If thou read this, O Ceasar, thou mayst live. If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.

A very different point of view and well written. Chiaverini takes the context and gives another perspective on the life of Booth. Booth is known for the murder of Lincoln. What led Booth to kill Lincoln and what was the aftermath for those that he left behind. It is something you never think about. Chiaverini starts with the capture of Booth and what may have been his thoughts which led to the different voices of the people who loved Booth. Which of course, humanizes the man but does not excuse what he did. It gives an understanding of what he believed and his ultimate demise. The other voices were his sister, his mother, and a senator's daughter that had fallen hard for him. It is interesting to note, that they did not share in his hatred for Lincoln. Another voice was the Innkeeper that was the first woman that was hanged by the federal government. Her voice included her background and her own misgivings toward the president. Was she guilty or just caught up. It is a reminder both sides prayed, loved their families and their country. May we learn from our past.

A special thank you to Penguin Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Well done historical fiction. Chiaverinni has given us the story of John Wilkes Booth through the voices of the women in his life. Although we all know his name, most of us (I count myself among the group) know little about his life. Thanks to Netgalley for the well written and educational novel.

I love Chiaverini’s historical fiction books. As with all the rest I was pulled into this story about John Wilkes Booth. At first, I was confused by what seemed like a disjointed story, but then I realized this was needed to flesh out all the other people in his life. One wonders at the path he chose to become remembered in American history.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC of Fates and Traitors by Jennifer Chiaverini.

In this story we learn all about John Wilkes Booth, his incredibly interesting family, his acting career, romances, and demise. We learn about his co-conspirators, politics and all the events that lead up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, as well as the aftermath of his actions after his death.

First of all, I am FASCINATED by this story, and how deeply a person can get in their need for justice and revenge. I loved learning about his parents and his upbringing. I felt heartbroken by his romance, knowing just how horribly it was going to end. The story was very well researched and written.

I suppose my only criticism is that it was just a little too long and detail heavy for a non-history-buff-lay-reader such as myself. I did find myself skimming and speeding through a bit of it, especially towards the end. Otherwise, wow, great read.

Although assassinations are usually carried out by only one man, there are often many others involved in the act -- some overtly and willingly, others unwittingly caught up in the moment. This is the story of John Wilkes Booth, but it's really the story of his family, friends, acquaintances, and co-conspirators. The author has given depth, heart, and soul to each of the participants -- from his mother & siblings, to the young woman in love with him, to the men who plotted a kidnapping that turned to murder.

At first I was bewildered by all the narrative changes, the story seemed disjointed with the frequent changes of focus from character to character. But once I realized that the author's purpose was to give life to each character, that they lived in multiple places, and that they were not directly connected except through their connection with Booth I fell into the story with full force. This is historical fiction at its best -- facts mingled with fictional dialogue, a plot that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat even though the outcome is well known. Although Chiaverini is not likely to win a Pulitzer for her exceptional prose, this book (and her others!) are thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing. Well worth the time and effort.

RATING: 2 STARS
(I received an ARC from the PUBLISHER via NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

Jennifer Chiaverini is one writer I admire for her research ability. Sometimes I find that her facts and details overpower the story and make the character a bit wooden. I really did enjoyed Spymistress and Mrs. Lincoln's Rival. While I enjoy reading and learning about Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth is not a historical character I gravitate towards. Yet, I was exited to see Chiaverini's take on this moment of history and know more about Booth. I tried to read it at first, but couldn't get beyond the first chapter. I have enjoyed Chiaverini's novels on audio so put a hold on immediately. After who knows how many hours, days, pages, I had to give up (at 60%). It came to point I had not gotten another book in and was feeling restless and a bit resentful. It was written well, and is well researched. The story just too detailed to be fun. I am excited to read Ada Lovelace's story, the next Chiaverini's novel.

Before reading this book I was already a Jennifer Chiaverini fan, so even though I was worried about reading a book about John Wilkes Booth. With my niece being a huge Abraham Lincoln fan, I am fully aware of what happened to him and she sees him with rose colored glasses. But I was intrigued to read about how John Wilkes Booth became the man he did and what drove him to do what he did.

What makes this book completely unique is the viewpoint on this one's man life, this book is written from the viewpoints of the four women in his life. HIs mom, his sister, his fiance and a woman who helped in the plot. Each woman gets a chance to tell John Wilkes Booth's life through the years they had with him. I thought this was a genius idea to show a man who many people probably hate through somewhat of a sympathetic viewpoint because all of these women loved him and supported him.

I also liked how the book began and ended. It started with Booth's capture and death and then straight into his mother's story as to how she fell in love with his dad and their family was started. The book ends with the entire crew telling the happenings of the plot and how it all went down. I liked that the entire crew was able to tell what happened during and after he did the deed.

I will say that although it was hard to read about John Wilkes Booth, it was interesting to find out more about him. I would love to see Chiaverini do this with another person from the past that may have a bad reputation.

Nobody writes historical fiction better than Jennifer Chiaverini. This well-researched and fascinating look at John Wilkes Booth is a very entertaining read about a character who played an important part in our history. We've always heard about his horrific action of assassinating Lincoln and yet I've never known much about the man himself and his life.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Just couldn't get into this book. So much detail and background on everybody!!

No rating
Abandoned at 20%

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Jennifer Chiaverini about the infamous John Wilkes Booth. Reading about his childhood, maturity, and eventual assassination of President Lincoln was fascinating. I am a big fan of Civil War era historical fiction, and Chiaverini brings the period to life in exquisite detail.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jennifer Chiaverini for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read. I may have to find more of her work. The concept of reading about John Wilkes Booth through the eyes of some of the women in his life was fantastic.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this title, therefore I will not be leaving an online review.