Ecstatic Nation: Confidence, Crisis, and Compromise, 1848-1877 - Brossura

“This is a marvelous book. With narrative grace and surehanded scholarship, Brenda Wineapple has written a compelling account of an epochal (and too little understood) age. From the death of John Quincy Adams through the Civil War to the tragedy of Reconstruction, Wineapple tells the American story brilliantly.” (Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion)

“Ecstatic Nation is historical writing of the highest order. . . . With vivid portrayals of the principals of the period, Wineapple sets out the conflicts and causes that shaped the nation. . . . An indispensable guide to the forces that created our own time.” (The Boston Globe)

“Wineapple is a beautiful writer, at once lyrical and measured. . . . In providing a sense of the possibilities and tragedies or the era, of its passions and disappointments, Wineapple has given us a memorable book.” (The Christian Science Monitor)

“Brenda Wineapple portrays the years of sectional conflict, Civil War, and Reconstruction on a broad canvas that has room for Emily Dickinson and Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis and Walt Whitman. Blending cultural and political history, Ecstatic Nation offers new perspectives on this transformative era.” (James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom)

“Ecstatic Nation is a brilliant portrait of American society in the mid-nineteenth century. . . . Wineapple’s deep research, deft character studies, and rich and nuanced storytelling bring this transformative period alive. A must-read for all lovers of American history.” (Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello)

“There are good storytellers and there are good historians. Brenda Wineapple is both. Beautifully written and grounded in a prodigious mastery of the material, there is no other book like it. Seasoned scholars will be impressed. Interested readers will be riveted.” (James Oakes, author of Freedom National)

“A marvelous survey of both familiar and unsung American stories, contextualized and framed within one sweeping canvas. Sure to enrich any reader’s understanding of the complicated history of Civil War-era America.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review, "Review of the Week")

“A wonderful, unconventional narrative history, laced with finely-grained sketches of fascinating, conflicted people and harrowing events. Wineapple delivers for even the most avid readers about this era a series of surprises. This is the art of history informed by learning and written with style.” (David Blight, author of American Oracle)

“A masterful, sweeping synthesis of a transformative time. . . . In Ecstatic Nation, Wineapple offers a beautifully written and skillfully woven narrative that anyone interested in American history should enjoy.” (BookPage)

“A remarkable, mesmerizing book. . . . For many of us, the years before and after the Civil War have seemed hollow and empty, presided over by dreary, cowardly men. No longer, thanks to this book’s impeccable scholarship, vivid characterizations, and masterful storytelling.” (Robert K. Massie, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Catherine the Great)