are even more astonishing when you consider the enormity of his challenges, both internal and external. This is a story of perseverance, honesty, intelligence and hard work. This book should be suggested reading for students of political history and compulsory reading for students of life. Donald knows his subject and was a pleasure to read. V. Kearney.
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Summary: A must read for those individuals who aspire to greatness.
Review: This is a wonderful book about Lincoln even with all of the dense factual information included. The author, David Herbert Donald, truly had rare insights into the man, the husband, and the President. He captured Lincoln's innate honesty and all of the facets of his leadership capabilities. This book showed how Lincoln became a great leader. If I were to change anything about the book, I would suggest one additional chapter on what happened immediately after Lincoln died. The reader really wants to know about the funeral and the transition into the next administration. I look forward to reading other books by this author.
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Summary: A good read that has a wealth of information about Lincoln
Review: This book is comprehensive and it presents Lincoln as a man who grew and matured into the right leader for our nation when no other would have done. Lincoln was no saint, but he was at all times a good and decent man. He is shown to have had a sense of humor and to have been human in all respects. Lincoln was honest and fair, and put the interests of his country above all else. This book shows his wisdom and infinite patience in handling the divisions within the Republican Party, and his wife,who was at times a difficult woman. Lincoln was a self made man, who endured: poverty; lack of formal education; political defeats (though only once at the hand of the voters); political and social slights; and business failures. As a boy, he overcame the death of his mother. As a man, he endured the death of the woman he loved and aspired to marry. As a father, he endured the deaths of two of his four children, one of whom died in the White House. Due to the war, and the duties of his office, the Lincolns' had to work through their personal grief during a time of political and military crisis. He suffered more than his share of hardships, yet he always stayed focussed and on task. As President, he virtually willed his generals and the Union Army to victory. Lincoln didn't lead based on popular opinion. If he had, the Union would have likely disolved. He was thoughtful and pragmatic. His character under fire, and his unwillingness to compromise the goals of his administration, even if it cost him his re-election, distinguish him from modern politicians. The stress of the war and his office weighed heavily on the man. Photographs included in the book show just how much he appeared to age while in office. No doubt the South would have faired better during reconstruction if Lincoln had lived. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know Lincoln, warts and all. Of all our presidents, only Washington is Lincoln's equal.
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Summary: Lincoln's Humamity and Humility a Beacon For Modern Politics
Review: I purchased my copy of David Donald's biography of Lincoln at a bookshop in Georgetown, Washington during a visit in July 1999. The book is an excellent introduction to the complexity of the political landscape of the times and while it shows Lincoln as occasionally indecisive and naive in his judgements of others it does little to subtract from Lincoln's status as American political icon. Donald is at his best in showing how Lincoln's understanding of the conflict developed and matured. The lonliness of the president through the war years is a constant theme: others could be petty, vindictive, self serving or mendacious but Lincoln as the President could be none of these things. Conscious of his lack of formal academic study, he was still the intellectual equal of lesser men with larger qualifications. Reviled by his critics as a buffoon, his patience with the pompous and the graceless makes him a sad contrast with modern day presidents who manage to be more pompous and graceless than anyone else around them. A criticism of the book is the abupt ending. The general reader wants to know the fate of Booth and the other conspirators. And what becomes of Mary Todd Lincoln with her irascible temper and undisclosed debts? None of these questions is answered as the narrative closes with the President's death. As a non American, I found my respect for the greatness of one of my heroes enhanced by Donald's book and I look forward to reading his biography of Charles Sumner.
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