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Mrs. Lincoln: A Life
Abraham Lincoln is the most revered president in American history, but the woman at the center of his life, his wife, Mary, has remained a historical enigma. In this definitive, magisterial biography, Catherine Clinton draws on important new research to illuminate the remarkable life of Mary Lincoln, and at a time when the nation was being tested as never before.
Mary Linco...more
Mary Linco...more
Hardcover, 432 pages
Published
January 6th 2009
by Harper
(first published 2009)
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Had I read this book years ago I'd have been more satisfied. The 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth has spawned a raft of new publications which raise the bar for any historian. This book covers the same turf as the other Mary Todd Lincoln biographies that I've read, but the prose reads well and it kept my attention.
Earlier this year I read two of the new books: House of Abraham: Lincoln and the Todds, A Family Divided by War and The Last Lincolns: The Rise & Fall of a Great Americ...more
Earlier this year I read two of the new books: House of Abraham: Lincoln and the Todds, A Family Divided by War and The Last Lincolns: The Rise & Fall of a Great Americ...more
Knowing nothing about Mary Lincoln, this was an interesting read. The book covers the life of Mary Lincoln from youth through her death. She was alternately an intelligent, determined, progressive mate to Abraham, and erratic, manic, grieving mother and widow prone to mood swings and outbursts. I admire her for her fortitude during Abraham's rise from middle America lawyer to President. She had her work cut out refining Abraham's country style into manners and dress fit for the Commander in Chie...more
This one of the best books on Mrs. Lincoln that I have read. It does a pretty good job of "seeing her life from her side" and explaining a lot of the mysteries of this lady. Yes, there are insights on the president which I enjoyed. But I really got the book to better understand Mrs. Lincoln and try to see why and how she handled herself. It is in the final analysis a bit sad. I truly believe she loved Mr. Lincoln and that he loved her as well.
There were two questions that I am in the process of...more
There were two questions that I am in the process of...more
It is what the title suggests - the life of Mary Todd Lincoln. I went to Springfield and went to everything there was to see on President Lincoln and Mary and there is a lot. Between the museums, the free printed material given out, other books I've read and what I learned in school, I'm not sure I needed to read another book about Abe but was curious as to whether there was some additional information on Mary. I talked to numerous people and read reviews and got suggestions from the people at t...more
I'd always been interested in Mary Todd Lincoln but had never taken the time to read any biographies about her. Just so happened, Catherine Clinton's version showed up in my book club choices. I'm glad this version is now on my bookshelf, and it's a keeper.
Clinton covered the good, the bad and the ugly of the woman who was basically the first, First Lady due to how she ran the White House and was deeply involved in her husband's affairs. My overall thoughts on Mary's life,tragic.
You're compell...more
Clinton covered the good, the bad and the ugly of the woman who was basically the first, First Lady due to how she ran the White House and was deeply involved in her husband's affairs. My overall thoughts on Mary's life,tragic.
You're compell...more
I did learn a great deal from this book, but overall the writing is less then compelling. The author constantly explains and excuses Mary Lincoln's every action, so much so that the tone comes off as preemptively defensive. After a while I got the impression the author was so biased in her favor that I was getting a skewed perspective on Mary Lincoln. I understand the author did this to combat all the other, more negative biographies out there, but having never read any of those I felt like I wa...more
I bought this book at the Lincoln museum in Springfield Ill. during my "summer of Lincoln" in 2010. I became obsessed with Lincoln. The museum is fantastic. You walk though exhibits in chronological order of Lincoln's life so by the time I got to his assassination I was in tears. I couldn't believe it - crying over a museum exhibit when I already knew he was assassinated! That's how good the museum is.
There were several books about Mary Lincoln to choose from in the museum book store. This one...more
There were several books about Mary Lincoln to choose from in the museum book store. This one...more
I recommend this biography of Mary Lincoln. It is a balanced telling of her life as opposed to what we normally hear about her. Catherine Clinton did resort to a little too much speculation about her exposure to the evils of slavery in her childhood, and frequently you read something that she has said earlier in the book. Other than that, this is easy reading and fascinating.
There are questions about Mary that will never be answered to our satisfaction, mainly what type of mental illness did sh...more
There are questions about Mary that will never be answered to our satisfaction, mainly what type of mental illness did sh...more
Wow, what a good book.
I had previously read the insanity file of Mrs. Lincoln.
While I enjoyed that one as well.
This seems goes into much more detail.
Which makes sense, now that I think about it.
Not only about the life of Mrs. Lincoln, but those around her as well.
I also enjoyed reading about the civil war.
Normally I don't enjoy reading about that type of thing.
But this book held my attention, and didn't let go.
The end of the book deal with her being put into a institution
The effects from that pe...more
I had previously read the insanity file of Mrs. Lincoln.
While I enjoyed that one as well.
This seems goes into much more detail.
Which makes sense, now that I think about it.
Not only about the life of Mrs. Lincoln, but those around her as well.
I also enjoyed reading about the civil war.
Normally I don't enjoy reading about that type of thing.
But this book held my attention, and didn't let go.
The end of the book deal with her being put into a institution
The effects from that pe...more
Abraham Lincoln is the most revered president in American history, but the woman at the center of his life, his wife, Mary, has remained a historical enigma. In this definitive, magisterial biography, Catherine Clinton draws on important new research to illuminate the remarkable life of Mary Lincoln, and at a time when the nation was being tested as never before.
Mary Lincoln's story is inextricably tied with the story of America and with her husband's presidency, yet her life is an extraordinary...more
Mary Lincoln's story is inextricably tied with the story of America and with her husband's presidency, yet her life is an extraordinary...more
This is a solid biography of a difficult person. Much of Clinton's effort goes to evaluating rumors and lies about Mrs. Lincoln. This isn't made easier by the fact that there was often a kernel of truth to the unflattering things that were said about her. The most difficult of these tasks is in trying to make sense of Mary Lincoln's commitment to an asylum. The author blessedly indulges in relatively little post hoc diagnostics, though her repeated use of the coloquial "unhinged" to refer to her...more
Highly readable and informative. The author works hard, through research and understanding of context, to demonstrate how assumptions, the tabloid journalism of the day, and powerful people with grudges skewed (and skewered) the image of this intelligent, complex, and determined woman, who's been therefore treated unsympathetically by history. "Wasn't she crazy?" people say about her, 140 years later. But, Clinton shows, "She was a woman of intense intellect and passion who stepped outside the b...more
I wanted to give this book a higher rating, but realized it wasn’t the book as much as its subject that made me want to do so. I’ve had this on my shelf for a couple of years and was inspired to pick it up after seeing the movie “Lincoln” (Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln – what’s not to love about that?) Parts of this book are really well done, but others not so, thus the 3. The author repeats herself so many times, I began to wonder if this was a new trend in biography writing. I do think the...more
This book is somewhat scholarly and detailed. I learned many new things about Mrs. Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, and other historical characters. I felt the author was careful not to say anything about Mrs. Lincoln that could not be proven as, at the same time, she shared various speculations about some of the events. One comes away from this book convinced that gossip and false rumors are truly harmful. As a reader I felt a great deal of sympathy for Mrs. Lincoln. At the same time I was frustrated...more
This book was truly a study in contrasts...but what I got from it was a refreshing, new perspective on a woman who has been much maligned in history. True, Mary Lincoln had many faults and brought a lot of her issues upon herself. However, she was also a woman who believed in her famous husband and encouraged him to reach his true potential. She was loyal to Lincoln and doted on her sons. The latter one-third of the book is very gloomy and depressing considering the bad press she got in addition...more
This is the first book Ive read on Mary Lincoln. She is probably best remembered for her unbalanced mental status versus the highly educated, politically savy woman she was. She was the Hillary Clinton of her time. Clearly disliked as First Lady, but its clear she took care of her husband to insure he ate, and took time away from the worries of the civil war. She buried 3 young sons, saw the death of her husband, and had to morn the deaths of her brothers and brother-in-law in private because th...more
This book was refreshing and provided me with a new perspective on a woman who has been greatly talked about and misunderstood throughout history. Mary Lincoln had many faults and brought so many of her issues upon herself. But, with all told, she believed in her husband, her family and her beliefs. She was passionatley loyal to her husband. The last 1/4 of the book is very dark and depressing considering all of the bad press, not to mention,the deaths of her husband, two of her sons, and Robert...more
Not bad, but seems like it had the possibility to be more interesting. Several times the author alluded to or mentioned scandals or falling outs between people without explaining it. Sometimes this was discussed later on in the book and sometimes it was in the endnotes, although there were no markers to indicate the presence of endnotes. Sometimes these mentions were not really discussed at all. Some more quotes from primary sources might have been nice to see what people were saying about Mary...more
It is nice to see a biography of Mrs. Lincoln for a change. This biography mentions such books as Team of Rivals which was amazing. The Madness of Mary Lincoln which I am still attempting to locate.
This bio gives a more balanced look at her life. It does not deny her troubles with shopping and fears re: money. Her "madness" and the basic lack of respect given to her after the death of Lincoln,however; it also expresses the support that she gave Lincoln and her support and love for family and cou...more
This bio gives a more balanced look at her life. It does not deny her troubles with shopping and fears re: money. Her "madness" and the basic lack of respect given to her after the death of Lincoln,however; it also expresses the support that she gave Lincoln and her support and love for family and cou...more
Excellent biography of Mary Todd Lincoln. She was the first "real" First Lady--a woman in her own right. She was slandered a lot in the press--evidently much was justified, but a lot was unfair. In the past ten years, some letters by Mary Lincoln have been discovered and the info is included in this book. She and her husband truly loved each other. She suffered enormously--- she had four sons, but only one son survived to adulthood. She lost three sons and her husband--- terrific emotional pain....more
A lot of pressure comes to those who play the role of a President’s wife. Pressures the “average” person can’t always fathom. One can only imagine the immense life of Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of our beloved Emancipator. It is debated whether Mrs. Lincoln was “crazy” or just caved into the pressures of the role and the mother of a devious son. What do I think? We’re all a little crazy…
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life is an immediate page turner with smooth and easy-to-read text. I found myself instantly p...more
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life is an immediate page turner with smooth and easy-to-read text. I found myself instantly p...more
I finished this book and can just say Mary Lincoln, even though she did have a difficult personality, was much maligned. I rated it so high though because it got me to thinking. The book ended by saying that no other first ladies had been treated this badly except Eleanor Roosevelt and Hilary Clinton. I actually believe every bad thing I read about Hilary Clinton. In light of this book however, I must reconsider. Judgment is not for us nor should we be repeating gossip. Somehow with Hilary Clint...more
I love the character of Abraham Lincoln, and have read quite a few books about his life, so I thought I should be fair, and read something about his wife. She is generally considered a difficult personality, of a choleric temper, demanding, quite spendthrift during her time in the White House, and later, after her husband's death, almost deranged. But this biography gives a more sympathetic portrait of her. Though sometimes I thought that the author spoke more about Abraham Lincoln and their kid...more
Learning about history is one of my passions, especially the era of the founding fathers and the era of the Civil War. The life of Abraham Lincoln holds a special fascination for me. That is why this book caught my attention when I saw it featured at our neighborhood library. Although I was excited to read it, it surpassed all my expectations. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of the complicated life of Mary Todd Lincoln.
A wonderful read. Intriguing from start to finish. She paints a thorough picture of what was and doesn't add her own opinion of "what it meant." She merely mentions all opinions (rumors) of other scholars and biographers out there and discussions the other possibilities. Clinton writes with love about this subject; about the life of this woman - a woman who's time was spent in a world before the emancipation of women (and before good psychiatric care).
Awesome, Awesome book. I am a huge enthusiast for anything Lincoln related. This book gave indepth to Mary's life. I feel that Mrs. Lincoln has been given a bad rep by Lincoln's biographers and this book gave more insight as to why she has received that reputation. I still firmly believe that she is fascinating and would have liked to have known with definition if she was somewhat off her rocker - but if she was could any truly blame her?
After having read "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter," I was anxious to read more about Mary Todd Lincoln. She's been my favorite First Lady in history, so I've read a couple of books about her already. It never fails to make me angry about how misunderstood and mistreated she was. I highly recommend this particular book for an easy-to-read story from a woman's perspective.
Mary Lincoln was one complex personality. She was a southerner who wholeheartedly embraced abolition. She was an intellectual from a multi-generational family of politicians, a great mentor for Abe who was shoved out of the way once the Lincolns got to Washington. At times, you feel frustrated with her seeming vanity, and at times your heart breaks for her losses, of both her privacy and her sons' deaths. Clinton does a remarkable job of communicating both who Mary Lincoln was as a person and wh...more
Gives an in-depth view of the original "first-lady" and her relationship with President Abraham Lincoln. Her life was full, difficult, and complicated by her mental imbalances, yet she dealt with life in the public eye with some modicum of dignity. I suppose it was tough to be a strong willed woman in the Victorian era without being labeled crazy!
This book is a little deceiving--- this is supposed to be a book about Mrs. Lincoln and it's more about President Lincoln than it is about her. There is not enough credibility here for me to feel like the author knew what she was doing. I suffered through the book, and I honestly didn't learn anything that I didn't know before I read it.
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Oct 22, 2009 09:27am