Like his The Embarrassment of Riches and the bestselling Citizens, Simon Schama's latest book is both history and literature of immense stylishness...
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reviews
Jan 27, 2011
Stephen
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I don't think the author achieved quite what he set out to do in this one. It seems he tried to compare and contrast two public deaths: James Wolfe, a British General who died at the battle of Quebec in 1759 and whose death was immortalized by painter Benjamin West and historian Francis Parkman, and George Parkman (nephew of the historian) a Boston Brahmin and Harvard professor who was murdered by fellow professor John Webster over a debt in 1849. What the author does incredibly well is take
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Apr 01, 2010
Alastair
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This is one pretty terrific, imaginative report on the Parkman/Webster case: the trial of John White Webster, Harvard professor, for the murder of George Parkman, physician & philanthropist. Schama's ironic title alludes to how treacherous historical evidence can be: three differing 'authoritative' versions of the trial, plus miscellaneous other sources, & the question of if Webster did it — & what he did — remains unanswered.
The first part of the book deals with the relationship of More...
The first part of the book deals with the relationship of More...
Oct 24, 2010
Dan
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I haven't read any other books by Schama, but this seemed kind of tossed off. He jumps from one brief historical account to another (tangentially related) story a century later, and then stays on that for the rest of the book. It's a novel structure, no doubt, but it's unclear what exactly he's up to until the afterword. Schama's point with Dead Certainties is that even the best-researched historical re-creation involves a great deal of creative license on the part of the historian. But it's not
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May 14, 2009
Eric_W
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Simon Schama, author of Citizens (a history of the French revolution) and Embarrassment of Riches (a cultural history of the Dutch), has authored a strange little book entitled Dead Certainties: Unwarranted Speculations . I say strange, because while I've enjoyed it, I can't figure it out. Basically, he describes two historical events from several perspectives, and the link between the two is tenuous indeed. We begin with a fictional account of the death of Wolfe on the heights of Abraham in Qu
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Apr 26, 2011
Edward
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This was a fascinating book about one of the countries earliest homicides to capture the public's attention. The book reads like a novel, but is in fact non fiction. It starts off discussing a famous painters paintings and then ends up being about something entirely different than you ever expected. I read the whole book in one sitting. I highly recommend it.
Apr 03, 2011
Amanda
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While Schama has clearly done his research for his writing, I don't really think that Dead Certainties can be considered history. This book reads like a novel, and should be treated as a sort of historical fiction, in my opinion. In conclusion, Schama has produced a spectacular piece of writing, but mostly in the sense of good literature, not history.
Aug 10, 2011
Read this mostly for the account of the infamous 1849 Webster murder trial. It is "fiction" yet takes historical documents into account in the writing which was informative as to legal history on a subject I find quite interesting.
Oct 28, 2009
Monika
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Simon Schama writes in this book about historical speculation. What could have happened to General James Wolfe who was killed in the battle o Quebec in 1759 and one hundred years later to the death of a Harvard man? Intriguing narration
Sep 04, 2009
Louise
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Simon Schama is the most varied Historian you'll find. His major tome, Rembrandt's Eyes, was 700 pages of pure joy, his "Future of America" book & PBS program showed his insight into our culture & this exploration into the varied ways we can see history, according to the reporter, really gives you pause to pay attention to who's telling you the story.
Nov 12, 2009
Suz
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Very interesting--especially the conclusion. It causes one to think about what the true definition of history is, one's use of sources, and a literary style.
Mar 06, 2009
What a lovely, strange little idea. I don't even care if it works or not. I bet the painting of it will make me smile.
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Nov 21, 2008
Ellen
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Every student of American history should read it for perspective. Supports a crucial organic approach to the subject.
Aug 11, 2008
Tom
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While I applaud Schama's ambitions in this "speculative" history, I didn't think he quite pulled it off, in terms of provoking insightful connections between the two stories of death. Nonetheless, the writing is wonderful, and if you like imagining the story behind the story in famous historical events, this is an entertaining book.
Aug 26, 2011
The first story in this book, about the death of General Wolfe in the French and Indian War, is painfully boring. The second story, about the murder of a Harvard professor in the late 1800's, is pretty captivating. I hope I finish it by the time I'm tested on it Monday.
Dec 16, 2009
Todd
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This book could easily have been worthy of four stars, but it never stepped up and really solidly delivered on my expectations. But the second story, about the murder of one Harvard professor by another, is a really interesting case, and well told.
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