Whew! 4 months later I finally finish this book.
I was really surprised how this book read like a novel. Goodwin describes all the characters that built up to be the Lincoln administration in just enough detail that we know their characters very well.
I definitely have a renewed interest in Lincoln after reading this and (if I don't get distracted) would love to read over the Douglas/Lincoln debates, all of Lincoln's speeches, and maybe the biography of William Seward (ah, best laid plans of mice and men).
He was an extraordinary president who didn't seem like the typical "career politician". A pretty simple man who came from humble beginnings and lived an honest life. I was a little skeptical of the praise that Goodwin lays upon Lincoln throughout almost the entire book, although it could possibly be that he did rule this much :)
I have to mention that the entire book is worth reading for the last chapter (I almost cried on the subway, dammit). Of course we all know what happens, but I never knew the scope of the assassination tragedy. It was a truly sad moment for the U.S.