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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Civil War violence and its political consequences; assassination discussed as the novel approaches its conclusion
Language
Barely any
Mild language in the historical register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Some sexual content among adult characters in period context
Substance Use
Barely any
Social drinking in the 19th-century political setting
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong psychological content: the weight of wartime leadership, the moral complexity of political decisions made under impossible pressure, and the portrait of Lincoln's inner life
What this book is about
Gore Vidal's Lincoln presents the sixteenth president through the eyes of those who surrounded him: his secretaries John Hay and John Nicolay, his cabinet members, and his political allies and enemies. Rather than hagiography, Vidal presents a pragmatic, calculating, and psychologically complex Lincoln — one who is genuinely admirable precisely because he is presented in full human dimension rather than simplified. One of the finest American historical novels.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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