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S'està carregant… American Gothic: The Story of America's Legendary Theatrical Family:… (edició 1993)de Gene Smith
Informació de l'obraAmerican Gothic: The Story of America's Legendary Theatrical Family-Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth de Gene Smith
   Cap No hi ha cap discussió a Converses sobre aquesta obra. 1   danielx | Mar 24, 2018 |  With the amount of material about the Booth family that is available for the modern researcher to draw upon, it is unfortunate that Smith seems to have chosen to write a rather slick and shallow account, focusing mainly on the sensational aspects of the subjects' lives, rather than probing more deeply into the fascinating contrasts between them. There are many better choices for readers wishing to find out more about this truly dramatic family. (  )2 emmelisa | Apr 1, 2007 | Sense ressenyes | afegeix-hi una ressenya
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A New York Times-bestselling author's "lively" account of a family of famous actors--who became notorious after the assassination of President Lincoln (The New Yorker). Junius Booth and his sons, Edwin and John Wilkes, were nineteenth-century America's most famous theatrical family. Yet the Booth name is forever etched in the history books for one terrible reason: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. In American Gothic, bestselling historian Gene Smith vividly chronicles the triumphs, scandals, and tragedies of this infamous family. The preeminent English tragedian of his day, Junius Booth was a madman and an alcoholic who abandoned his wife and young son to move to America and start a new family. His son Edwin became the most renowned Shakespearean actor in America, famously playing Hamlet for one hundred consecutive nights, but he suffered from depression and a crippling fear of inheriting his father's insanity. Blessed with extraordinary good looks and a gregarious nature, John Wilkes Booth seemed destined for spectacular fame and fortune. However, his sympathy for the Confederate cause unleashed a dangerous instability that brought permanent disgrace to his family and forever changed the course of American history. Richly detailed and emotionally insightful, American Gothic is a "ripping good tale" that brings to life the true story behind a family tragedy of Shakespearean proportions (The New York Times). No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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 Google Books — S'està carregant…GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)792.028The arts Recreational and performing arts Stage presentations, Theatre Standard subdivisions and types of stage presentation Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials, miscellany Acting and PerformanceLCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana: (3.83)
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"There was a streak of madness in the family. In some, it took the form of an uncanny gift for the stage that made the theatrical Booths the toast of Europe and America. But it had a dark side as well: alcoholism, violence, melancholia -- and in John Wilkes Booth, the capacity to turn his frightening obsessions into terrifying reality."
In the volume that contained the abridged Reader's Digest version, the dust jacket takes the melodrama to an extreme -- tantalizing the prospective reader with the possibility that JW Booth eluded his pursuers and survived into the 20th century. This is, of course, a highly dubious claim for which no real evidence exists.
The events surrounding Lincoln's assassination and John Booth's flight and capture have been told many times, and I am sure that much better sources are available. In particular, I would recommend James Swanson's thrilling Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. However, Gene Smith's American Gothic is a passable and entertaining account, one that has the benefit of portraying John Booth in the context of his famous family. (