Collection
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:For readers who can�??t get enough of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton,Gore Vidal�??s stunning novel about Aaron Burr, the man who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel�??and who served as a successful, if often feared, statesman of our fledgling nation. Here is an extraordinary portrait of one of the most complicated�??and misunderstood�??figures among the Founding Fathers. In 1804, while serving as vice president, Aaron Burr fought a duel with his political nemesis, Alexander Hamilton, and killed him. In 1807, he was arrested, tried, and acquitted of treason. In 1833, Burr is newly married, an aging statesman considered a monster by many. But he is determined to tell his own story, and he chooses to confide in a young New York City journalist named Charles Schermerhorn Schuyler. Together, they explore both Burr's past�??and the continuing civic drama of their young nation. Burr… (more)
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Fiction — 1974)
Notable Books List (1973)
Media reviews
Burr is about the Founding Father who has been airbrushed out of history. Aaron Burr very nearly became America's third president in 1800, when he narrowly lost to Thomas Jefferson. He ended up as Jefferson's Vice-President and, four years later, while still in office, he killed Alexander Hamilton
Show More
in a duel, which killed his own political career.
History has painted Burr as a chancer and a rogue. Vidal takes Burr's side to show that he was much better than that: a chancer, for sure, but self-aware enough to know that's what he was, which makes him intensely likable. In this novel, the usual pantheon of American heroes – Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton – come across as various stripes of pompous hypocrite. Burr is the one you want to win. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member dougwood57
Gore Vidal writes historical fiction with a sharp eye toward historical accuracy, but with the freedom granted by the genre to present history with a viewpoint. Aaron Burr provides an ample tableau for the talents of Vidal at the top of his game. Burr lived through the Revolution, serving briefly
Burr seems to have always turned up in the middle of some controversy. He was nearly elected President instead of Jefferson due to a quirk in the electoral system of the day. He killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel while still VP and fled south and west to avoid prosecution in New Jersey. Jefferson soon charged him with treason for an alleged plot to separate the western states from the US. Burr was acquitted in a trial presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall. The reader meets lesser known characters such as James Wilkinson and Harman Blennerhassett among many others.
The story is told through the device of Burr writing his memoirs over a period of several years commencing in 1833 with the aid of Charles Schuyler, the book's only fictional character. This device allows Vidal to move back and forth between the Republic's early days and the end of the Jackson presidency. In the latter period the reader meets Matty Van Buren, the famed New York editor William Leggett, the corrupt collector of the NY ports Sam Swartout, and revisits Andrew Jackson.
Vidal presents the tale from his subject's viewpoint, one which is naturally quite favorable to Burr and somewhat at odds with the standard view in regard especially to the `Burr Conspiracy'. Thomas Jefferson particularly comes out poorly in this telling as does Washington. `Burr' was one of six works in what became Vidal's American Chronicles Series (Lincoln, 1876, Empire, Hollywood, and Washington, DC). I can also recommend Lincoln: A Novel and 1876 (Modern Library) to the reader (I've not yet read the others). Gore Vidal's `Burr' is a riveting ride through the early days of the Republic. Highest recommendation.
Show More
on Washington's staff and later with Benedict Arnold at Quebec. He soon became seriously involved in New York state politics and eventually became Jefferson's vice-president. Burr seems to have always turned up in the middle of some controversy. He was nearly elected President instead of Jefferson due to a quirk in the electoral system of the day. He killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel while still VP and fled south and west to avoid prosecution in New Jersey. Jefferson soon charged him with treason for an alleged plot to separate the western states from the US. Burr was acquitted in a trial presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall. The reader meets lesser known characters such as James Wilkinson and Harman Blennerhassett among many others.
The story is told through the device of Burr writing his memoirs over a period of several years commencing in 1833 with the aid of Charles Schuyler, the book's only fictional character. This device allows Vidal to move back and forth between the Republic's early days and the end of the Jackson presidency. In the latter period the reader meets Matty Van Buren, the famed New York editor William Leggett, the corrupt collector of the NY ports Sam Swartout, and revisits Andrew Jackson.
Vidal presents the tale from his subject's viewpoint, one which is naturally quite favorable to Burr and somewhat at odds with the standard view in regard especially to the `Burr Conspiracy'. Thomas Jefferson particularly comes out poorly in this telling as does Washington. `Burr' was one of six works in what became Vidal's American Chronicles Series (Lincoln, 1876, Empire, Hollywood, and Washington, DC). I can also recommend Lincoln: A Novel and 1876 (Modern Library) to the reader (I've not yet read the others). Gore Vidal's `Burr' is a riveting ride through the early days of the Republic. Highest recommendation.
Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
An interesting tale about one of American history's most conflicting figures. The stories and intrigues about Burr are almost too fantastical to believe, but a surprising amount of them are based on historical fact.
LibraryThing member santhony
This is my first Gore Vidal novel and I’m glad I finally got around to reading his work. This novel, as well as several others in a series (Lincoln, 1876 to name a couple) can best be described as historical fiction, somewhat disguised as biography. In selecting Burr as a subject, Vidal made an
Known primarily for his dual with bitter political rival Alexander Hamilton, many are not aware that Burr was a Revolutionary War hero and came within a hair’s breadth of becoming the third President, tying Thomas Jefferson in the Electoral College and throwing the election into the House of Representatives. Settling for the Vice-Presidency, Burr went West after his duel with Hamilton and sought to invade and conquer Mexico, leading to a politically motivated trial for treason in which he was exonerated by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. Quite a life.
Told from the standpoint of a fictional aide to Burr (Charles Schuyler), the story is set during the Andrew Jackson presidency, but reverts to revolutionary America through reference to Burr’s memoirs. The individuals who make an appearance (all the usual suspects- Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, etc.) are presented as normal human beings, warts and all. This is refreshing, as the Founding Fathers are frequently placed on a pedestal, immune from criticism and the foibles of everyday life.
In reality, the period was one of intense factional conflict (why do you think Burr dueled Hamilton?), the presidential races between Adams/Jefferson, and Jackson/Adams being perhaps the most bitter in American history. As a result, Burr has few good things to say about Washington (who Burr portrays as a military incompetent) or Jefferson (who Burr asserts was mentally ill during his second term), as you would expect.
American history from the first half of the 19th century is somewhat neglected in favor of the Revolutionary and Civil War eras, but this time of the nation’s establishment and growth is truly a fascinating period, both with respect to historical events and fascinating characters. Burr was an excellent prism through which to examine both and Vidal does an outstanding job in that respect.
Show More
excellent choice, both from the standpoint of originality and due to the fact that Burr was a fascinating character. Known primarily for his dual with bitter political rival Alexander Hamilton, many are not aware that Burr was a Revolutionary War hero and came within a hair’s breadth of becoming the third President, tying Thomas Jefferson in the Electoral College and throwing the election into the House of Representatives. Settling for the Vice-Presidency, Burr went West after his duel with Hamilton and sought to invade and conquer Mexico, leading to a politically motivated trial for treason in which he was exonerated by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. Quite a life.
Told from the standpoint of a fictional aide to Burr (Charles Schuyler), the story is set during the Andrew Jackson presidency, but reverts to revolutionary America through reference to Burr’s memoirs. The individuals who make an appearance (all the usual suspects- Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, etc.) are presented as normal human beings, warts and all. This is refreshing, as the Founding Fathers are frequently placed on a pedestal, immune from criticism and the foibles of everyday life.
In reality, the period was one of intense factional conflict (why do you think Burr dueled Hamilton?), the presidential races between Adams/Jefferson, and Jackson/Adams being perhaps the most bitter in American history. As a result, Burr has few good things to say about Washington (who Burr portrays as a military incompetent) or Jefferson (who Burr asserts was mentally ill during his second term), as you would expect.
American history from the first half of the 19th century is somewhat neglected in favor of the Revolutionary and Civil War eras, but this time of the nation’s establishment and growth is truly a fascinating period, both with respect to historical events and fascinating characters. Burr was an excellent prism through which to examine both and Vidal does an outstanding job in that respect.
Show Less
LibraryThing member NiteRead
One of the most amusing historical fiction novels I have ever read. This (too short) book tells the story of Aaron Burr from the perspective of his illegitimate (this is where the fictional part comes in - I think) son. The cast of characters is illustrious (Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, etc.,)
Two books follow (like a trilogy). My copies of all three books are well worn (and falling apart somewhat). And I continued on with most (or all) of Gore Vidal's other historical fictions.
Read and enjoy.
Show More
but you get the impression that these characters weren't so illustrious in the eyes of their contemporaries (or at least their peers).Two books follow (like a trilogy). My copies of all three books are well worn (and falling apart somewhat). And I continued on with most (or all) of Gore Vidal's other historical fictions.
Read and enjoy.
Show Less
LibraryThing member branful
I didn't know Vidal so good at writing a historical novel. I failed to enjoy "Myra."
But this is real good. Makes you feel you are seeing real size picture of historical figures such as George Washington and Jefferson.
But this is real good. Makes you feel you are seeing real size picture of historical figures such as George Washington and Jefferson.
LibraryThing member wirkman
A great romp of a book, dealing with one of the more enigmatic Founding Fathers, the man who did such great service to the nation by killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Vidal pulls out all the stops on the last page, and we are left having read a great book, gasping. Thankfully, Vidal offered
Show More
more: several sequels, starting with "1876." Show Less
LibraryThing member SimoneSimone
Stuck with so many frauds...here is America's forgotten hero.
LibraryThing member wit10born
Burr is an endlessly engaging historical novel written in the form of a memoir. While the memoir and journalist-narrator are fictional, the rest of the book is based on factual events and clever portraits of the Founding Fathers. Burr himself is a character of great fascination, a shadowy figure
Show More
who shot Alexander Hamilton in a famous duel and was later tried for treason. Burr is a powerful narration that re-creates with accuracy and originality the earliest years of the new Republic. Show Less
LibraryThing member stlaveau
Gore Vidal is very likely America's greatest living writer. Burr is romp through 1830's New York. Mr. Burr appears to be romping himself, recounting an excitng past, living his present with an eye to the future, even though he is @ seventy-seven years of age when Mr. Vidal introduces his Hero.
Or,
When reading this book, we understand that two men died that day in New Jersey - though it took one of them almost fifty more years to die.
Mr. Vidal is a genius. Both he and Mr. Burr are immortals.
Or,
Show More
Anti-Hero? This reader prefers the former title. American high schoolers do not meet Mr. Burr - the pleasure of his company is withheld more often than not from teenagers. When reading this book, we understand that two men died that day in New Jersey - though it took one of them almost fifty more years to die.
Mr. Vidal is a genius. Both he and Mr. Burr are immortals.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Borg-mx5
A wonderful novel. Well written, witty and sharp. Aaron Burr is a mythical person in American History. While this is a novel, you still derive insight in the man's character as well gaining an alternative view of American history.
LibraryThing member 5hrdrive
Interesting look at an extraordinary, largely forgotten man. The parts of the book that are purportedly Aaron Burr's memoirs are extremely interesting, however the choice of using the character of Charles Schuyler as amanuensis is a curious one. If I ever reread this I will stick to the memoir.
LibraryThing member thorold
This does have a very 1970s feel when you read it nowadays, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We need a bit of refreshing iconoclasm from time to time.
Vidal is out to make us look a bit more critically at some of the sacred cows of US history, which he does by telling the main story through
Structural quibbles aside, Vidal does a very good job of guiding the reader through the complexities of American politics in the early days of the republic without a lot of intrusive explanation. And we do get to have quite a bit of fun on the way. So why not?
Vidal is out to make us look a bit more critically at some of the sacred cows of US history, which he does by telling the main story through
Show More
the rather Flashmanesque voice of the elderly Aaron Burr. This works well, but I was a bit less comfortable with the structural device of having Burr dictate his memoirs to the young law-clerk and would-be journalist Schuyler, so that we effectively alternate between Burr's voice and Schuyler's. This allows Vidal to give us a bit more perspective about what other people thought of Burr, and what New York was like in the 1830s, but it means that he has to manage a lot of transitions in and out of Burr's narrative, which can't help becoming rather repetitive. We get rather more than we would like of the dull story of Schuyler and his girl, and far too many throwaway jokes for the modern reader about pigs in the streets of Manhattan. I did feel that there's something to be said for Scott's approach of banishing the secondary narrator to the first and last chapters. Sadly, Vidal evidently shares Scott's conviction hat a book has to have bulk on the shelf if you want readers to take it seriously, so we do get quite a bit of padding and recycling along the way. Paper must have been cheap in the seventies.Structural quibbles aside, Vidal does a very good job of guiding the reader through the complexities of American politics in the early days of the republic without a lot of intrusive explanation. And we do get to have quite a bit of fun on the way. So why not?
Show Less
LibraryThing member ehines
Much like Vidal's Lincoln, his Burr is a compelling figure who puts a new twist on Americans' view of themselves. A very good new way to revisit a familiar story.
LibraryThing member dekan
hmm... how to start. i just read through another vidal book and quite liked it. however this one i didn't. it was written well and vidal is known for his accuracy but... really i think it comes down to this was, at least to me, burr's version of events, that would be ok. instead it's 564 pages of
Show More
burr's whinning and absolute bullshit. Show Less
LibraryThing member RodneyWelch
Vidal at his absolute best. A page-turning historical novel that is both well-researched and brilliantly re-imagined; rich in character and lacerating in point of view.
LibraryThing member amelish
Surviving the gloomy, gothically unhumorous Cloudsplitter has left me with little patience for “true historical fiction,” but Burr is all right, I guess. His character is never really fleshed out, mostly used as a foil for the impressionable, melodramatic Charlie, or as a conduit for an unusual
Show More
portrayal of the founding fathers and whatnot. I suppose said portrayal is meant to be in character, since Vidal's afterword disclaims any personal espousal of Charlie's and Burr's stances. Show Less
LibraryThing member kbullfrog
I loved Gore Vidal's Justin, but did not so much love this book. At times i got deeply involved in the political intrigue Vidal masterfully pens, and so it is great insight into Vidal's real-life political criticisms, but could not muster the interest for escapist/novelist reading. I will always
Show More
think of Burr though, when thinking of our founding fathers--it's difficult not to once you have read Vidal's historical fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
Vidal writes great historical fiction and this is a great one for him. Character motivation makes for a wonderful focus.
LibraryThing member librken
Absolutely fantastic. It gives a penetrating look at the frailties of our new republic and also serves as a touchstone to our current times.
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
Gore Vidal's Burr: A Novel represents the best type of historical fiction. Vidal does not bind himself to historical fact except where it enhances the narrative, at times moving people through time or space to better his story, but using the dynamism of the history he describes to drive his tale.
Show More
He even creates a fictional protagonist, Charles Schuyler (not of the Schuylers into whose family Alexander Hamilton married), in order to allow him access to the object of his focus. Though Vidal appears to attempt a rehabilitation of Aaron Burr's reputation, he describes him as "a monster, in short" (pg. 4). Vidal's descriptions of Burr return continuously to diabolic imagery. He writes, "Aaron Burr has made an arrangement with the devil. Every dark legend is true" (pg. 69). Vidal's Burr continually reclines near a fire, unable to stay warm even in summer. Vidal's protagonist writes of Washington City, "If this is not Hell, it will do. I have never been so hot. I can see why Colonel Burr wanted to be president - to revel in the stifling, damp heat of this depressing tropical swamp" (pg. 409). Even his desire to keep his word evokes Milton's Lucifer. Vidal writes, "In politics, as in life, one ought to do what one has promised to do. This has been my Quixotic code" (pg. 194). This foreshadows the concept of honor that historian Joanne B. Freeman later argued prevented Burr from dropping his campaign for the presidency when he tied with Jefferson in 1800. Despite these literary touches, Vidal delights in accurately describing individuals as they might have appeared to Burr as well as the locations in which they worked and lived. He even tells the story of Helen Jewett, who had faded from notoriety by the 1970s and would not experience a resurgence of popular interest until Patricia Cline Cohen's 1999 biography. Historians, both professional and casual, of the colonial and early Republic periods will find much to enjoy in this novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member ValerieAndBooks
I read Burr many years ago and enjoyed the irreverent attitude Burr (and others) had towards the Founding Fathers. I recently decided to re-read this before reading the rest of Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire historical fiction books. I enjoyed it this time around also.
Here's how Burr sees
While reading this the second time around, I noticed that this book is very male-centric -- females are very much minor characters here. Yes, it's true that much of history is examined through the male gaze, that women's part in history has a tendency to be overlooked. The next book in this series is Lincoln; it'll be interesting to see if the almost all male history continues in this way. With Vidal as the author, it may very well be.
Here's how Burr sees
Show More
General Washington: "the small dull eyes in their vast sockets stared at me with wonder". Not even good ol' George escapes Burr's scathing and sardonic observations. While reading this the second time around, I noticed that this book is very male-centric -- females are very much minor characters here. Yes, it's true that much of history is examined through the male gaze, that women's part in history has a tendency to be overlooked. The next book in this series is Lincoln; it'll be interesting to see if the almost all male history continues in this way. With Vidal as the author, it may very well be.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Mitchell_Bergeson_Jr
This is a magnificent novel. While not as good as his Lincoln (what could be?) it is a humorous and sarcastic venture through early American history. I watched an interview of Mr. Vidal a while ago and he said something to the effect that one would have to be inept to write of early American
Show More
history and not make it interesting. Certainly Mr Vidal doesn't fail with this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member ACPortoNovo
Lincoln is a masterwork of historical fiction, in which Gore Vidal combines a comprehensive knowledge of Civil War America with 20th-century literary technique, probing the minds and motives of the men surrounding Abraham Lincoln, including personal secretary John Hay and scheming cabinet members
Show More
William Seward and Salmon P. Chase, as well as his wife, Mary Todd. It is a book monumental in scope that never loses sight of the intimate and personal in its depiction of the power struggles that accompanied Lincoln's efforts to preserve the Union at all costs--efforts in which the eradication of slavery was far from the president's main objective. As usual, there's plenty of room for Vidal's wickedly humorous deflation of American icons, including a comic interlude in a Washington bordello in which Lincoln's former law partner informs Hay that Lincoln had contracted syphilis as a young man and had, just before marrying Mary Todd, suffered what can only be described as a nervous breakdown. (Protestors should note that Vidal is only passing along what that former partner had written in his own biography of Lincoln.) Don't be intimidated by the size of Lincoln; if you like historical fiction, you should read this book at the first opportunity. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. from amazon.com Show Less
LibraryThing member abycats
This was a selection for our book club. Unfortunately, I have a visceral dislike for Gore Vidal in almost any format and was unable to push past that and his rather dense and turgid writing style in order to complete the book. Others in our group loved it. These things are always so individual.
LibraryThing member maryreinert
I read this after "1876" and had a bit more trouble following it although there were definitely signs of Vidal's great writing. Troubled times for the early founding fathers with very little agreement. Hamilton and Jefferson represented different views of government. Burr served as Vice-President
Show More
under Jefferson yet had many disagreements with him. Hamilton, on the other hand, was closer in philosophy to Burr and they were sort of friends both being lawyers. When Hamilton supposedly made an accusation about Burr and his daughter, a dual resulted in which Burr killed Hamilton ruining his reputation. Show Less
Subjects
Series
Publication
Random House
Original publication date
1973
Pages
430
ISBN
0-394-48014-4
Similar in this library
Language
Original language
English