Ah, a really wonderful book for anyone who likes their American Revolutionary Era and early 19th century history.
Vidal, like any historical work that is tweaked into novel form, is forced into putting words into characters’ mouths. But Vidal’s scholarship was deep enough that the statements must have represented, to a large degree, reality. In most instances, where a character did or said something notable, they either did it or it was necessary to the narrative that the action was represented.
There are also several fairly obscure events from the era that were brought into the novel, such as the Jewett murder (I don’t read true crime) and the Swartwout-Hoyt scandal. A lazier novel would have dodged this entirely.
There are a lot of criticisms toward Vidal’s treatment of the founding fathers. When I first read the book years ago, I found the unflattering picture to be annoying. When I read it this time, I took more of a measured view. Vidal’s job here wasn’t to write a hagiography — it was to recreate the thoughts of Burr and the other founders.
The founders respected each other, certainly, but they certainly did not love each other. Vidal took the risker, but more interested road, in representing them accurately.