BOOTH

by Karen Joy Fowler

MINI REVIEW

Fowler’s previous book We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves was one of the best books I have ever read.  When I saw that she’d written a new book, I couldn’t wait to read it.  Very different from her previous book, Booth is equally stunning.  Fowler takes the small amount known about John Wilkes Booth’s family and creates a fascinating book of historical fiction. Written from the perspective of Rosalie, the oldest sister of ten children in the Booth family, Fowler creates a compelling portrait of a family full of love and idiosyncrasies.  The author crafts her story masterfully, with a controlled pace, even though we know how the story will end. When John Wilkes Booth does murder President Abraham Lincoln, the reader is devastated, not only for the country’s loss, but for all the members of Booth’s family who have become so very real to us.  Besides her powerful story of human drama within the Booth family, Fowler draws an equally evocative portrait of the painful realities of a country heading towards civil war.  Booth is absolutely a must-read book. (Liz)