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Title: The Curse of Cain: The Untold Story of John Wilkes Booth by Theodore J. Nottingham ISBN: 1-58006-021-8 Publisher: Sovereign Publications Pub. Date: January, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: A brilliant work of historical fiction
Comment: As far as I can see this book has but one fault, and that is that it claims to be a work of historical non-fiction. First of all, the body of John Wilkes Booth was not examined by his family at the old arsenal, it was examined in Baltimore shortly before being buried in the family plot. The story about Booth's escape to Asia is extremely far-fetched, and as a person who has spent a great deal of time reading about this man, it is highly doubtful that he would have brooded at all for killing Lincoln, although he might have brooded a bit for himself after he realized that he was now a hated man throughout the country. Finally, there is the icing on the cake, Booth's death in Enid, Oklahoma in 1903. If anyone has seen photographs of the man who claimed to be John Wilkes Booth shortly before dying, then it is very obvious that this man is not Booth. His forehead is much smaller and his features are much more rugged than Booth's. An interesting sidenote, the last known whereabouts of Boston Corbett, the man who killed Booth at Garrett's farm, was Enid, Oklahoma. My hats off to you Mr. Nottingham, for this book is much more entertaining than the other recent fiction book about John Wilkes Booth.
Rating: 3
Summary: Last half was the best half.
Comment: Theodore Nottingham is primarily a writer of religious books and fiction with a religious and/or historical bent. In The Curse of Cain, purportedly a biography of the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, he creates a work that is both a religious parable and a work that is at once history and historical fiction. His rationale for doing so is his desire to put across the torment and the motivation of a man reviled by history as the murderer of both the man Lincoln and of the ultimate well being of the post Civil War South. His reason for doing that is his family connection to the protagonist, for Nottingham is the great, great, great grandson of John Wilkes Booth.
As I said when I reviewed the biography of the Empress Josephine, I tend to like my history "neat," and this is no exception. That doesn't mean that the book is a total waste, however, for a number of reasons. For those readers who prefer the story behind history, the first half of the book should be quite captivating, for it certainly reads like a Shakespearean drama. Nottingham claims to have received some of his ancestor's propensity for drama and grim intensity, and he certainly reveals that when he throws himself into Booth's tale. The setting, character, and plot, including the implication of important figures pulling strings behind the scenes, are interesting enough to hold the attention. I read the first 142 pages in about 2 hours. To some extent the author's choice of words and phrases was a little trite, or perhaps more fairly, a little adolescent. In fact the book might well appeal to adolescent boys who find history too dull because history books are too "dry," a mere collection of names, dates, and places to be memorized for tests if one is to pass them
On a more redeeming note, from my perspective at least, is the final few pages of the volume which are mostly historical data drawn in part form family diaries, reminiscences, photos and documents and in part from public documents. The hurried summation of this data in these final pages certainly provided some justification for the more theatrical pages that preceded it. It also provided data that seemed to support the intimation in the earlier pages of collusion in high places. If nothing else it rubbed away the patina of the ages from the events of that era and revealed the solid brass of the time. Like our own world, full of subterfuge and hidden agendas, political posturing and diplomatic positioning, the post Civil War Era was filled with urgency and moment, with people who won big time and those who lost big time. It demonstrates that nothing under the sun is truly new, especially when it comes to human drama, something that both Shakespeare and Booth would have understood.
I think it's a pity that so little space was given to the documentation and the conclusions to be drawn from it. When I ordered the book, it was that that I expected from it. Given his access to family material, Nottingham could have made it a far more major and serious work of history.
Rating: 5
Summary: A new insight into a fascinating man's mind
Comment: My congratulations go to Theodore J. Nottingham on accomplishing what few authors achieve -- captiviating and engaging my mind to such an extent I was unable to stop reading his book. "The Curse of Cain" gives readers a dramatic yet factual look at what occured in the mind of John Wilkes Booth in the days, weeks, and years following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. As this man makes his way through life, his thoughts run wild with moral issues. Booth's third-great grandson does a wonderful job telling the story, with both a dramatic and factual approach. A must-read for any history fan.
Michael J. Downey
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Title: Right or Wrong, God Judge Me: The Writings of John Wilkes Booth by John Rhodehamel, Louise Taper ISBN: 0252069676 Publisher: Univ of Illinois Pr (Trd) Pub. Date: March, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Lincoln and Booth: More Light on the Conspiracy by H. Donald Winkler ISBN: 1581823428 Publisher: Cumberland House Pub. Date: 27 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2004 by Leonard Maltin ISBN: 0451209400 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: 05 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $8.99 |
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