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Burr
Burr
Author: Gore Vidal
Was Aaron Burr a traitor or a patriot? did he kill Alexander Hamilton in that historic duel in self-defense? did he deserve his infamy or was he a political scapregoat? In an extraordinary narrative, a historical novel probably without precedent in American literary annals, gore Vidal illuminates the tumultuous career of the nation's third Vi...  more »
ISBN: 36431
Pages: 564
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1

4 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Bantam
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
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Top Member Book Reviews

tish avatar reviewed Burr on + 384 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is my favorite Gore Vidal book. he takes Burr's life and makes it and the times come alive.
reviewed Burr on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
"Here we have Burr's story-A tragedy, a comedy, a vibrant, legkicking life...All of this and much, much more is told in a highly engaging book that teems with bon mots, aphoriisms and ironic comments on the political process... Enlilghtening, fresh and fun" Margret Manning, Boston Globe
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reviewed Burr on + 625 more book reviews
Charles Schuyler is a personal assistant to Aaron Burr, the former Revolutionary War hero, vice president under Jefferson, and infamous slayer of Alexander Hamilton. He's also been employed by a group of political operatives in New York journalism circles to dig up evidence that Burr is the "natural father," as the expression goes, of up-and-coming presidential candidate Martin van Buren. Schuyler's journal entries are a wondrous prose picture of Jacksonian society, while an imagined autobiographical account from Burr provides a similar depiction of the nation's origins. Like all of Vidal's historical fiction, Burr has little use for America's received iconography, and draws upon contemporary sources to puncture the legendary reputations of Washington and Jefferson. There are also marvelous cameo appearances from figures like Washington Irving and Davy Crockett, of whom Schuyler notes, "He is considered a delightful figure. I can't think why." (There's also a substantial subplot in which Schuyler falls in love with a prostitute named Helen Jewett;
reviewed Burr on + 146 more book reviews
A dazzling entertainment. Provocative and witty.
reviewed Burr on + 146 more book reviews
A dazzling entertainment. Wonderful story, provocative and witty.


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