Customer Reviews

Treason

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the second novel by David Nevin that I have read (But won't be the last). The more I read it the more I realized that politics has changed very little in the last two hundred years. I have been a student of American History for twenty five years, and still learned much from this novel. The author writes in such a way that you can almost imagine yourself being there to witness history as it is being made. And since it is a novel its not at all dry or boring to read, yet is based on historical facts with minimal "literary licence".

I really liked this novel. It was well written and It's about the conspiracy theory of Aaron Burr against Jefferson. It was a little long but well worth the reading time. A must for history buffs. It also mentions about Adams, James, and Dolley Madison, the Louisiana Purchase as well as the trial and other historical figures. I would rate it 4.5 stars.

I'm a big fan of historical fiction and was excited to read this book given the good reviews; however, I had trouble getting into it. It is written in a disjointed style that I found annoying. Focuses can shift mid paragraph and some of the action seems incongruous. For instance two characters will walk up and begin talking and then, in mid-conversation, one will lean forward in his chair with no mention of them going somewhere or sitting down. There are a number of similar instances and it made for a very distracting read.

The book does have it's strengths though. It's an interesting and well researched story and parts of it really drew me in. Writing style can be somewhat subjective and I'm sure some will really enjoy this book but I don't really recommend it and doubt I will be reading any more of his works.

This book provided a great way to learn of our early country. This book dealt with the life of Aaron Burr and political activities in the very early 1800s. This book did not indicate what the final days of Aaron Burr's life were like after he went to Europe. The book was about the right length. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in USA history.

Without preliminaries, the author delves right into political pandering using names of the country's first leaders as if the reader is aware of how the bigwigs lived and loved behind doors. He calls Daciel Clark 'the merchant prince of New Orleans.' He says that Governor Claiborne and Mr. & Mrs. Ed Livingston of New Orleans were real people, with Livingston serving as Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson.

This is the story of the alleged Burr Conspiracy against Thomas Jefferson. Aaron Burr, with his elegance and graceful manners, was a political power in New York City. Jefferson had been governor of Virginia. They were opponents and, when Burr was stripped of power by his defeat, he challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel.

Burr had conspired to steal the Louisiana Purchase. General James Wilkinson operated from New Orleans to St. Louis, Washington to New York, and had convinced Burr that they could succeed in this dasdardly act. He'd been a general in the U. S. Army at the same time he was Spanish Agent #13 for twenty years. At the last minute, Wilkinson lost his nerve and left Burr to fend for himself.

James Madison ends up the hero who is able to hold the nation together. This writer's opinion is that they united to destroy poor Burr in order to advance Madison's political career. Madison and Daniel Clark sent a letter to Wilkinson which prompted the treason.

David Nevin writes historical novels, but he is trictly a novelist, not a historian. He uses other' research for his factual information. He is a journalist who wrote a book, 1812, which was praised highly by James Michener, John Jakes, Stephen Coonts, among others. in EAGLE'S CRY, he used James Madison, Napoleon Bonaparte, Meriwether Lewis, Andrew & Rachel Jackson, and Dolley Madison. Thomas Fleming wrote about Niven's inimitable personal style.