Not sure how to rate this! To me it is a kind of book that I would take to the beach! I don't like typical beach reads but it is a very fast read and I will read anything, fiction or non-fiction that is connected to the Civil War or Lincoln. Lincoln had a small part but he had some good lines of humor. This was set in the time just before the war started and already assassin were after him.

I loved that a slave girl, Portia, demonstrated great courage and determination on her mission to protect Pres ident Lincoln. Added interest was provided by a bookshop owner and a poor bookbinder. I had no sympathy for the people planning the assassination. It was mainly a fictional account of a planned assassination of President Lincoln and with story giving a good picture of slave life during the during the time period with an accurate representation of the laws involving fugitive slaves. ( )

I really struggled theough this one. I'm not sure why but it just wasn't a real enjoyable read for me. ( )

The action in this book is very slow to get going. I think only [b:Silas Marner|54539|Silas Marner|George Eliot|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170439888s/54539.jpg|3049535] in my memory was slower paced. Lots of involved detailed build up. The historical references & time period seems to be well researched from what I can tell. I used to read a lot about the American Civil War when I was in 7th-8th grade. ( )

Not a stand out book in any way, but it was not a miserable experience either. There were many predictable moments and just as many moments that were unremarkable enough that I couldn't recall them now if I wanted to. Those things said, reading about regular civilians in the time of the Civil War, hearing about people leaving cities or states because they weren't sure how the state would go, was somewhat entertaining. There were moments that reflected politics now and moments that were so opposite what we would expect to happen that they were almost laughable. Times have changed and the book reflects that, but some things are always the same and that is shown here too. I'd call this book average, with average plot and characters. While this story wasn't quite what I expected it to be, I wouldn't say that it was a total waste of my time. ( )

Boring beyond belief, the only part that showed any promise was the relationship between the slaves and their evil master's during and immediately after an escape attempt. The whole investigation and eventual conclusion to the assassination attempt was dreary and unimaginative (predictable). This story completely failed to engage me on any level, I only kept reading because I thought that it must surely get better. I'm not sure whether it was the style of the prose or perhaps the lack of it that cured me of my insomnia. ( )