Rating: 
Summary: So You Think You Knew About The Civil War?
Review: If one were to read only one book about the Civil War, this would be the book. Short on battle details but long on creating human beings out of historic characters. I live on the ground upon which the Battle of The Wilderness was fought and Winik brought new insight and feeling concerning the latter part of the war. He also did well in explaining the Confederate position in not demonizing all the Rebs. I did not award 5 stars because early on he made it clear that the peace could have turned out badly (as it did in many other civil wars) and I feel he reiterated this point more than necessary throughout the book. It is, however, a great book that I strongly recommend to all.
Rating: 
Summary: History at its Finest
Review: "April 1865" is no dry, dusty re-telling of a too-often repeated story. Instead, it is a vibrant and moving account of one of the most incredible months in all of American history - a month that saw the defeat of the Confederate armies, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the attempted assassinations of the vice president and the cabinet. The author's use of vivid and sometimes grand prose may be a turn off to some, but for me, it resulted in history's characters nearly leaping off the pages and into action. Of all the events that are brilliantly described in this book, Winik's telling of the fall of Richmond was particularly moving. He describes how the residents of Richmond tried valiantly to live their lives as normally as possible, even while Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was in retreat and General Grant's Army of the Potomac was moving in. The description of the scene in Richmond as Jefferson Davis was informed during Sunday church services that the city must be evacuated was truly haunting, as was the scene the next day as Abraham Lincoln came to Richmond to survey the damage and was met by throngs of adoring and newly-freed slaves. Winik makes it almost possible to hear Lincoln tell the slaves, "you are as free, free as the air," and to see the looks of awe on the faces of the slaves and the looks of fear and hatred on the faces of the white residents whose homes and lives had been destroyed. Some may argue with Winik's premise that the events of April, 1865 "saved" America. However, no one can deny that what did occur that month were some of the most momentous events in our history. One must wonder just how different our country would be today had men like Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee not made the decisions they made in April, 1865. Winik's argument is really that these men made the right decisions, despite immense pressure from passionate supporters on both sides of the conflict, laying the foundation that allowed a new, stronger, and unified nation to emerge. Anyone with even a casual interest in American history should read "April 1865."
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant. Winik puts you right there.
Review: One of the best non-fiction books I've read. You don't need to be a Civil War buff to love this book; just an American. Winik's genius (and it is genius) is a focused look at the key events in one critical month. He puts you in the minds of the key players: Lincoln, Lee, Grant and others. He puts it all in perspective. How things could have easily gone the other way. And to read of the greatness of these men such as Lincoln, Grant and Lee and compare them to the midgets of today (e.g. Clinton, Lott) makes you see how far we have fallen. The sacrfices made on both sides were so enormous and Winik gives you some of that flavor.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant new look at the Civil War's final days.
Review: There are a few books that belong on the shelf of every Civil War buff. Add this one to your shelf as well. This is one of those that takes a new look at an old subject and changes the way we think about it. The author Winik like an exceptionally good storyteller tells us why April 1865 was a month that could have unraveled the nation. It all happened so quickly, in what proved to be perhaps the most moving and decisive month in the life of the United States. What emerges is that the whole of our national history could have been altered in that one month for not some sudden shift in faith or luck. The book offers a brilliant new look at the Civil War's final days that will forever change the way we see the war's end and the nation's new beginning. FinancialNeeds.com
Rating:
Summary: Great in-depth study!
Review: Jay Winik has somehow managed to find all of the quirks of fate that made this month in history so fantastic. As the author of Strike Hard, I found this to be most interesting, since I am enthralled by history. Little events, such as Lee's trains, don't seem to be much of a diference. However, when one stops to look at the whole picture, it is an important event that was a turning point. One thing that I didn't see was how much of an impact the assassination of Lincoln truly was. Many people don't know that it was quite possible, had Lincoln lived, that HE would have faced impeachment instead of Johnson. However, this is a small and trite eventuality, and does not detract from the book at all. I firmly recommend this book to anyone who loves history in any way. It is informative, eye-opening, and just plain enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: Mr. Winik was able to add fresh insight to a subject I thought I knew practically everything about. It was hard to put down. Definitely not a dry history lesson but rather a study on the personalities of the people involved and a study on how if just a few events had gone differently, a few decisions gone the other way, and our country would have been plunged into a long and drawn out guerilla war that would have changed everything. It is well written and a must have for every civil war buff.
Rating:
Summary: April 1865, A pivotal month and a pivotal book.
Review: Jay Winik has written a book that is a page turner, at least for me. His treatment of Lee, Grant, Lincoln, and the hundreds of other players during this episode of American history in nothing short of wonderous. Also, Winik's treatment of the irony sprinkled throughout the events of this month in history is great also. A clerks error and the confederate army starves. Starving armies don't remain in the field for very long. One can't help but wonder how different American history would have been had this minor mistake not taken place. (What happened to the food anyway?) Lincoln's revelation of the dream in which he is dead is chilling to say the least. I could recommend this book to anyone including Lee, Grant, and Lincoln.
Rating:
Summary: April 1865
Review: I recently choose April 1865 for a university seminar (as an adult returning student completing a BS degree.) It truly explains the events, characters, the "whys" this nation was plunged into the Civil War and how statesmen (both North and South) worked together to reunite woven states and labored to form a true United States. This book is a "keeper"----to be read and reread and its great story not forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: A fresh approach to an oft told tale
Review: The month of April 1865 was indeed pivotal. The Civil War came to an end, the President was killed, and the Union of States became for the first time a nation. Winik fleshes out the players and the context in a very readable and sometimes emotional way. What indeed might have happened had Lee's troops not been starved by a clerk's error, or if Lee's demeanor had not been so gentlemanly in defeat, or if an assassin had not "chickened out" at the last minute, sparing the life of Vice President Johnson? The feelings which this book evokes sometimes caused suspicion that he was stretching the truth to make the story more novelistic, but he always restored my faith by inserting direct quotes from the involved figures. This is not a book which adds to the store of data for Civil War buffs or military strategists. However, I found it to be enlightening, enjoyable, and engaging.
Rating:
Summary: History or Drama?
Review: Well written. Insightfully integrates several spokes of history into the hub of April, 1865 and then radiates out to the post April era in the closing chapters. However, at times his effusive style and repetition of points of view causes the reader to wonder about the rigor of his historical research. This question of rigor crystalized for me when on page 337 he moved the Mason-Dixon line to the Maryland-Virginia border. Describing Booth's escape through southern Maryland to the Potomac River he writes "Davy Herold also escaped across the bridge, soon catching up to Booth. The pair rode at high speed for the Mason-Dixon line." I guess they'll just have to change the road signs at the Maryland-Pennsylvania borders.
| 
