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Abe: A Novel of the Young Lincoln
A brilliant work of historical imagination, Abe immerses the reader in the isolating poverty and difficult circumstances that shaped Abraham Lincoln's character. Marked by his mother's horrible death and the struggle to keep reading and learning in the face of his father's fierce disapproval, Richard Slotkin's Lincoln comes of age during a dramatic flatboat journey down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans. Along the way, Lincoln and his companions see slavery firsthand and experience the violence -- and the pleasures -- of frontier settlements and the cities of Natchez and New Orleans. Transformed by what he has seen and done, Lincoln returns to make his final break with his father and to step out of the wilderness into New Salem -- and history.
478 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Richard Slotkin
16 books53 followersRichard Slotkin is a cultural critic, historian, and novelist. He is the Olin Professor of English and American Studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, and in 2010 was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Professor Slotkin graduated from Brooklyn College, received his Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University and started teaching at Wesleyan University in 1966. During his time at Wesleyan he helped to establish both the American studies and the film studies programs. Slotkin has won several awards in recognition of his contributions to the field of American studies. He currently lives in Connecticut, where he continues to write and consult on projects dealing with violence, popular culture and Western America.
Professor Slotkin graduated from Brooklyn College, received his Ph.D. in American Civilization from Brown University and started teaching at Wesleyan University in 1966. During his time at Wesleyan he helped to establish both the American studies and the film studies programs. Slotkin has won several awards in recognition of his contributions to the field of American studies. He currently lives in Connecticut, where he continues to write and consult on projects dealing with violence, popular culture and Western America.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 20, 2023
“Abe” is a tender portrait of a young man in a young nation, their fates crisscrossing past each other. The book is fixed on the time before they reach their omega point at Lincoln’s ascension to the presidency. A time of potential, becoming but also danger. Danger of self-destruction and sliding back to nothing. Youth itself isn't a guarantee for a fuller future in a time to come. We see a young man who can speak to the earth and is torn between embracing and declaring war on it.
More than most, Slotkin understands the real-life process writers call “bildungsroman” It is not a gaining, but a process of chiseling away. Finding the hidden form in a block of marble. Young Abe is a tattered collection of prejudices and opinions inherited from those nearest him. By the end experience and time have whittled him down to a powerful essence.
Having read and loved Slotkin's Regeneration Through Violence trilogy, I thought I knew his strengths as a writer, but this novel reveals a serious talent for nature writing in the vein of Thoreau and Stegner. Take Abe’s interaction with the frontier forest:
So that's to say this is a pretty special book. For the first third of the book it really did feel like it could be one of the great frontier novels. The Lincoln family clearing the land, Abe learning to read, the tragic death of his mother- these moments are beautifully rendered. The details and soft and exact. They reach out to you and guide you back to a different time that feels both new and known. Then the scene shifts.
And that’s not to say anything goes wrong. There is an extended riverboat cruise not unlike Huck Finn that takes up almost the rest of the book, but it never really reaches those heights from before. It’s sturdy prose and storytelling, but it’s just that. It all slides together as Abe floats down the Mississippi , while the plot and themes behind the next bend can be traced pretty far in advance.
The novel rounds out in New Salem, Lincoln back on land and a young man as he experiences debate, love, and politics in earnest for the first time. Once again the novel returns to its lofty heights of beauty and power. But sadly it is so short it almost feels like an extended coda to the Mississippi adventure.
It’s a tricky read because it’s a well-grounded novel, but it’s the kind of solid book that contains the odds and ends of a masterpiece. It leaves you knowing it’s better than most books, but could be much better than itself.
More than most, Slotkin understands the real-life process writers call “bildungsroman” It is not a gaining, but a process of chiseling away. Finding the hidden form in a block of marble. Young Abe is a tattered collection of prejudices and opinions inherited from those nearest him. By the end experience and time have whittled him down to a powerful essence.
Having read and loved Slotkin's Regeneration Through Violence trilogy, I thought I knew his strengths as a writer, but this novel reveals a serious talent for nature writing in the vein of Thoreau and Stegner. Take Abe’s interaction with the frontier forest:
“a wind with nothing to blow through but trees, trees for thousands of miles in every direction, a dense intricate network of trunks limbs branches and tiny naked little twigs and stems all laced and interlaced, more than you could think to count, more even than there were stars and the cold wind breathing through them, whispering, whining a little, hissing, the whole forest hissing all over out in every direction as far and farther than you could think.”
So that's to say this is a pretty special book. For the first third of the book it really did feel like it could be one of the great frontier novels. The Lincoln family clearing the land, Abe learning to read, the tragic death of his mother- these moments are beautifully rendered. The details and soft and exact. They reach out to you and guide you back to a different time that feels both new and known. Then the scene shifts.
And that’s not to say anything goes wrong. There is an extended riverboat cruise not unlike Huck Finn that takes up almost the rest of the book, but it never really reaches those heights from before. It’s sturdy prose and storytelling, but it’s just that. It all slides together as Abe floats down the Mississippi , while the plot and themes behind the next bend can be traced pretty far in advance.
The novel rounds out in New Salem, Lincoln back on land and a young man as he experiences debate, love, and politics in earnest for the first time. Once again the novel returns to its lofty heights of beauty and power. But sadly it is so short it almost feels like an extended coda to the Mississippi adventure.
It’s a tricky read because it’s a well-grounded novel, but it’s the kind of solid book that contains the odds and ends of a masterpiece. It leaves you knowing it’s better than most books, but could be much better than itself.
February 12, 2009
I loved this book... But then, I love Abe. I actually read this as a galley book, one of those books they send to bookstores before the book is published so that people can read it and send back comments for the jacket cover when the book comes out officially. It painted a very accurate picture of the places Abe lived (many of which I have been to), and the events that eventually led him to become our 16th president. Comparable to Gore Vidal's Lincoln, but perhaps more accessible to the average reader.
December 10, 2007
I don't know why I read this. Of course a plain old biography would be better, but as in any undertaking like this, I suppose the writer is trying to imagine what goes in the gaps. It wasn't bad. A must, of course, for Abe Lincoln fans.
June 2, 2009
Slotkin's novel covers the life of Lincoln from his earliest years into young manhood and really puts flesh and blood on a character from the past who's often portrayed as a martyr in training. I really find this book exceptional, highly recommended along with Slotkin's "The Crater".
December 24, 2020
I love Richard Slotkin. That said, I loved the novel. You DO have to remember it's a novel because he draws you in so craftily that you start to think it's reality - like your reality of the day, you are so sucked in.
He brings out Lincoln's many stories and attributes in woven threads that make up the whole fabric of how he wants to portray the man, each one could be a story of it's own, and is, but doesn't stand on it's own as it leads to what happens next, so threads indeed making a tapestry.
If you didn't love Lincoln before this novel you will when you are done and if you didn't appreciate Slotkin before the novel, you will after - always pragmatic and romantic, pedantic and detailed.
Do yourself a favor and read the book, it's wonderful.
He brings out Lincoln's many stories and attributes in woven threads that make up the whole fabric of how he wants to portray the man, each one could be a story of it's own, and is, but doesn't stand on it's own as it leads to what happens next, so threads indeed making a tapestry.
If you didn't love Lincoln before this novel you will when you are done and if you didn't appreciate Slotkin before the novel, you will after - always pragmatic and romantic, pedantic and detailed.
Do yourself a favor and read the book, it's wonderful.
December 23, 2017
dramatic clash of cultures lincolns youth comes alive in this journey of a childhood of many moves . a tug of war that hones lincolns values based in his mothers devouted christian faith. hard working opportunistic abe plys his trade on his way to destined greatness
May 9, 2018
I had no idea this was historical fiction when I started it, thus, through no fault of its own, it sucks.
October 23, 2023
Great book but pretty slow, did not have me turning pages.
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June 4, 2010I think I need to stop reading historical fiction. Or maybe I need to be more aware before I start reading it. It just bugs me to read a book like this and then read something lame like "It draws deeply on historical scholarship, but it is not a biography. Rather, it is an imaginative re-creation of life as a young Abe Lincoln might have lived it, ..." Grrr ...
That said, although this started a bit slow, once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down. The reason I didn't want to put it down is because I wanted to know what happened in the story; not necessarily the writing. in fact, I wasn't that fond of the writing. The author sort of went in and out of an odd stream-of-consciousness type of writing. I think it was supposed to mimic what was going on in Abe's head, but it was odd and not constant, so every time it came up, I had to re-read it.
I loved the way the author describes Abe figuring out and solving things in his mind. When he got "arrested" for ferrying someone on the river and went before a judge, he asks the judge to read exactly what it says. He puzzles over it. Puzzles some more ... mulls it over, and suddenly finds the loophole: he didn't ferry anyone all the way across the water. Just from the middle of the water to one shore and back! It's brilliant, and even though this is made up, I choose to believe that the incidents of his mental prowess actually happened or are good examples of things that actually happened.
I also love how much he loves books. This must be based on fact :)
It's a very interesting depiction of a time in U.S. history that does give insights, but again; I find myself wondering how much of it is real. I did like it, but don't think I'll recommend it to anyone. I think the flatboat trip from start to finish was probably the best-written part of the whole thing. I also liked the way the author handled the last two big events in the book. Very well done, real or not.
That said, although this started a bit slow, once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down. The reason I didn't want to put it down is because I wanted to know what happened in the story; not necessarily the writing. in fact, I wasn't that fond of the writing. The author sort of went in and out of an odd stream-of-consciousness type of writing. I think it was supposed to mimic what was going on in Abe's head, but it was odd and not constant, so every time it came up, I had to re-read it.
I loved the way the author describes Abe figuring out and solving things in his mind. When he got "arrested" for ferrying someone on the river and went before a judge, he asks the judge to read exactly what it says. He puzzles over it. Puzzles some more ... mulls it over, and suddenly finds the loophole: he didn't ferry anyone all the way across the water. Just from the middle of the water to one shore and back! It's brilliant, and even though this is made up, I choose to believe that the incidents of his mental prowess actually happened or are good examples of things that actually happened.
I also love how much he loves books. This must be based on fact :)
It's a very interesting depiction of a time in U.S. history that does give insights, but again; I find myself wondering how much of it is real. I did like it, but don't think I'll recommend it to anyone. I think the flatboat trip from start to finish was probably the best-written part of the whole thing. I also liked the way the author handled the last two big events in the book. Very well done, real or not.
June 4, 2008
I found it very difficult to rate this book, the reason being that, from a fiction standpoint, it wasn't particularly successful in that the narrator (Abe) never managed to transcend being a literary construct to serve the story, and/or Slotkin never allowed Abe to take on a life of his own within the story, free of a sense of constantly being puppeteered by the author's hand.
The problem is, this may have been a deliberate choice by the author. He took liberties, very strong liberties, by imagining the kind of psychic evolution that led Abraham Lincoln from an illiterate boyhood founded on the racial and economic attitudes of the time, to the President of the United States and author of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862- a highly ambitious and presumptuous act as a writer. Unfortunately, rather than going for the all-out Hail Mary of absolute (though historically grounded) imaginative creation this book could have been, one can feel the medium-length rein with which Slotkin keeps Abe tethered. The result is that the book never stops feeling like an imposed stringing-together of very carefully researched historical events.
This is not to say I didn't enjoy and admire the book. But the admiration took precedence over the enjoyment, which is a sign that the writing's didactic shadow was constantly reminding me that I was not alone with the story, but being constantly watched over by Richard Slotkin-- as if I could not earn the illumination of Abe's intellectual development on my own.
There were a few moments when this kind of authorial control seemed to relax-- the bear hunt scene is a good example. Too bad the whole book wasn't written with this kind of unapologetic fearlessness.
The problem is, this may have been a deliberate choice by the author. He took liberties, very strong liberties, by imagining the kind of psychic evolution that led Abraham Lincoln from an illiterate boyhood founded on the racial and economic attitudes of the time, to the President of the United States and author of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862- a highly ambitious and presumptuous act as a writer. Unfortunately, rather than going for the all-out Hail Mary of absolute (though historically grounded) imaginative creation this book could have been, one can feel the medium-length rein with which Slotkin keeps Abe tethered. The result is that the book never stops feeling like an imposed stringing-together of very carefully researched historical events.
This is not to say I didn't enjoy and admire the book. But the admiration took precedence over the enjoyment, which is a sign that the writing's didactic shadow was constantly reminding me that I was not alone with the story, but being constantly watched over by Richard Slotkin-- as if I could not earn the illumination of Abe's intellectual development on my own.
There were a few moments when this kind of authorial control seemed to relax-- the bear hunt scene is a good example. Too bad the whole book wasn't written with this kind of unapologetic fearlessness.
July 1, 2014
Technically, I got through more than half of this book and put it down and read two other books and decided to move on with my life. The thing is that I know the outcome (surprise); he becomes president (and a great one too which is why I picked this up). The first part of this book was semi-interesting; the family has next to nothing and no education. He gets some book larnin' and he has issues with his dad. Fairly typical beginning for someone in that era. Then he comes across a new for that time version of Viagra (ginseng) and takes off with some men down the river to sell it and runs into John Wilks Booth's family (actors). Sure, it could have happened and probably did. Was it interesting and well-written? Probably if you're a history buff (which I am but not enough to keep reading.)
January 27, 2008
As an American Studies student, I was most familiar with Slotkin's well-known work on violence and American culture. Who knew he could write fiction -- and write like a dream? Don't be deterred by the opening chapter -- an experiment in point-of-view that doesn't quite work, in my opinion. What follows is one of the best bildungsromans I've ever read. I also happens to be the best historical novel I've ever read; still, while the evocation of Lincoln and Jacksonian America will delight those interested in such things (myself included), I don't think they're central to the delights of the novel, which rest in compelling characters placed in a beautifully-told story.
August 11, 2009
A novel based on Lincoln's young life, until 1832, focusing on a raft trip he took down the Mississippi River in 1829-30. I have no idea how historically accurate it was--I certainly know of few of the actual events described, & they didn't ring true, but Slotkin is a respected scholar of the 19th-century frontier experience. But his main purpose was to shed some light on the cultural experiences that might have set the tone for Lincoln's later racial views. This was a Lincoln I didn't know--a rough & violent character--and I enjoyed getting to know him. Slotkin told a good story, even if he seemed a little too keenly aware of parallels with Huck Finn.
November 3, 2012
Being an ABE fan I thought this sounded like an intersting book, however when I really started reading it I got so lost in how it was written, and the muddled way the writer chose to form Abes thoughts that it became very difficult for me to finish it. The idea that things Abe was exposed to, formed his strong belief structure was great, but wanderings in the story and a lack of real events (painted in true colors) was a downer to me. There is much we know about him, and sticking to more historic things might have worked better for this book. In the end, a coming of age, with a twist... It's interesting.. but I wouldn't recommend it for a book club reading.
September 2, 2012
I enjoyed this recounting of a young Abraham Lincoln. The book is fiction, but infused with actual people and events from Lincoln's life. The author does a good job of illustrating the struggles of a young nation. Abe Lincoln came from the humblest of beginnings, his loving and supportive mother died young, leaving him with a father that was both physically and emotionally abusive . A caring stepmother filled a void and believed in him . He was mostly self taught and hungered for knowledge in all forms. He practiced relentlessly to become a great orator . The rest they say-"Is History" . Would recommend to readers who have interest in this subject.
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March 27, 2009 This book uses the bare facts concerning Abe Lincoln's early life as a jumping-off point for a novel. I found some of the scenarios too outlandish- the author seemed to let his imagination run wild. I guess that is the purpose of the book. It was good in the sense that it let the reader speculate about the inner workings of a young Abe's mind. I liked the last couple of chapters the best. This would probably only be a good book for someone who is a Lincolnophile like myself.
October 24, 2009
This book was well researched and highly readable; however, the treatment of race and power in 19th century America was pretty ridiculous, as was the continued glorification of Mister Lincoln. Now, I love me some Honest Abe but he was human and having him interact with a host of characters along the Mississippi (see Mister Wilkes and Mister Davis) to create the AHA situation where he realized that the selling of humans was not his liking was laughable at best.
August 20, 2015
This is one of the most richly imagined historical fictions I've ever read, which the author achieves in part due to his mastery of the complex and diverse voices that appear here. The other part, of course, is that Slotkin is an esteemed historian, and his day job bleeds through in the settings of plot episodes in historical events as well as in the clever way that the plot illustrates the historical figure of the title character. This is both an important book and a dazzling one.
January 14, 2024
I learned something about Lincoln from this novel, and hope that I retain the factual info and not the impressions that were created by Slotkin. I'm beginning to think that I prefer historical fiction when the focus is on a period of time or a significant event. I don't feel comfortable when an author imposes thoughts, feelings, and experiences on someone who cannot respond to what's been written.
February 1, 2015
This is a wonderfully vivid and insightful imagining of Lincoln's first twenty years. It brings his family and him very much to life. It's the sort of book that you really miss when you've finished it.
August 24, 2014
I didn't know Lincoln was so rowdy in his growing up years. I did enjoy the book, once I got over the fact that there weren't a lot of commas where I would put them. Slotkin did a good job writing so I could picture what was going on.
January 25, 2016
An interesting book that combines facts of the period and known character traits and events in Lincoln's life. It is a work of fiction but gives the reader some possible insights into what made Lincoln the man he became.
October 25, 2016
An interesting fictional account of Abraham Lincoln's life from birth to his nomination to the Illinois legislature. The Kentucky vernacular was sometimes difficult to read. His trip by riverboat to New Orleans showed many of the influences that shaped his later life.
November 12, 2012
A strange, yet interesting look at what Lincoln's childhood might have been like. Largely fabricated, but it keeps much of the "feel" of Lincoln.
September 6, 2013
I liked the book but I don't think most casual readers would enjoy it. Having an affinity for his history helps you ignore the tough parts. The author's "creative" parts are a little irritating.
July 22, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. I am a big Lincoln fan!
August 2, 2013
Pretty good book. I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews