Booth
by David Robertson
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6529262/ I got this book ages and ages ago on BookCrossing, and have been feeling guilty for not getting to it sooner. I finally made my way through it and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I do like some fiction with my history. And this was an interesting take on things, though I was hoping it might answer some questions. it presents the accounts of the assassination attempt as told by Booth's friend, who was asked to be part of the kidnapping conspiracy but ended up not going through with it. We also get bits and pieces from diary entries, trial transcripts, and more to build a picture of John Wilkes Booth for ourselves based on how other characters see him throughout. I liked the idea of that, but the problem was that we don't come away with a complete understanding of what really happened. Then again, we might never know exactly what happened and why, so maybe this is as good an account as any, really.
My favorite element in this book was the main character becoming an apprentice to a photographer. One of my favorite parts of touring Gettysburg is the Civil War Battlefield photography on display on table markers, where you can compare the scenery to the scene back then. So to dive into that world a bit and see what it was like to photograph on a battlefield or in a studio was really wonderful. I was devastated to read the note at the end and find out that that particular person never worked in that profession at all. It was a great element to add, but that level of fictionalization was painful for me after I'd really fallen in love with that aspect!
In all, I thought the book was well done. There was a lot of jumping about, which I think lent to the feeling of uncertainty at the end. But there was also a vivid picture of Booth painted. He was someone everyone took notice of (including, I suppose, the main character's mother) and someone who thought he was doing something that would ultimately save lives and preserve a way of life. I could understand a little why he planned to kidnap the president. But the extremes he ended up going to are hard to sympathize with.
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge: A book set in a hotel
(There were a lot of other settings, apart from the hotel, but as most of that were flashbacks, diary entries, trial transcripts, etc. I'm counting this for hotel)