I learned a lot from reading this book. Mary Todd was a well-educated woman from a wealthy Kentucky family who became a Northern wife when she married Abraham Lincoln, a Springfield lawyer. They were poor for much of their marriage; Mary Lincoln continued to worry about money for most of her life. She was faithful to the Union in spite of vicious press attacks on her throughout her husband's presidency and the Civil War. She was the first president's wife to be called "First Lady." After her husband's assassination, her mental health suffered and she was briefly held involuntarily in an asylum after her son Robert had her brought to trial on charges of insanity. She never forgave him for betraying her.
The book has been on my shelf for over a year, but I wanted to read it before seeing the movie Lincoln. I'm glad I read it, although I found it slow. I rate it 3 out of 3.
2 comments:
After reading your review, I realized I knew nothing at all about Mrs. Lincoln, except that she did have some mental healthy issues. Truthfully, I don't really know much about Lincoln as a person, either. It would be interesting to learn about them both, especially as you say, before seeing the movie.
Interesting to hear more about her. By the way, I LOVED the movie! I also heard an interesting tidbit about Sally Field. When asked what she kept from doing the movie, she indicated that one of the costumers made her a quilt of the fabrics of her costumes. Quite an interesting keepsake I'd say.
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