Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Book Type: Paperback
I was really disappointed with this book.
This purports to be a historical biography, but there was not a footnote or bibliographical reference in sight. That, combined with the author's tendency to assert what people were thinking without referencing anything but his own imagination, made me leery of the whole thing.
The author also had a wildy idiosyncratic writing style, and the book was full of over-stuffed and exaggerated similes that made it almost unreadable at times. For instance, in describing Wilberforce's coach journey through France with a friend who was instrumental in his conversion, Metaxas writes that they were 'sailing in their horse-drawn coach through the mountains, like something out of a fairytale, one in which a gnome and a giant on a journey in a sphere of glass and silver discover the Well at the World's End, and drinking a draught of therefrom learn the secret meaning at the heart of the universe.' What??? In describing one of the parliamentary debates on abolition, an opponent proposed a compromise and suggested gradual abolition, which Metaxas asserts was a suggestion 'from the dead belly of hell itself.' The book is full of other such gems that for me at least were very distracting and just plain annoying, especially when combined with the author's tendency to flip-flop between writing in the past and present tense for no apparent reason.
The book is also billed as a companion volume to the movie (which was great) however, it skips over all the parliamentary sneaking and strategising they had to do to get their bill through. This isn't mentioned in the book at all. Not once. Instead Metaxas presents the passing of the abolition bill in 1807 as the triumphant and inevitable conclusion to a long campaign, without even mentioning their brilliant tactics of the year before which resulted in the passing of the Foreign Slave Trade Act, which was one of the high points of the movie.
There is a great story to be told about William Wilberforce, but sadly Eric Metaxas did not manage to do it.
This purports to be a historical biography, but there was not a footnote or bibliographical reference in sight. That, combined with the author's tendency to assert what people were thinking without referencing anything but his own imagination, made me leery of the whole thing.
The author also had a wildy idiosyncratic writing style, and the book was full of over-stuffed and exaggerated similes that made it almost unreadable at times. For instance, in describing Wilberforce's coach journey through France with a friend who was instrumental in his conversion, Metaxas writes that they were 'sailing in their horse-drawn coach through the mountains, like something out of a fairytale, one in which a gnome and a giant on a journey in a sphere of glass and silver discover the Well at the World's End, and drinking a draught of therefrom learn the secret meaning at the heart of the universe.' What??? In describing one of the parliamentary debates on abolition, an opponent proposed a compromise and suggested gradual abolition, which Metaxas asserts was a suggestion 'from the dead belly of hell itself.' The book is full of other such gems that for me at least were very distracting and just plain annoying, especially when combined with the author's tendency to flip-flop between writing in the past and present tense for no apparent reason.
The book is also billed as a companion volume to the movie (which was great) however, it skips over all the parliamentary sneaking and strategising they had to do to get their bill through. This isn't mentioned in the book at all. Not once. Instead Metaxas presents the passing of the abolition bill in 1807 as the triumphant and inevitable conclusion to a long campaign, without even mentioning their brilliant tactics of the year before which resulted in the passing of the Foreign Slave Trade Act, which was one of the high points of the movie.
There is a great story to be told about William Wilberforce, but sadly Eric Metaxas did not manage to do it.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
