Customer Reviews

Burr

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Burr was my first introduction to Gore Vidal's panoramic vision of American history, and I have to admit that the first time I picked up the book I drifted off and put it down, disappointed by the early focus on elderly Aaron Burr's marriage to a wealthy widow. I wanted an inside account (albeit fictionalized) of the revolutionary years, intimate portraits of men like Jefferson, Washington, Arnold and Hamilton, as well as accounts of the famous duel and Burr's subsuquent political travails and treason trial.

Alas, I should have given the book a little more time. When it picks up and the mythical autobiographical journal of Burr begins, this novel becomes entertainment of the highest order. Burr, through Vidal, writes a wickedly amusing first-hand account of many of the seminal points in our nation's young history, from the winter at Valley Forge to Benedict Arnold's early success as a general. In telling his story, Burr never passes up an opportunity to point out George Washington's ineptitude as a field general or his plumpness, Jefferson's lack of military duty and his resemblance to the mulatto children living at Monticello, Ethan Allen's lack of popularity with his superiors, etc. Nobody is spared, nothing is sacred in a Gore Vidal novel.

As for the historical accuracy, Vidal points out in an afterword that with a couple of very minor anachronisms (which he details), every character in the book acts as he or she did in real life - their speech and writings are borrowed from actual correspondence, and the historical events depicted are painstakingly researched (Vidal took 10 years to write the book). Even narrator Charlie Schuyler's girlfriend, the prostitute Helen Jewitt, is based upon a real life character. So while some graduate students might object to a phrase or two, and perhaps some Jeffersonians will object to the two-faced opportunist Jefferson portrayed here, for most of us with a casual interest in history the book educates as it entertains.

For years I've enjoyed Gore Vidal's essays. Nobody alive shows more mastery over this most vital of literary forms. Although I have read an occasional Vidal novel I've tended to give his fiction short shrift. After reading Burr, it's clear I have some catching up to do. I read Lincoln independently, but now that I've devoured Burr with mounting excitement, I've decided to read his entire historical cycle in sequence.

I don't quite see how Vidal is going to top Burr, for in his choice of protagonist he found a worthy successor to Milton's Satan in Paradise Lost. Before reading this novel, I only knew that Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, and that he served as Jefferson's Vice President. But set firmly in his time, and seen through the eyes of Charley Schuyler, Burr acquires a wonderful depth. By the time this novel was drawing to a close, I was reading it as slowly as I dared, reluctant to give up its pleasures. In my lust for fiction, I must say this doesn't happen very often.

I ignored Gore Vidal for most of my life. He was always way too media for my tastes. Especially after that encounter with Mailer on the Cavett show those many years ago. I had a friend who was in the movie version of Myra Breckenridge, so I saw that film in a Manhatten cinema and wished I hadn't. It just confirmed my prejudices towards Vidal. What I discovered after reading this book was that I'd been doing myself a disservice. Gore Vidal is the wittiest, and thankfully not the most lugubriously erudite, historian we have. Burr and Schuyler come across as three-dimensional characters, much more so than Washington or Jefferson ever have. Yes, this is biased, not to mention jaundiced, history. We must remind ourselves that it is an historical novel, not purporting to keep strictly to the facts. Washington comes across as a militarily incompetent, but poticially shrewd egomaniac. Jefferson is not treated too reverentially either. Burr, whom we know from American History classes only because he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, comes across as a witty and urbane statesman who perhaps didn't display the greatest amount of common sense in that murky New Orleans business. This novel opened my eyes about Vidal and I promptly went on a Vidal tear, reading five of his other books. I'd stick to the American History novels (particularly Lincoln), however. I found Julian to be a lot more contrived than his other works (and I love Byzantine/medieval history). If you want a good picture of Byzantium, stick to Procopius.

I read "Burr" first out of Gore Vidal's historical novels, and was very glad I did. Having been a fan of Vidal ever since reading his "United States: Collected Essays, 1952-1992," I eagerly awaited an acidic, satirical take on the glorious creation myths of the USA. I got what I expected, but a great deal more. The friendship between Hamilton and Burr (and Burr and the Alcibiadean James Wilkinson) generates a great deal of pathos, and makes the famous duel (memorably commented on by Burr as a pastime popular culture thinks entered the United States due to his killing Hamilton) a great deal more tragic than even calcified American history textbooks imply (albeit for different reasons). The writing frequently grabs attention, especially the expedition to Quebec in 1775. The general impression is of these two geniuses, for whom the highest ideal is service to a brand new country, being manipulated and betrayed by their de facto political "masters," Washington and Jefferson. The asides in 1830s New York are equally fascinating, as Charlie Schuyler (to reappear in LINCOLN and 1876) maneuvers the minefield of Jacksonian politics to discover the real story, already beginning to accumulate the dust of idolatry. This is easily one of the best historical novels ever written.

When Gore Vidal is writing strictly in the arena of historical fantasy (as in Creation or Julian) he's a man of letters who has few equals. My problem with Vidal comes when he flirts with his "true historical revelation" gimmick in books like Lincoln, like 1876, and like this one, Burr. Vidal has a master's gift of recreating a previous era down to the most amazing detail, and he's undeniably savvy in his prose, gloriously apt in his characterizations and tells a darn good story in the meantime, but I have caught him out a time or two through the years when it comes to inserting his speculative opinion as fact, and also with tampering with fact itself to create a story that better suits his aims in telling it. I don't totally fault him for so doing since every fiction writer who has ever drawn breath has tinkered with reality but when Vidal basks in the limelight his "this is how it REALLY was" tales create for him in the academic and literary worlds, he should let it be know that he is not penning complete non-fiction. I have reached the point with Vidal where I lean toward suspicion when he releases a book. I know I can count on him to tell a decent story and bring a past setting admirably to life, but I do keep in mind things may not have always been the way he says they were. I also remember that more than anything else, Vidal despises the American establishment, past and present, and never misses a chance to say something unflattering about it.

In Burr, the political strategist best remembered as the killer of the man on the ten-dollar bill is given Vidal's star treatment. We meet Burr the ambitious radical, Burr the would-be political conqueror, and Burr the charming free thinker whose love of nature, knowledge and self make him seem at once delightfully wicked and amiably down to earth. Aaron Burr was very nearly the third President of the United States, a fact often forgotten. His tie with Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1800 threatened to divide the nation and was not completely settled by Burr's elevation/demotion to the Vice-Presidency. Burr's story after this disputed election slides rapidly into chaos as he embroils himself in land-grab schemes, political feuds and eventually an infamous duel which results in him becoming the most hated man in the United States.

In this novel, Gore Vidal plays havoc with what the public knows or thinks it knows about some of the most famous early Americans. Thomas Jefferson, as cast in this novel, is an out and out deceitful bad guy who lies without hesitation and advances his own agenda at the cost of anyone and anything. Andrew Jackson, one of the few political giants of the period who did not completely turn his back on Burr, is a bumbling country bumpkin. And most of all, Alexander Hamilton, maybe in sheer force of intellect alone the most ingenious of all early Americans, is a cold political opportunist whose unforgivable offense to Burr's honor in Vidal's version of the events, is to slander Burr's deceased daughter with whisperings of incestuous conduct with her father.

Burr is a good novel and I would recommend it if asked. I would also point out some of the things I wrote in this review and caution anyone to give anything that seems fishy in Vidal's version a wide berth. Vidal is a fiction writer who too often gets praise more fitting for a non-fiction author.

I just re-read this book, which I read about 20 years ago, and I must say that it passed the test - there were wonderful and hilarious things in it that I didn't remember and it held my interest the whole time. You get a near-totally jaundiced view of our American mythology and sense of uniqueness, all from the point of view of our so-called greatest scoundrel since Benedict Arnold. This perspective is so funny and enlightening that just that alone is enough to recommend the book. (Vidal describes George Washington as having the "hips and bosom" of a woman, portraying his poor soldiering and yet brilliant engineering of his public image; Jefferson is a shifty though shrewd hypocrit and manipulator of genius; and Hamilton is a monarchist and proto-Napoleon.)

But this novel is even better than that kind of satire: I studied its structure and characters in far greater detail this time around, and came to believe that the historical details obscure a truly masterful performance by a modern writer. The narrative moves on two levels, including the present when a young writer begins to take down Burr's memoires and of course the past career of the charming and much vilified man. In many ways, the characters are more multi-dimentional than in many of his other novels. And this novel is also the start of a kind of longitudinal Balzacian literary experiment in which the reader sees characters and their descendants re-appear to make their mark over 150 years. After all these years of being a fan, I realise that I have perhaps under-estimated Vidal as a writer! I am now prepared to go back to the others in the series for a second read. It is so rare to meet a contemporary American novelist whose work ages so well.

Warmly recommended.

First of all, I'm going to say that if you didn't like *Burr*, you doubtless have a POLITICAL difference with Mr. Vidal, which is fine, but criticizing the prose as confusing or bad is, I'm sorry, incorrect. In fact, this novel is a scintillating read -- the style is caustic, very funny, and indisputably intelligent. Get a sense of humor. But of course bashing liberals has recently passed up the moribund game of baseball as the nation's favorite pastime . . . especially liberals like Vidal who are -- generally speaking, natch -- smarter than their critiquers. Essentially what I'm saying is -- a guy who used to make short work of William F. Buckley and the ridiculous Norman Mailer on a routine basis on national TV probably knows more than you do.

*Burr* is a brilliant historical recreation, in some ways even better than Vidal's masterpiece *Lincoln*. The author set himself to a daunting task -- tackling two distinct historical periods in our early history. He invents a young journalist, Charlie Schuyler, who works in the aged Burr's office in the 1830's, as well as creating a journal for the infamous Veep, containing notes on the Revolution and the founding of our political life. The book is roughly divided in half between these two voices. The miracle is that Vidal makes each narrator distinct -- as distinct as the two time periods presented. Burr's voice is suave and cutting; Charlie's is mocking and, at times, painfully honest. As a writer, I admire what Vidal pulled off here.

I'm not sure which partisan-skewed texts the bashers of this book are reading to lead them to state that Vidal got his history wrong, but -- sorry -- he didn't. Folks, he got it all pretty much correct. Vidal even uses his famous characters' actual speeches whenever feasible within his narrative -- I should know, I STUDIED these guys while earning my masters in American History. When Vidal pulled out an actual quote attributed to Jefferson or Hamilton, it brought me a flash of recognition. I suppose when a guy like Vidal commences deconstructing our plaster saints, people are bound to get upset. I mean, here's fair warning: if the notion that our "Framers" being dang-near perfect patriots and above reproach is somehow desperately important to you, then you will despise this book.

But if you want to educate yourself in the funniest, least painful way about our early history and the men who made it, read *Burr*. It is a masterpiece of historical invention, and it's SMART.

I can't say enough good things about this Gore Vidal novel. It's certainly the best fiction book I've read in some time. It's so good that there were numerous times while reading the book that I forgot that it was fiction! This is a historical fiction novel, so the characters in the story actually existed. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton all make appearances. I've never read any of Gore Vidal's writings before picking up this book, mainly due to some preconceived notions...

The book's main character is Charlie Schuyler, a law clerk and budding journalist in the employ of the aging Aaron Burr, who is still living down his famous duel with Alexander Hamilton. The story is set in the 1830's, well after the American Revolution and towards the end of Burr's life. Schuyler has some powerful friends that want him to get Aaron Burr to admit that he is the father of Martin Van Buren, who is running for president. They hope to discredit Van Buren by linking him to the hated Burr, as well as painting Van Buren as a bastard. The whole book is Burr's recollections to Charlie about his life in the American Revolution, as vice-president to Thomas Jefferson, and his supposed attempt to split the United States and make himself emperor of Mexico. These recollections are interspersed with Charlie's relationship with Burr and with Helen Jewett, a prostitute that Charlie wants to marry.

The brilliance of this book is definitely it's grand writing style. Vidal writes with passion and humor, and he paints our founding fathers in acidic language. Washington is revealed to be an ineffectual general and a somber figure that does whatever it takes to put his own interests and goals over everyone else. Jefferson comes off as a humorless schemer who wouldn't mind suspending the Constitution if it would suit his political interests. These descriptions would probably be insulting to many people if they didn't come across as being so realistic. Remember, these people were politicians, and had as much of a vested interest in power as do politicians of our own time. The end of the book is nothing short of phenomenal, and I actually shouted out loud as I read the last page. I still can't believe how it ended. I never saw it coming! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I hardly ever read a book twice. Vidal's Burr is a book I have read and reread perhaps six full times since about 1980. This is a historical tale , compellingly told. Vidal's writing is wicked, ironic, sarcastic, and always brilliant. For me, he really brought this much maligned figure to life. I felt he "got inside the skin" of his principal character (actually characters since there is Aaron Burr and also a younger narrator Charlie Schyler). Burr deserves to be remembered, if only as a case study of how "the public" and political process in this country can label and unfairly demonize someone. Burr happened to win the duel with Hamilton and was persecuted and demonized from that day forward. I also think it important for readers to remember that Jefferson viciously persecuted Burr and attempted to get him executed for treason in the early 1800s. Jefferson definitely did not "play fair" in attempting to manipulate the trial from behind the scenes, withholding key evidence, etcetera. As a lawyer, I found Jefferson's underhandedness to be despicable and perhaps illegal. Jefferson comes off as a duplicitous, canting, hypocrite in the book as a result of this episode and I think rightfully so, for all of Jefferson's greatness. Vidal's book prompted me to further readings in this time period, including a reading of the original transcript of the treason trial which I read in a law library archive while a law student almost fifteen years ago! Excellent book. I can't recommend it enough

Burr is an excellent story chronicle of the birth of our country from an alternative perspective. Most literature covering this era favors the characters of Jefferson, Washington, Adams etc...but Gore Vidal paints the picture with attention to the flaws of our 'Founding Fathers.'

Not only does Vidal enlighten the reader by presenting mostly factual information pertaining to the early part of the nineteenth century, but he also allows the reader to identify with the characters by highlighting personality traits that are still recognizable today.

Even though it was centuries ago, I feel like Vidal, on a certain level, brought Aaron Burr into the present.

I am a person who finds straightforward factual history boring and laborious, but I was truly entertained and enlightened by this novel. The secret to Vidal's success is his ability to weave together education and emotion, making all of his writings revealing, shocking, and entertaining.

(If you love drama, I recommend this book for you. The ending will shock you. Also, if you enjoyed Vidal's Lincoln, you'll enjoy Burr even more, for it is an easier read.)