Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters

I almost always have a few reservations about reading a fictional account of a real person, and in particular a well know historic figure. One of the good things, though about reading these types of novels is that I’m usually inspired to read more about the person’s life to see how factual the story is. I’m disappointed when it veers too far off from the truth. In this case, I was not disappointed. This novel begins in 1875 with Mary Todd Lincoln’s sisters reacting to her having been committed to a mental health facility by her son Robert after her erratic behavior and suicide attempt. It’s sad in so many ways and the portrayal here of Mary Todd Lincoln by her sisters is not the prettiest picture at times in this fictional account. If you know anything about her or read anything about her as this book inspired me to do , it appears that a good bit here is true to the facts. As for her sisters and how they respond, I don’t know, but the imagined parts of the story are compelling and reflect the complexity of the woman and the complexity of family relationships. <br /><br />In alternating chapters from the present of 1875 back to the past in the years around 1825 and in between, we get a view Mary and her siblings as they grow up, as they lose their beloved mother, make their way through the demands of the time and their family in finding good husbands. The relationships between Mary and her sisters are strained over the years, but resentment is mixed with love and concern for Mary during the trying times of her life. <br /><br />Mary and Abraham’s courtship and marriage, his rise to the presidency, the Civil War, slavery, Lincoln’s assassination - Chiaverini gives us a slice of history through the lives of this family. It’s also about the depths of grief of a daughter, a mother, a wife, a troubled woman, more than likely suffering from depression. Since the narratives are from the sister’s perspectives, what was missing for me was Mary’s perspective. Otherwise, a compelling piece of historical fiction.<br /><br /> I received a copy of this book from WilliamMorrow through Edelweiss.

In 1875, ten years after assassination of President Lincoln, Mary Lincoln tries to poison herself. Why? Is it because of a deranged mind or traumatized one?<br /><br />1875. Mary has been estranged from her sister Elizabeth and other siblings and friends for years. She lost her husband and three sons. Robert, her eldest and only surviving child, believes that his mother is a danger to herself and has begun legal proceedings to have her committed to an asylum. Or is compassion and sympathetic companionship what she truly needs? Instead of asylum. That’s what some of her sisters think.<br /><br />1825. Mary is a cheerful child, full of entertaining ideas, making others laugh. This merry child loses her mother to fever after giving birth. And this is one of the first tragic events in Mary’s life. With years and different events affecting her, she starts changing from her cheerful side into a more dramatic person.<br /><br />1875. Mary’s sister Ann reveals that Mary’s “eccentricities had manifested long before she suffered these losses. (…) Mary was a moody girl” and temperamental. She presents Mary as manipulative and that she needs to learn her lesson. <br /><br />Emilie, half-sister, who also lost a husband, on the other hand, sympathizes with Mary. She knows “how the accumulation of sorrows could burden the spirit.”<br /><br />I enjoyed how the story was revealed through four siblings, who had different views of Mary and what estranged them. We got to know Mary’s siblings and how they got along with Mary throughout their lives. <br /><br />And above all, I loved the cheerful, witty and curious side of Mary and what an incredible woman she was. From the young age she was inclined toward politics. She knew exactly what she wanted and that was to wed the president of the US. She was “bright, intellectually curious, and sociable (…) and one of the brightest and most popular students at the school.” She was a devoted wife, unwaveringly standing by her husband, who fought an uphill battle against those who saw him as unequal, thus unfit for politics.<br /><br />Effortlessly written story, interestingly blending history with different personalities, views and opinions of five sisters (including Mary); taking reader on a journey full of feelings and sisterly events.<br /><br />P.S. If you’re a fan of Mary Lincoln, I also highly recommend Courting Mr. Lincoln by Louis Bayard and The First Lady and the Rebel by Susan Higginbotham. Keep in mind, there is some overlapping in those three books, which I didn’t mind. <br />

I had no idea until I finished this book that it is a follow-up to another Chiaverini book, Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. I was thoroughly taken with Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters and with Chiaverini's writing style and am already on the hunt for the first book in the series. That being said, I'm somewhat of a Civil War buff and have visited Gettysburg, the Appomattox Court House, and Fort Sumter, so I may be a bit biased when it comes to any historical fiction book concerning major players in the war, including Mary Todd Lincoln, but I thought this book was phenomenal. <br /><br />One of the things I enjoy the most about historical fiction books based upon "real life" characters, is that it always whets my appetite to further research the character, and I did just that with Mary Todd Lincoln, as I personally did not know much of anything about her life following the assassination of her husband. I found much of what was written in this work of fiction to be historically accurate, but I still assume much of the narrative is fiction; however, it was very intriguing. <br /><br />The book focuses mainly on Mary Todd Lincoln's fate, all told through her numerous sisters' eyes. I have always read that Mary Todd Lincoln was a difficult person, but based on this book, to say that she was troubled is putting it mildly. Her story is both heartbreaking and deeply troublesome, from her only surviving son having her declared legally insane, to a suicide attempt, and her shocking actions following her internment. Although they had long been estranged, Mary's eldest sister, Elizabeth, sets aside her grievances and takes her in after her release from the asylum, as she realizes that Mary's tenuous mental health deteriorated through years of trauma and loss. Some of her other sisters are not so understanding though, and through their characters, you learn that Mary's issues may have started long before the death of her sons and her husband's assassinations. <br /><br />I thought Chiaverini really excels in writing about this era, in both her language and her descriptions (there is nothing worse than historical characters using twenty-first century speech!). She easily manages to draw the reader into the time period, and with her use of flashbacks alternating with "present" events, she is able to delve into Mary's personality and bring the reader full circle. I loved all of the sisters' varying reflections on Mary and enjoyed each sister's story immensely. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a fiction book, as it read like a biography, and at the end, I found myself questioning the depth of Mary's "insanity" as opposed to selfish manipulation. There were a few times I felt a big bogged down by some of the "backstories," but all in all, it is definitely a 4-star worthy read.

I won this book as a goodreads giveaway. Thank you William Morrow and Harper Collins.<br /><br />I thought this book was very well written. I enjoyed how the author took known information about the Todd sisters and made it into a well flowing narrative.<br /><br />It’s also a story of how the war between the states tore apart and brought together families. <br /><br />If you are a fan of 19th Century America give this book a go.

I won an ARC of Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters in a Goodreads giveaway and I promptly began reading on April 15th. Over the next few days, I would pick it up only to set it down again—unable to get into the story. Once I reached the 6th chapter, I set it aside. As soon as the book released on June 2nd, I obtained an audiobook copy from my local library. In this format, I was able to finish the story and compile my thoughts.<br /><br />I do admire and respect Jennifer Chiaverini and have spent many enjoyable hours reading her other works. Unfortunately, with this novel, I found it difficult to connect with any of her characters. That's saying a lot given the size of the Todd family. While it was interesting to view the major events of their lives from the viewpoint of each sister, I felt like I was reading the transcripts of a family feud. The jealousy and backbiting among the siblings coupled with Mary Lincoln's fits of hysteria just didn't make for good fiction. <br /><br />Despite how I felt about this title, I will be among the first to read whatever Chiaverini writes next.

Good history lessons but read like a soap opera

Poorly developed, flat characters, dialogue that is awkward and tedious and virtually no plot are the basis for my rating. This book was extremely difficult to engage and a struggle to finish. Mary Todd Lincoln’s life after Lincoln was shot as told from her sister’s point of view. Best to pass on this one.

I loved Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini and found myself immersed in the story-line while reading.<br /><br />As Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters begins, Elizabeth Todd Edwards receives the news that her estranged sister Mary Todd Lincoln has been declared legally insane and is being committed to a mental institution after attempting suicide. Elizabeth wants to go to her other sisters to see what they can do for Mary. She is willing to bring her estranged sister home to care for her but the other sisters are not so eager to help Mary and even think she may be exaggerating her mental illness for attention. The sisters try to decipher what is truly going on with Mary because they are receiving different accounts regarding the situation. The chapters alternate with flashbacks as the story-line mainly centers around Mary, past and present, as well as on her three sisters Elizabeth, Frances, Ann and Emilie. Many of the passages and scenes were moving, especially after the assassination. I never realized some of these sisters sided with the Confederacy and some with the Union and their brothers and even husbands died on the battlefield. <br /><br />I enjoyed diving into this nice piece of historical fiction. The writing was rich and descriptive, the story flowed smoothly and I ended up googling some of it to see what was true to life or not. <br /><br />I recommend Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters if you are looking to get lost in a wonderfully written piece of historical fiction centering around Mary Todd Lincoln and her sisters. I have a non-fiction book on Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd, I need to pick it up soon.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://bookwormnai.wordpress.com/2020/05/05/mrs-lincolns-sisters-by-jennifer-chiaverini/">https://bookwormnai.wordpress.com/202...</a><br /><br />disclaimer:<br />Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I received my free review copy of Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini via NetGalley / Harper Collins in exchange for my honest thoughts.

MRS. LINCOLN'S SISTERS<br />BY JENNIFER CHIAVERINI<br /><br />I really love historical fiction and I realize that parts of this book is fiction. The problem is when this genre depicts real people that were part of a significant important time in history. I have read numerous books about Abraham Lincoln but until reading this I knew little about Mary Todd Lincoln. I knew she was troubled from witnessing her beloved husband President Lincoln get assassinated in Ford's theater and losing three of her four son's. I knew little about her oldest son Robert who had her institutionalized claiming she was insane. When I finished reading this novel I researched this and found this to be true. Mary Todd Lincoln also was released from Bellevue Place to be cared for by her maternal and kind oldest sister Elizabeth. My research also included this also to be true. At the end of the novel their is an Author's note and bibliography listing sources proving this Author clearly did her research. What left me unsettled was not knowing what aspects of this novel is true and what is fiction.<br /><br />I was surprised to learn by reading this that Mary turned against her oldest son Robert for only looking out for her best interests when he had her committed according to this novel. She turned on her only remaining son with such vitriol and almost hatred that I found hard to fathom any mother could do. That's why I am left wondering how much about that subject alone is fact or fiction. I was wondering a lot at the end of the book aside from known facts how much was true and how much was the Author's creative license to propel the narrative. Upon reflection I have decided when I want to learn about the real life stories without embellishment I should probably stick to biographies or research primary source material.<br /><br />This was still an informative and enjoyable reading experience. I learned about more than I had known about Mary Todd Lincoln's family background and it held my interest throughout the entire narrative. I think Mary Todd Lincoln had suffered so much loss that realistically who wouldn't be upset and it helps me to feel compassion for her and feel that she could be misunderstood for enduring all that she lost. This novel doesn't paint her in a positive picture. Before I make up my mind about her I need to do further research. Still I am happy I read this novel because it has piqued my interest to read more factual research about her life. And I think that any novel that inspires me to learn more about a subject that I might not discovered interesting previously is a good thing.<br /><br />Thank you to Net Galley, Jennifer Chiaverini and HarperCollins Publisher for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.<br /><br />Publication Date: June 2, 2020<br /><br />#Mrs.Lincoln'sSisters #JenniferChiaverini #HarperCollinsPublishers #NetGalley

A wonderful premise, but ultimately I felt that the style of storytelling, namely, the author's habit of telling rather than showing, made the plot very slow-moving and unexciting. Each sister basically retold Mary Todd's life, and what little dialogue there was felt stilted and awkward, with the characters spouting historical facts in an unnatural manner. This book did, however, motivate me to find a biography on Mary Lincoln and learn more about her early life before she became First Lady. I highly recommend the documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided.