I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that historical element that I was hoping for and thought it did a great job in bringing this time-period to life. I enjoyed the idea of Lincoln and the end of the Civil War. Michael Vorenberg wrote this well and was glad I got to read this.

Thank you, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War, by Michael Vorenberg.

This book will be published on March 18, 2025.

This is a very interesting book that shows that it is uncertain exactly the Civil War ended. The book examines the events after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox and continues over the next few years. It was very well researched and even history buffs will find a lot in the book that they didn’t already know.

The “Juneteenth” chapter was, by far, the best of the book. The book showed the realities of how emancipation took place and how, for weeks, sometimes months, after Lee’s surrender, freedoms was far from reality for many slaves. And, in at least the case of Kentucky, for many slaves, they didn’t get freedom until the next year when the Freedman’s Bureau started to operate in the state.

I give this book an A.

Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I finished reading this on December 24, 2024.