The Demon of Unrest
A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
6 of 38 copies available
“A feast of historical insight and narrative verve . . . This is Erik Larson at his best, enlivening even a thrice-told tale into an irresistible thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal
A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.
Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”
At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.
Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.
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Creators
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Release date
April 30, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593828526
- File size: 498535 KB
- Duration: 17:18:36
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from February 12, 2024
In this twisty and cinematic account, bestseller Larson (The Splendid and the Vile) recreates the five-month period between Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 election and the outbreak of the Civil War, focusing on the intensifying showdown over Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C., where Maj. Robert Anderson, the U.S. Army commander, faced a swelling Confederate force with his outgunned garrison of 75 soldiers. Larson mirrors Anderson’s struggle to hold his post while avoiding provocations that might lead to war with Lincoln’s tight-rope-walk attempt to stand firm against secession without goading the South into it. As he traveled to Washington, D.C., to take office—arriving in disguise after dodging a rumored assassination plot in Baltimore—Lincoln vacillated over whether to resupply Fort Sumter or surrender it. In Larson’s telling, Anderson’s ordeal makes for a superb war story—his secret Christmastime redeployment from Charleston’s indefensible Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter, for instance, emerges as a masterpiece of psychological deception. The author probes the Southern perspective as well—via acerbic diarist Mary Chesnut among others—and assesses the ideologies and errors that birthed the Civil War, including a violent pro-slavery mob’s efforts to stop Congress from certifying Lincoln’s Electoral College victory. The result is a mesmerizing and disconcerting look at an era when consensus dissolved into deadly polarization. Photos. -
This compelling audiobook about the beginning of the Civil War gains resonance from its parallels with today's divisions and drift toward violence. Will Patton's narration fits Larson's authorial voice, which is frank, factual, and artfully judicious in tone. Patton suggests historical voices, but his delivery is nuanced and understated, never showy. Brief chapters track the months leading up to the assault on Fort Sumter. The inactivity of the outgoing Buchanan administration, the separate preparations for defense and for attack in Charleston Harbor, Lincoln's arrival in disguise at the nation's capital--everything marks a widening separation. The attack on Fort Sumter is usually seen as a mere curtain-raiser, a spark that could have ignited a dozen different places. This outstanding audiobook tells a very different story. D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine -
August 9, 2024
Will Patton artfully narrates Larson's (The Splendid and the Vile) latest historical epic, tracing the five months following Abraham Lincoln's 1861 election and the lead-up to the Civil War. Larson's introduction booms with a striking parallel between today's political divisiveness and the specter of violence that led to the nation's most brutal conflict. Patton's hallmark South Carolina drawl adds depth to this exploration of the Battle of Fort Sumter, capturing the grand narrative and intricate details. Larson emphasizes that enslavement is central to the conflict, though the voices of enslaved people are absent from the narrative. Instead, secessionist leaders, Northern power brokers, and Carolina aristocrats such as Major Robert Anderson, Edmund Ruffin, William Seward, and Mary Chestnut dominate the narrative, with their perspectives drawn from extensive historical writings. Patton's performance is as meticulous as Larson's descriptions, capturing the emotional undercurrents and giving voice to a large cast of characters. His pacing aligns seamlessly with Larson's cascade of events and ideas. While generally well-performed, Patton's portrayal of women's voices occasionally comes across as saccharine. Larson himself provides a measured, clear reading of the author's note and the closing acknowledgments. VERDICT Listeners seeking historical insights will enjoy this skillfully executed audiobook and should find that Patton's narration suits the text.--Lizzie Nolan
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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