Thank you to NetGalley and Univ. of Illinois Press for allowing me to read the ARC of Lincoln's Confidante, by Wayne C. Temple. This is an extraordinary account of Noah Brooks, a journalist from Illinois, who befriended, as well as highly respected Abe Lincoln. Because of their close relationship, especially during the Civil War, he has been quoted by many biographers because of his information. He was a literary man, often involved in relationships with such authors as Brett Harte and Mark Twain. Noah Brooks provided historians with priceless information about our past and the people who helped define our country. This was an interesting book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and University of Illinois Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I was excited to read this book, to learn more about an interesting man and time period. But unfortunately the ARC was not really readable!! All numbers were left out and random letters it made virtually impossible to read and was sooo frustrating! I have up after spending hours trying to read it, I even went back and tried again. No luck. I would love to really read and review. Please fix and let us know and I will read. As for now I give it 2 stars.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about our 16th president and a little known individual with whom he frequently interacted with over the course of his life. this book is based on this work which launched Temple on his over seventy years of scholarship.

This book was a challenge to read as the ARC I received was not the best. I had to guess and fill in missing words frequently when was a distraction from the content. From what I could cobble together from the material is that it is well researched and probably well written. Noah Brooks played an influential role in Lincoln's life and this is the first book that I am aware of that addresses their relationship in any detail.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about our 16th president and a little known individual with whom he frequently interacted with over the course of his life.

I received a free Kindle copy of Lincoln's Confidant by Wayne C. Temple courtesy of Net Galley  and University of Illinois Press, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I have read a great deal about Lincoln, but not about his relationship with Noah Brooks. This is the first book by the author that I have read.

The author, Wayne C. Temple has been lauded with the title "Lincoln scholar extraordinare" and has spent much of his life devoted to studying, writing and teaching about the 16th president who reunified and redefined the USA . Temple's original university master's thesis and dissertation was on the life of Lincoln's friend and confidant Noah Brooks (October 24, 1830 – August 16, 1903) and this book is based on this work which launched Temple on his over seventy years of scholarship.

This is a meticulously researched scholarly and at the same time readable account of a man whose career spanned not only journalism and newspaper editorship but also the writing of fiction, history, travel writing, biography and children stories. An esteemed and influential man of letters, Noah Brooks would end up being venerated as a pillar of the literary establishment and was instrumental in the founding of the Authors Club of New York as well as enjoying membership of other prestigious establishments.

However for the general reader it is Brooks friendship with Lincoln which began in Illinois before Brooks moved to California that is of most interest. Here we get a fascinating insight into not only the personality of Lincoln and members of his family but also the political maneuverings that he faced during his presidency. With visits to the nearby battle front and the constant possibility of an attack on Washington the immediacy of how near war would have been to Lincoln and Brooks is conveyed. Brooks was there on that fateful day in April 1865 when with a small group of the president's friends and associates he saw the Lincoln's off to their theatre engagement from which of course Lincoln would not return.

As a UK reader I was quite fascinated to read of the profound changes that the USA was undergoing during the mid to late 19th century with the opening up of the west which was documented by Brooks. It is amazing to think that before the completion of the railways in order to travel from the east to the west coast the journeys that Brooks frequently made were by sea via Panama.

I really enjoyed this book but unfortunately it was slightly diminished by certain letters and more importantly all figures (i.e all dates) being omitted on the received Kindle review copy. However this remains still an impressive work of biography and would be of interest to those interested in American history.