Book: Booth

 Book: Booth

Author: Karen Joy Fowler

Pages: 496

This is my 124th read for the year

This is a historical fiction book about the Booth family in the early to mid 1800s.  The family of John Wilkes Booth - told in a partially fictionalized version of his family from before John was born through when he shoots Lincoln and a bit beyond.  The Booths were a theatrical family (at least the men) where the dad was a famous Shakesperean actor.  John and his brothers also became famous Shakespeare actors.  As the Booth children grow, change, (and some die), the authro weaves a story of how the ultimate tragedy changed their lives forever.

This was a great book.  It is well written and extremely thorough.  You can tell the author did her research (which she expressed more in the author's note at the end) to try and find out what she could about John's family.  I loved learning about all of his brothers and sisters and his parents.  The story is a long one - that is for sure.  I will say I think she could have shortened it about 150 pages and taken out some of the sections of fiction that didn't really lead anywhere.  But overall - I am so happy I read this one and encourage you to check it out.  You get drawn into the story of this family - one I knew nothing about except for John.  And the author is talented.

Stars: 4.5