A new novel about Lincoln

[Sally]

I know there are many on this forum who don’t care for fictionalized versions of history, but I’m wondering if anyone has read “I Am Abraham: A Novel of Lincoln and the Civil War” by Jerome Charyn. It’s gotten good reviews, and the book jacket features positive blurbs from some heavy hitters, including Harold Holzer and Richard Brookhiser.

As a fan of historical fiction, I was very excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for it. It’s told in the first person from Lincoln’s perspective, which is an intriguing idea. But it’s also written in the vernacular of the mid-19th century prairie. I’m okay with that technique sometimes, but it just didn’t work for me here. Others might disagree, feeling that reading Lincoln’s “voice” in the way he probably spoke makes the story more immediate and effective.

I confess I only read about 50 pages in before giving it up. Aside from the distracting language, it also frankly depicted certain behaviors that I prefer not to read about. Now, I’m all for warts-and-all depictions of Abraham Lincoln—I enjoy reading about the real person rather than the marble statue. Still, there are some things I’d rather not think about in relation to Mr. Lincoln, even though I know they were part of his life. But that’s just me.

Maybe the book gets better as it goes on. I would like to hear the opinion of other, less squeamish, members of this forum who have read it.