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Kendra

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Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

by Jennifer Chiaverini (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: historical, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in May 2013

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Kendra said: " Before there was Cinna in The Hunger Games, there was real-life Mrs. Elizabeth Keckley, a modiste to Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln, and other notable figures during the Civil War era. A modiste is a dressmaker, hairdresser, and stylist rolled into one. Keck Before there was Cinna in The Hunger Games, there was real-life Mrs. Elizabeth Keckley, a modiste to Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln, and other notable figures during the Civil War era. A modiste is a dressmaker, hairdresser, and stylist rolled into one. Keckley was more than just a modiste to Mrs. Lincoln, she was a genuine friend, despite events that estranged them near the end of their lives.

I have read most of author, Jennifer Chiaverini's other works, which have been mostly fiction, but some historical fiction surrounding the Civil War - so I knew what I was getting into. Unfortunately, there are two sides to any coin. On the one side, Chiaverini is a thorough researcher. This novel not only provides an intimate look at President Lincoln and his family and the community climate of Washington DC during the Civil War, but also the painful process of abolishing slavery and then the country being unprepared for the sheer amount of freed slaves who now needed gainful employment and living quarters. I feel like I learned a lot about those times and am even more grateful for the sacrifice of Lincoln for his nation. In addition to various other biographies, the main source was a memoir written by Mrs. Keckley herself and published in 1868, called "Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House".

However, because of this being Chiaverini's first stand-alone historical novel, and the desire to stay true to real-life events, I found that the novel did not have the pacing that I've come to expect from her. There were times it felt stilted.

This is a truly fascinating novel from the history of our nation. But don't choose it as a feel-good novel. It is not. Mary Lincoln was controversial, impetuous, unwise, and not in control of her emotions. Her bad decisions made the deaths of her son and President Lincoln exponentially compounded. And Mrs. Keckley made quite a few unwise decisions herself, costing her friendships and reputation and financial security. I might know more than I did before reading this novel... but I feel pretty sad at the moment, grieving at the "what could have beens". ...more "

May 19, 2013 05:44PM · see review