Lincoln, the Civil War and Chiaverini: Reviews

dear readers,

I have taken some courses in American History but many were beginner courses that briefly touched on Civil War and Lincoln.  Jennifer Chiaverini seems to have done a great deal of research pre to post Cival War and the key players...she has written three standalone historical fiction focused on that time...

(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).

MRS. LINCOLN'S RIVAL

4 STARS 

Kate Chase Sprague is the eldest daughter of an ambitious lawyer, Salmon P. Chase who had his eye on the Presidential seat.  With the death of his second wife, Kate becomes Salmon's hostess.  She was at his side to attend parties and threw parties on his behalf.  Kate saw herself as the First Lady as her father rose in politics.  Unfortunately for Kate and Salmon, Abraham Lincoln would become President and thus putting Kate and Mary Todd Lincoln's at odds.

While Kate liked Mr. Lincoln she felt snubbed by his dull wife.  Mary  on the other hand thought Kate was snubbing her because Kate felt she was the rightful First Lady.  The two would try to outdo the other through proper social circles.  

Kate then focuses on her own life and falls for an ambitious Rhode Island politician William Sprague.  The two political minds seem perfect for one another or do they?

I enjoyed this novel but it is a bit overly descriptive in the day to day activities I appreciated most of the acts as I did not know too much about Lincoln's presidency or the key players.  At the time I found the main character, Kate Chase, to be arrogant but she did not turn me off reading the book. Other than Lincoln and Kate's younger sister most of the characters seemed unlikeable - very flawed but realistic characters.

After reading this novel I was hooked and decided to read Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker which seemed to detail more of Mary Todd Lincoln's life through her personal dressmaker...

MRS. LINCOLN'S DRESSMAKER

3 STARS 

Mrs. Lincoln dressmaker is Elizabeth "Lizzie" Keckley a freed slave with her own dress shop frequented by all the women in Washington high society.  When Abraham Lincoln becomes President his wife Mary looks to Lizzie to dress her for every event.  Mary is a nervous woman afraid that everyone is looking down on her and is easily agitated.  Lizzie soon discovers more about the First Lady and become her confident.  In fact, Mary greatly relies on LIzzie.

First half of the novel is LIzzie getting to know Mary and is living a good life.  When the President is assassinated Mary is left alone and becomes more unstable.  Mary now has less pull and even less wealth but has not come to terms with it.  Once her debts get out of control she asks Lizzie to help sell the dresses Lizzie made for her.

Mary's debts and instability brings Lizzie down as well.  She leaves her shop to help Mary and loses revenue and clients.  Her association with the former First Lady also brings her down socially.  Lizzie seems to be Mary's maid more than a friend that she says she is.  When Lizzie is pushed into writing a memoir she thinks this may restore Mary and her's reputation instead this breaks their friendship and Mary spirals down mentally.  

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Keckley does in fact write a memoir and this seems to be the basis of this novel.  Again Chiaverini gives a lot of information and some of it is not useful to the story.  Rather it seems like a random trivia bit.  I did not like this novel as much as Mrs. Lincoln's Rival.  Mary and Lizzie were not overly likeable but also seemed to lack the engaging characteristics.

The Spymistress is also a story involving a real-life historical figure but is told from the South...

(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).

THE SPYMISTRESS

4 STARS 

In Spymistress Chiaverini tells the story of a wealthy Southern spinster who aligned herself with the Union side.  Elizabeth Van Lew's finacee died before they could marry and has remained true to his memory.  She lived with her widowed mother, married brother (with his wife and two daughters) and houseful of "freed" slaves.  Her slave-holding father made a stipulation in the will that the slaves could never be freed but the Van Lew women have told the slaves in their eyes they are.  

When the Civil war begins the Van Lew family, minus her sister-in-law, align themselves with the Union but have to do so quietly.  It becomes dangerous to help or side with the Union side so Elizabeth decides to go undercover like other "Unionists".  She and her household risk everything to save innocent lives - black and white.  

"Although Van Lew was inducted posthumously into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame, the astonishing scope of her achievements has never been widely known. In Chiaverini's riveting tale of high-stakes espionage, a great heroine of the Civil War finally gets her due." (From Amazon).

I knew that the Confederates were unkind to the Union side but I did not know that civilians in the South were treated so unkind.  The atmosphere reminded me of Germany Nazi or the Salem Witch trials and made me shudder.  I liked Elizabeth Van Lew a lot as well as her mother.  I think this is a novel I would read again.



Chiaverini has my interest so I will definitely read more books by her and I will try her Elm Creek series in the near future.

love,
kris