1876 a Novel

Amazon.com

The more things change, the more they stay the same: "The last few days would have brought down any parliamentary government. As it is, the Grant Administration is a shambles, and there is even talk that the President may resign."

Charles Schuyler, the narrator of Burr, returns to the United States after an absence of nearly 40 years, with his widowed daughter, Emma, in tow. While they try to find a suitably rich husband for Emma among the New York social set, Charles concentrates on the scandals in Washington--including accusations of corruption and obstruction of justice against Ulysses S. Grant--and the presidential race between Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden (Tilden apparently, in fact, won the election, only to have it taken away because of electoral fraud). Cameo appearances by Chester A. Arthur, Mark Twain, Charles Nordhoff, and others enliven the proceedings. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Suspenseful and extravagantly decorated.... If you think politics are dirty now, you should have witnessed the goings-on a hundred years ago.... Impossible to resist." --Cosmopolitan

"Vidal writes so well that you find yourself holding your breath over something that is a foregone conclusion.... Vidal's talent makes the bloated characters of Washington live in a way history books don't." --The Boston Globe

From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.