Lost to history until
now is the story of the four woman whom he loved and who loved him in return.
Presiding over the
chaotic Booth household and overflowing with a mother’s love, the steadfast and
compassionate Mary Ann Booth is blind to her son’s growing traitorous rage.
Asia Booth has always
stood by her younger brother, protecting him and helping him become a
successful actor like their father—but there are some secrets even the most
loyal confidante isn’t told.
Daughter of a unionist
New Hampshire senator, the smart, fiercely independent Lucy Hale believes the
love she and John share is a rare and precious blessing in a country torn apart
by war.
For the strong-willed,
widowed Mary Surratt, Booth represents the last hope of the Confederacy, and
she welcomes him and his conspirators into her home—at great peril to her
family.
As their stories
intertwine, overlap, and speed toward the inevitable conclusion, all four women
attempt to answer the most important question of their lives—who, exactly, is
John Wilkes Booth?
Fates and Traitors is
actually the first book I have ever read by Jennifer Chiaverini, and I must
say, I am thoroughly impressed. As an avid lover of anything historical, this
novel really stood out to me from the moment it got added to my TBR list, and I’m
so glad I finally decided to pick it up the last time I went to the library. The
amount of history that is contained within these pages thrills me, though I do
know that it is historical fiction and
not completely reality. Either way, I really enjoyed the chance to get to know
a little bit more about the “most hated man in America.” John Wilkes Booth’s
story has always been interesting to me, so I jumped at the chance to get a
little bit of insight into why he would do such a horrible thing as shooting
our nation’s president.
The way that Jennifer wrote this story also really
captivated me. I loved the way she—rather than just telling us this story
through John Wilkes Booth’s perspective—she gave us a different way of seeing
everything unfold, through the eyes of his mother, his sister, the woman who
loved him, and a confederate sympathizer who allowed him to conspire in her
home. In my opinion, that was just the perfect way to tell his story, because we
got to see so much we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Through his mother, we got
to see him as a little baby, and as a child, and as a son. Through his sister,
we got to see him as a brother, a playmate, a protector. Through the woman who
loved him, we got to see him as a lover, and through the eyes of a confederate sympathizer,
we got to see him as someone who was going to aid them in their goal of winning
the Civil War.
I think that was the most perfect part of all. While the
first three women did know John on a more intimate level, and they were able to
give insight into how he was throughout the entire course of his life, Mary
Surrat gave the most eye-opening insight because she was someone who thought
his goal to help the confederacy would be something good. Every time there was
a Northern victory, and every other woman cheered—and the nation cheered—Mary mourned,
and that gave such a different view to the entire story.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, for all of these
reasons and so many more. Jennifer is a phenomenal writer, I really enjoyed
getting such a little peek into history, and I am so looking forward to reading
more of her novels in the future. Fates
and Traitors easily earned all five bookshelves, and a place on my all-time
favorites list. Therefore, I also highly recommend it, as it is such a
worthwhile read!
Happy reading!
To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party
page.
All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Jennifer
Chiaverini and Dutton Publishing.
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