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Collins, Paul: The trouble with Tom (2005, Bloomsbury, Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers) 3 stars

Review of 'The trouble with Tom' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Chronicles the dying years of Thomas Paine and beyond, using a combination of travelogue and biography, along with nutshell history lessons. Towards the end of the book, it becomes a bit scattered, not unlike the mortal remains. Still, a fun read with a bit of humor.

A big part of this book isn't so much the bones as who bought 'em, and why. Interesting characters come and go, and perhaps the greatest is Moncure Conway, the Forrest Gump of his time. I did not realize that Paine and Thoreau were so connected, nor so disliked in their time.

I would have appreciated a few more maps, and perhaps a photo or two of the buildings described in such detail. This book was a decent read and fairly quick.