Fates and Traitors: A Novel of John Wilkes Booth

Chiaverini (Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule) here tells the story of John Wilkes Booth, scion of a noted acting family but best known for his assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Largely written in the voices of four key women in Wilkes's life—his mother, his sister, a potential fiancée, and the owner of the boarding house where he plotted the president's death—Chiaverini's fictionalized biography tries to flesh out this infamous name. Christina Moore brings a poignancy to her narration, especially to that of Wilkes's British mother, a Covent Garden flower seller who must engage with Junius Brutus Booth, the tormented genius who only later marries her. Moore lends a sympathetic note to Mary Surratt, the boarding house owner who has had a life of abuse and supports Booth's plans. The author's acknowledgments and bibliographic resources are not included in this recording.