American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles

Rating:
Summary: Compelling and Powerful
Review: Keneally is what many great historians aren't, a great story teller. He has a successful fiction writer's sense of how to spin a yarn so can't put the book down. Here, the lurid historical details of an extraordinary American life are stitched together in a way that makes it impossible not to become emotionally involved. Keneally's enchanting portrayal of Sickles' first wife, Therea, is so compelling that its emotional impact lingers long after you finish the read.
This is a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: This book tells the story of the Congressman and Civil War General Dan Sickles, who was acquitted in the 1850's of murdering his wife's lover. ...(the son of the man who wrote the Star Spangled Banner), Sickles had many negative character traits which portray him in a less than positive light to modern Americans. That being sad, he was generally adored by many of his contemporaries, particularly by those who served under him in the Civil War. Highly readable, this book is difficult to put down once started. Some reviewers have given this book low rating, and perhaps that is because it does not read like a typical history book. Instead, the book almost reads like fiction and is highly enjoyable, instead of being the typical dates/places/events format of many history books. Highly recommended!