The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan

May 10, 2023

The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan

Follows the lives of three families living in Springfield, IL, from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, and their different experiences. The Lincolns are Abraham Lincoln's family; the Donnegans are a free black family who assist escaped slaves to freedom; and the Ferreiras are a family of Portuguese immigrants who left their home seeking religious freedom and settled in Springfield. All are affected by Lincoln's presidency and assassination, the Civil War, and emancipation and restoration following the war. 

I enjoyed Horan's previous books so I was looking forward to reading her latest novel. While well-researched, the author tried to cover too much territory historically, and there are too many characters for good character development. She tried to include too many important topics, such as slavery, the Civil War, Lincoln's presidency, the race riots in the early 20th century, Mary Todd Lincoln's life as First Lady. I think the title is also incorrect - I went into the book thinking it was about the Lincoln family, but they really play only a small part. There is much more about the Donnegan family and slavery than either of the other families. Needed a good editor - disappointing.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Springfield's main street and business district, mid-19th century

Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini

June 3, 2020

Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini

Before she married Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd was one of the Todd sisters, the belles of Lexington, KY, society.  Ten years after her husband's assassination, Mary is estranged from her family and displaying increasingly erratic behavior.  Her only surviving son Robert has no choice but to have her committed to a sanatorium for her own safety.

Mary Todd was from the prominent Todd family, active in politics and friendly with most of the major politicians of the day.  Mary had five siblings and nine half-siblings; three sisters and one half sister feature in the book.  Mary's sisters had long been aware of her self-centeredness, manipulative nature, and almost pathological need to be the center of attention.  Today, we would call Mary a drama queen - she loved drama, and if there wasn't any, she would create some by blowing a minor snub out of proportion.  Mary's sisters' families referred to her as "Crazy Aunt Mary."

Most of the photographs of Mary Todd Lincoln that have survived show a rather dumpy over-dressed unhappy looking woman, so it is hard for modern readers to believe that she was once considered to be one of the most beautiful and sought after young women in Kentucky and Illinois.  The tragedies that Mary experienced after her marriage certainly contributed to her mental crises, but in the 19th century, it was unfortunately all too common to lose several children and have one's husband die (although not many were assassinated in front of their wives).

The story line moves back and forth between Mary's youth and her chaotic widowhood.  The story drags a bit in the middle, but anyone interested in MTL will be interested in the women who grew up with Mary and knew her best.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in return for a review.