From an editorial:
Foote's career was a wry commentary on fame. A promising young novelist in the early 1950s, he turned his back on it all for a lingering conversation with the past.
[He] combined the novelist's skills with the historian's keen observations to produce a landmark work.Another editorial:
He was a unique figure because he contributed to both historical understanding and literary achievement in the South.Seen on a discussion board:
And some humor:Would you classify him as a "historian"? I don't know that I would. I think of him more as a novelist who happened to be very, very knowledgable on the period of the Civil War. His books read so much better than any other history books. I must have read the three-part series five or six times now. If was was a historian, he's the most talented writer of the bunch.
I bought his books for my ex and when we divorced, he took them! Funny, he never fought for custody of our son. I'm not sure if that says more about my ex or about Mr. Foote's books!
