I finally finished this! I don’t even remember when I started it lol. It’s not a book to breeze through. I got through it by reading a little bit each day. I’m making it sound like a chore but it’s not. I learned a ton. It doesn’t read like a stuffy history book.

Also, it’s a physically heavy book. I used it as a bench press and for leg lifts when I wasn’t reading it. I carried it as night as protection

For my money Teddy Roosevelt is the most interesting president, but on this reread of Team of Rivals, first read back in 2012 when I was doing my presidential biography readthrough, I have to say Lincoln was probably our best.

Makes you wistful about a time when the president, who, while far from perfect, wasn’t a thin skinned bully who had to surround himself with toadying yes men. And it reminds you that the party now trying to drag us back to the Jim Crow era was formed around the idea of preventing the spread of slavery and eventually abolishing it.

When you’re reading about Lincoln’s ability to sooth egos and work with people of differing views while still making the decisions, his clear thoughtfulness, his genuine understanding that his ambitions, if they were to be for the good, had to be in service to the people and not to himself, the contrast couldn’t be more stark. The Republican Party has fallen a long way in a hundred and seventy one years. And the nation is falling back into its worst aspects.

This is essentially a group biography of Lincoln and certain members of his cabinet: William Seward, Salman Chase, Edmund Bates and Edwin M. Stanton. Lincoln's humility in dealing with his rivals was key in pulling the nation through war and crisis. Even without the contrast to current politicians, it's a great read, but seems like a vital one in that context.

“Team of Rivals” is an extraordinary work that sheds light on an aspect of the Lincoln presidency that many avid historical readers probably know little or nothing about, the presidential race of 1860 and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln as seen through the lenses of his cabinet and his dealings with them.
This lengthy book never feels like one, and the research and vividness with which Doris Kearns Goodwin draws these historical giants is a delight to absorb. I am a bit of a Civil War buff, but this text created in me a whole new appreciation for the political genius of Abraham Lincoln, and rendered members of his cabinet as more than historical footnotes. I was especially intrigued by the parts of the text dealing with Salmon Chase, who I knew only the most rudimentary things about. I will leave it to other readers to render their own verdict about him.
There are many strengths to this text, and one leaves it with an appreciation for just how much Lincoln and his closest advisers carried on their shoulders. Goodwin calls Lincoln the “poet president” and as you read some of the things he wrote you cannot help but be amazed at his facility with, and economy of, the use of language.
How many historical texts leave you amazed, floored, appreciative, and even teary at times? “Team of Rivals” is a biography of a group of people and it is a testament to Goodwin’s skills that none of them come off as caricatures or as less than complex.
This is a book that deserves to be widely read.

ETA: Lincoln's death in 1865 is covered, but not in detail. I will now read "They Have Killed Papa Dead!": The Road to Ford's Theatre, Abraham Lincoln's Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance

I think the book IS good. But Lincoln was much more of a shrewd politician than an honest, moral individual and a fun loving storyteller. I did come to admire him. With talent he got people of opposing views to work together toward a common goal. This was no small accomplishment. His lack of malice is exceptional. Or was that too, merely the best way to go on after the war, if he had lived...... Goodwin failed to make the reader feel Lincoln's knack for storytelling and why people call him "Honest Abe"!

Has history idolized Lincoln?

What I think of Lincoln has little to do with how I judge this book. The book is thorough and clearly much effort has been invested in giving us all the facts. I would have appreciated better editing. Not all of the quotes were necessary or relevant. Parts are tedious. In that we learn about Lincoln through what others have said of him, often via direct quotes, much of the book is told rather than experienced. When I looked at his actions I found them contradictory to what was said of him! So very much was said about him. How much is true? I grew so tired of being told of his great stories and quick humor. I didn’t laugh or appreciate those stories. They were preachy; they pointed a finger, they were employed to teach a moral. Lincoln avoided direct confrontation. His inability to dismiss General in Chief George McClellan probably prolonged the war and increased the numbers killed. I do believe that the South would have fared better had he not been assassinated, and I do admire his ability to balance opposing contentions.

I learned very, very much from this book!

Although the narration by Suzanne Toren was excellent, perhaps it is better to read this book than listen to it. It is complicated; lots of people to keep track of. This is hard with an audiobook! Maybe had I read it, more would stay fastened in my head!

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Yesterday my husband and I listened to a lot of ToR. You know how Audible splits an audiobook into different "books"? This one has five. I am at chapter 8 of 12 in the fourth book. This thing is monstrously long. Both Per and I agree that parts are unnecessary. Parts neither illustrate the depth of a character nor tell important history! Chapter 20 has a recording error. You hear a section twice, but the repeated section is only about five minutes long. Maybe it is to keep you on your toes? :0)

My biggest problem is that I now see Abe as a shrewd politician, one cleverly balancing opposing sides to attain a given goal. His speeches seem pithy. His honesty does not shine through. I rarely enjoy his storytelling or laugh at his "funny lines". I am disappointed. I liked him more before I read the book. OK, I have a much better idea of who he really was, but .......

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Through the Republican convention of 1860:

The text is thorough and detailed. You DO clearly come to understand HOW Lincoln succeeded in winning the Republican nomination in 1860. That is where I am. There are many quotes, so you get detailed, accurate and time relevant views. I believe that Lincoln won basically because his views were "middle-of-the-road". This was tactically expedient, but he didn't hold these views to achieve personal goals. There is a huge difference between this and an individual that tactically determines his actions in an effort to win. Lincoln's views really were balanced and not extreme! He worked hard, from the bottom up, not delegating tasks to others. He was the kind of person that instinctively knew how to talk with people. It wasn't merely chance that the Convention was held in Chicago. He recognized early on that this would be advantageous and worked to bring it about. He intelligently knew that to win he had to fight as an alternate to those who were stronger. He knew he would not succeed on the first ballot. The nomination proceedings are exciting. All the previous chapters have lead up to this point so the reader thoroughly understands why and how Lincoln came to win the nomination.

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We have listened to more than 8 hours of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Both my husband and I agree that it is less engaging than. No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Keep in mind, much remains. The audiobook is more than 40 hours long. One complaint that I have is that we are told over and over that Lincoln has a sense of humor and loves telling stories. So after about seven hours I say to my husband, "When are we going to be told some of those stories that everyone was so enchanted with?" Then, as if someone were listening to me, we were told two short stories. I found then scarcely interesting and the humor was not my kind of humor. So my complaint is that too much is told rather than experienced. If I am going to believe he is a great story-teller give me a good story. If he is humorous, make me laugh.

It is clear. I am learning, but it isn't great....not yet.

Per summarizes his views with the comment: "It is very detailed!"

WOW. Highly recommend. To be clear I am definitely in the target audience for this book because I love US history, and I thoroughly enjoyed the very long biographies of Ulysses S, Grant and George, Washington by Ron Chernow. This book was equally as fascinating and amazing as those two. I had never read a biography on Abraham Lincoln, and I was mesmerized throughout. I cried at the end when he was assassinated. What a huge huge loss for the country at a critical time of Reconstruction. Doris Kearns Goodwin researched and wrote this masterfully.

Amazing cast of “characters” in his cabinet, that I also thoroughly enjoyed learning more about.

I must say it really does make you depressed about the state of current American politics looking at how far we have fallen. Of course, no one is perfect, but the type of man who used to be involved in American politics seemed to be in it for the greater good of the country, and now I just feel like the political system America worked and fought so hard to build and put into place is broken.

Some interesting revelations for me were that it was considered poor form for candidates to campaign for themselves or vote for themselves.

I felt bad for his son Robert, who seemed to get the shaft in terms of parental time and attention with Willie and Tad always around the White House being spoiled and loved by Lincoln and Mary, while Robert is off at boarding school.

I had NO idea what a narcissistic nightmare McClellan was and how poorly he did his job!!! Holy cow. I really went down a rabbit hole of research on him after reading about him in this book.

I can’t remember who this quote was attributed to in the book, but there were many sentiments of the same variation saying about Lincoln, that “He is one of the best men god ever created.” And it surely seemed that way. What a man of impeccable honesty, integrity, humor, caring, intelligence, political savvy, forgiveness, etc. An amazing leader.

I found his journey to caring about abolition fascinating as well. I had heard that he wasn’t particularly interested in freeing the slaves or that element of the Civil War until later, and because we hold him on such a pedestal, and because he seems like such an incredible person was difficult to see him fall short of today’s standards in that regard, though he clearly came around.

I also found it FASCINATING in this book and the Washington and Grant books that the White House was considered for the people and really anyone could just wander in there and look around or line up to talk to the president about anything!!!! I wonder at what point security standards for Presidents and the White House reached the level they are at today.

This is the first time in a long time that I'm really sad the book came to and end. I feel as if I've lost a friend, and a wise one at that. Doris Goodwin does such a good job of placing you in Lincoln's cabinet meetings, learning his thoughts and words as recorded from them in personal diaries, by the end you feel as if you've known them all personally.

It was also interesting to learn about what the mood was in the country at that time. Lincoln was a master at judging the appropriate time to present items to his cabinet, congress and the public. He held off on items he wanted desperately to push through but knew they wouldn't be accepted before the masses were ready for them. (i.e., the Proclamation of Emancipation, the 11th amendment abolishing slavery) What an incredibly wise man.

He was also a man with deep moral convictions and a kind, tender heart. It pained him to have to have deserter's of the army executed and if it were at all possible, he would pardon them--much to the chagrin of the Secretary of War.

From the very moment he stepped into the White House he was besieged with problems of enormous importance that would require a measured response and a firm belief in the union. Lincoln was just the man for the job. In fact, I think he was destined for that job. I seriously doubt any other could have handled the various factions that warred within his own cabinet--a cabinet of rivals, by his choosing. He didn't want men around him that would be yes men or demur to his rulings. He wanted men who would stand up to him if need be to express their point of few and to rally for the people they represented. Each man he chose was the best for his job in more ways than just skill. Together they represented the emotions and thoughts of the entire country. They fought amongst themselves, sometimes bitterly.

Lincoln was able to step back, listen to all of their viewpoints and take them into account when reaching his own decision on what was best
for the country. He held no grudges and was never vindictive. In the end all of them came to love him, some more reluctantly. To know that he could change the opinions of men who were certain he was just an unschooled farm boy of limited intelligence and no political savvy was nothing short of miraculous in my opinion. They all came to recognize his intelligence, wisdom and ability to see beyond the moment.

What a great loss they must have all felt when he was assassinated. The country was left in despair. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Lee surrendered and Lincoln said: Thank God I was able to live to see this day. My purpose has been fulfilled. (Not verbatim) In less than two weeks, he would be assassinated.

I will have to read the biography of Andrew Johnson now, to see how the country fared after such a loss. I know that "it all worked out" but I'd like to know how the people of the United States could gather up such courage after losing the one man who had managed to steer them faithfully through a horrid, long war and give them hope for the future.

On the Mystical side, I couldn't help but feeling that there was a higher power involved in his election and throughout his governing of this great country. So many things had to happen at just the right moment in order for him to have been elected, re-elected as well as lead this country in a way no other could have done.

He wanted Reconstruction in the south to be fair. He had no desire to punish them or hang those who led the confederate armies, much different than what many others in Congress thought should be done to the South. He viewed the North and the South as one and wanted the South to be welcomed back into the fold, like a long lost child. For him, it was never about retribution. He simply wanted the country to become whole and heal itself.

A remarkable man that deserves all the praise given to him.

The love and intricate work that went into this book by Dorris Goodwin is evident throughout. She is a gifted historian who brings history to life and makes you wish you could have been there to see it all.

I've read a lot of Civil War-era books, and inevitably whenever Lincoln shows up in them it ends up being the best part of the book. Just about everything he said and did was so kind, smart, funny, wise, and engaging that it makes you want to know him personally. What made Ron Chernow's Grant so great wasn't just that the writing was so good and that Grant lived such an interesting life, but that Lincoln kept popping in and stealing the show.

I've read several books about his assassination, a book about his aides Hay and Nicholay, a travel book about Lincoln locations to visit (Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson, which I really enjoyed), and my favorite Civil War book of all-time - 1861 by Adam Goodheart features a great Lincoln moment, so I've read a lot of books where Lincoln is around. But somehow I've never read a book centered on the man himself. So I knew it was finally time to dig into this one and I'm glad I did. I loved it.

Ostensibly this is a book about how Lincoln masterfully built a cabinet of rivals that guided America through the war, but once the cabinet is put together you realize they weren't exactly an all-star team. They weren't really a "team" at all. Lincoln is the hero of this book, he is the engine that wins the war, he is the personality that keeps the machine running, and he is a master of moving men around as he needs and wants them. And that's the prism the story is told through.

The biographies of Seward, Chase, and Bates are all excellent and seeing the 1860 convention through their perspectives was great. There’s a part in the book where all of these guys who had all ran for president against each other and were nationally famous and didn’t know each other are now all at the White House at 3 am, eating snacks and making big war decisions. So cool.

Notes:
- Goodwin is, as other reviewers have noted, too sympathetic to Mary Lincoln. But I think it's because she's trying to see her through the eyes of Abe, and through Abe's eyes there are no villains. He literally saw the best in everyone.
- Speaking of villains, there is no better villain in American history than George McClellan. He was a failure at everything but thought he was the greatest man to ever live, and it's fun to read about people like that.
- I had never heard of the "Reaper" trial (173), but what a great story. Lincoln's first interaction with Stanton, and also a great window into what Lincoln was like as a man.
- Goodwin does a great job of explaining the brilliance of Lincoln's views on the founding documents, and how they tied into his views on slavery.
- Stephen Douglas and Wendell Wilkie were a lot alike. They both ran against and disagreed with war-time presidents, and then immediately supported those presidents for the good of the country once the elections were lost.
- Reading about a plot forming to seize the capitol around the time of Lincoln's inauguration just days after what happened on January 6th of 2021 was surreal.
- Enjoyed reading about some of the family members, especially Willie and Tad Lincoln and Kate Chase.
- Goodwin doesn’t get into the Johnson presidency, but her description of his swearing in as vice-president is wild. It’s so sad that the country was left in the hands of one of the worst presidents during what was still such a perilous time.
- I thought the Vallandigham treason story (522) was very funny.
- Seward and Chase are both on the right side of history, but Seward was a great guy and Chase was a jerk.

Partial biography of Abraham Lincoln focused on his Presidency. The narrative non-fiction explores both his leadership and strategic decisions. Unlike anything that would happen today, Lincoln included his political opponents in his Cabinet, such as Secretary of State William Seward, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase, Attorney General Edward Bates, and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Both Seward and Chase were his rivals for the Republican Presidential nomination.

His entire Presidency was marked by the Civil War, and as it progressed, Lincoln experienced personal tragedies and multiple pressures of differing opinions on how the war should be handled. The book describes his pre-election years, initial election, major speeches, replacement of General McClellan, reactions to the outcomes of battles, Emancipation Proclamation, reelection, his views on reconstruction, and assassination. It is too bad he was assassinated before he could lead the Reconstruction, as he certainly would have done a better job of it.

It occasionally gets bogged down in details, but I enjoyed this book. It is well-written and well-researched. It is a step above the usual fare for a biography as it offers a deeper analysis of Lincoln’s personality, decision-making, and philosophy of life. It portrays a leadership quality that is often missing in current times - the ability to bring opposing viewpoints together in the interest of doing what is best for the country. History fans and those interested in leadership should appreciate this one.

Incredibly moving! Abraham Lincoln was an extraordinary person: generous of spirit, kind, quick to forgive, and a remarkable and canny leader. Anyone would be inspired by his good example. And Goodwin brings him to life, so that you really feel like you know him by the end. Simply marvelous.

At 750+ pages of text, this may be more than you want to know. But it moves right along, and Lincoln was a remarkable man. As were his "Team of Rivals." History would have been different, and very likely better, if he had lived and instituted the more-kindly Reconstruction of the South he hoped for.

I did skim from time to time -- there's a fair amount of peripheral stuff about women's fashions, interior decorating and such. But I read pretty much everything else. 4+ stars, and a must-read if you are interested in Lincoln and his era. And you have 7,000+ reviews here already, if you want more persuasion. Highly recommended.

This was a really fantastic book, albeit a bit of a door-stopper. If you're going to read a book about Lincoln, I'd say read this one. And you should really, really read a book about Lincoln - he's one of the "Great Figures of History" who I really think lives up to his billing. As Doris Kearns Goodwin clearly outlines in Team of Rivals, Lincoln's historical greatness is a product of his uncanny political sense, his almost unbelievable ability to look beyond his personal feelings about an issue to its strategic and policy implications, and his unflinching moral courage.

That's not to say Lincoln was right on all points - DKG is clear on Lincoln's initial ambivalence regarding abolition and his willingness to defend slave states' prerogatives in the short-run in order to maintain the Union over the longer run, based on his belief that eventually a United States founded on the principle that "all men are created equal" would outgrow the institution of slavery. Looking back, it strikes one as obvious that that position is easier to maintain when one and one's family and friends aren't currently subjected to slavery's horrors - the arc of justice may or may not bend toward justice, but it's easier to wait for it to bend when you're not currently the subject of hideous injustice.

That said, once Lincoln became convinced that a) the Union would not be saved by a containment approach to slavery, and b) that emancipation of slaves and a push for a constitutional prohibition would be politically tenable and aid in the reunification of the States, he never wavered on the rightness of his course. Given the rift in the country over the issue even well into the Civil War, it's astonishing how clear Lincoln's sense of purpose and rightness was, and how forthrightly he communicated it to the public. It's easy to imagine another leader testing the waters and quickly retreating on such a difficult issue, in much the way that anti-slavery American leaders had done in the past, mollifying their pro-slavery counterparts with compromises and papering over America's "original sin". Lincoln, once he took the step, never even hinted at looking back.

I really enjoyed the Lincoln portion of this book. But, important to note that the title Team of Rivals isn't a mistake - this book is about much more than just Lincoln, his ascendancy to the presidency, his prosecution of the war, and his assassination. Instead, it's really a four-part parallel biography of the president and his main political rivals within the Republican party, three of whom (William Seward, Salmon Chase, Edward Bates) went on to serve in his cabinet and play key roles in the Union effort during the Civil War. I thought the format (20 pages or so of Lincoln, followed by parallel sections on each of Bates, Seward and Chase) was interesting and mostly useful, though I could have used less of the background on all the non-Lincoln characters.

But where this approach really shined, I thought, was in outlining the structure of Lincoln's life by comparison with the other prominent national politicians of his day. For instance, as DKG notes, each of these men had been born into relative obscurity, had gone west to "make their mark", had entered the practice of law, and had there forged policy views and personal relationships that would in many ways define their path for decades, including on the national stage. It provides a truly fascinating lens into the formation of the Republican party, which all four men were instrumental in founding, and deepens her insights into the strains that continued to pull at the infant party while Lincoln was in office. It makes Lincoln's leadership as head of the party even more impressive, when you understand the personalities who were behind various factions and their constant internecine squabbling.

These intraparty conflicts among Lincoln's "Team of Rivals" highlight the president's deeply unselfish attitude toward governing, his willingness to overlook personal slights and petty bickering and ask the question, "Which decision is best for the survival of the nation?" Would that all political leaders had the same attitude. What is equally interesting, though, is how willing Lincoln was to stand forward and shoulder the burden of decision-making, even when his decisions were unpopular among his cabinet or the people. Again, I feel like the modern history of the American presidency has few examples of such unequivocal leadership. And it's worth noting as well how frequently Lincoln was recorded making frank and public admissions of fault and apologizing for bad decisions. It's somehow become stigmatized for politicians to admit they were wrong about policy decisions, but Lincoln did it all the time, when he was convinced that he'd erred. Pretty remarkable.

So, I do feel like the book is a little on the hagiographic side, though obviously it's exhaustively researched. I would be interested to read a slightly more critical take on the Lincoln presidency, though maybe after a break - 900-odd pages of Lincoln has sated me for the moment! Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand what was probably the most pivotal chapter in America's history, having had more impact, I think, on who we are today than any other moment, even including our nation's founding.

As a side note - I think DKG's point, at the end of the book, that Lincoln's assassination was the most devastating event to have befallen the states of the Confederacy, is spot-on. It's hard to know whether a more empowered president, which a second-term Lincoln clearly would have been, would have been able to reintegrate the rebellious states into the Union with less long-term bitterness (much of which later resurfaced in the reaction to Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the rise of the KKK, the "Lost Cause" view of the war, etc.), but it's hard to imagine someone more aptly suited to that task than Lincoln. Not to remove culpability for the subsequent crimes of whites against America's newly-freed black citizens, but the nature of race relations in the United States, including our understanding of the Civil War itself, might have been fundamentally different had Lincoln lived another three years. What a tragedy for the world.

During one of the most tumultuous times in American history, Abraham Lincoln inherently understood that he needed the most capable people around him, regardless of ideological differences or political infighting, to steer the country through the crisis together. He rose above his political rivals and used empathy to not just unite his enemies but also the entire country. It's a truly amazing example of political genius.

While the book is centered around the American Civil War, this story takes place in the White House and Washington, not on the battlefield. It's a group biography about four rivals and their families, covering two presidential campaigns and all of the Washington infighting during the Civil War era. When Lincoln gave cabinet posts to the better-known trio he beat to the 1860 Republican nomination - William Seward, Salmon Chase and Edward Bates - this Team of Rivals became instrumental in preserving the nation and ending slavery in America.

Lincoln's rivals are bursting with extreme egos and personal agendas, which keeps the reader swinging from frustration, amusement, and just pure admiration for Lincoln's self-restraint and leadership skills. And Doris Kearns Goodwin writes Lincoln as very relatable despite his remarkable accomplishments. While he is known for great resilience, he was still deeply affected throughout his life, sometimes to the point of depression, by family tragedies and major setbacks. And despite the seriousness of his responsibilities, Lincoln was still a fun guy, he loved to tell jokes and bring a crowd to laugher with his humorous stories.

This book is absolutely brilliant, wonderfully written and incredibly accessible. Nothing I write here is really going to do it justice. There are so many valuable lessons to be learned from it about leadership, empathy, and patience. I originally read this book about 10 years ago, and I loved it just as much the second time around. It no doubt ranks among the best biographies I've ever read, and it claims a spot among my all-time favorite books. I think all the wisdom packed into this book makes it an essential read for anyone, but for both leaders and American history lovers, this is an absolute must-read.