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Assassination Vacation
by Sarah Vowell

7.4 based on 7 reviews read critic reviews how did we calculate this? based on 5 votes read user comments rate this book

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FILM:

• The Incredibles

• Official Publisher Site

The writer, NPR contributor and Incredibles star takes a typically humorous road trip through America looking for tourist attractions related to our first three assassinated presidents, Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley.

Simon & Schuster, 272 pages
04/04/2005
$21.00

ISBN: 0743260031

Nonfiction
History
Social Sciences
Travel

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

Publishers Weekly

This is history at its most morbid and most fascinating.

San Francisco Chronicle Greg Beato

At times, though, she's too much the stand-up comedian, determined to punctuate every fact she exhumes with a verbal elbow in the ribs, even when the material would be better served without such efforts.

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Lionel Shriver

Her voice is energetic, jousting and dry. [30 Apr 2005, p.D10]

The New York Times Book Review Bruce Handy

A learned, engagingly discursive, funny, sometimes even jolly ramble -- literally -- through the landscape of American presidential assassinations.

PopMatters C.W. Thompson

Vowell's style is particularly engaging.

The Onion A.V. Club Tasha Robinson

Like any detailed documentation of a private obsession, Assassination Vacation can seem a bit dull in the details, at least when Vowell herself doesn't openly show her enthusiasm. But when she does, that enthusiasm is infectious.

Washington Post Catherine Tumber

Vowell's ambitions get the best of her, however, as she attempts to weigh in on the historical particulars of each assassination.

The average user rating for this book is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Casey S gave it a9:
I actually listened to the audio version of this book which was read by the author. Its amazing how much better Ms. Vowell's dryly witty writing style is conveyed simply by hearing her voice. It is clear that her obsession lies mainly with President Lincoln's assassination, but the other two presidential assassination storylines do not suffer much. A very good, funny, enjoyable read. One of the real winners of this past year.

Tom M gave it a0:
Well after reading the first 30 pages of this book I pretty much wanted to kill myself. Sarah Vowell must have been high when she wrote this book. Does she have any idea how to keep a paragraph in logical order. She rambles on incoherently like she's retarded. I don't know what the heck she was talking about. She goes from talking about Lincoln's assassination to how she has a phobia of driving all in the same sentence. Then a few pages later she's talking about how she's at Yankee's stadium and then Chicago, then something about the Rome, then about yellow fever. I hate this book and i wish that i never read a word out of if. I am now dumber having read the first 60 pages!!

Cody S gave it a9:
Near perfect. Loved how personal the account of it all got. Right after finishing it, i went out and bought The Partly Cloudy Patriot and Take the Cannoli. Cant wait for another book.

Mauro D gave it a9:
Although not quite as good as her previous books such as Partly Cloudy Patriot, anything written by Sarah Vowell is worth reading. This, like her other works, is full of surprising insights that sneak up on you (and apparently on her as well). An excellent read, humorous and informative and very Sarah Vowell.

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