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    Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters: A Novel
    Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters: A Novel
    Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters: A Novel

    Written by Jennifer Chiaverini

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “A fascinating glimpse into the women of an influential family on the front lines of some of the most important moments of that indelible time.""—Booklist

    The New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker returns to her most famous heroine, Mary Todd Lincoln, in this compelling story of love, loss, and sisterhood rich with history and suspense.

    In May 1875, Elizabeth Todd Edwards reels from news that her younger sister Mary, former First Lady and widow of President Abraham Lincoln, has attempted suicide. 

    Mary’s shocking act followed legal proceedings arranged by her eldest and only surviving son that declared her legally insane. Although they have long been estranged, Elizabeth knows Mary’s tenuous mental health has deteriorated through decades of trauma and loss. Yet is her suicide attempt truly the impulse of a deranged mind, or the desperate act of a sane woman terrified to be committed to an asylum? And—if her sisters can put past grievances aside—is their love powerful enough to save her? 

    Maternal Elizabeth, peacemaker Frances, envious Ann, and much adored Emilie had always turned to one another in times of joy and heartache, first as children, and later as young wives and mothers. But when Civil War erupted, the conflict that divided a nation shattered their family. The Todd sisters’s fates were bound to their husbands’ choices as some joined the Lincoln administration, others the Confederate Army.

    Now, though discord and tragedy have strained their bonds, Elizabeth knows they must come together as sisters to help Mary in her most desperate hour.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 2, 2020
    ISBN9780063015463
    Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters: A Novel
    Author

    Jennifer Chiaverini

    Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-four novels, including critically acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. In 2020, she was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for her novel Resistance Women. In 2023, the WLA awarded her the honor of Notable Wisconsin Author for her significant contributions to the state’s literary heritage. Chiaverini earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She, her husband, and their two sons call Madison, Wisconsin home.

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    Reviews for Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters

    4/5

    94 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      We’ll-written. It inspires me to learn more about the Todd family and Mary Todd Lincoln.
    • 5/5
      Loved this book very much. You get a feel of the history from the women’s point of view.
    • 4/5
      Gave me some good historical information and glimpse into family relationships of the time.
    • 3/5
      The book was well researched and written. I am not a professional writer, but for my enjoyment, it was too biographical and not enough entertainment for a novel.
    • 4/5
      In [Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters] Chiaverini novelizes Mary Todd Lincoln's life (1818 - 1882) with a focus on her relationship with her 3 sisters and 5 stepsisters. Lincolin brings a lot of fodder to a novelist. Strong minded, intelligent, educated, and able to discuss and argue political issues, she always had detractors. Three of her four children died from illness in childhood and her husband while president, was murdered at her side. When she showed obvious signs of mental unstability after her husband's death and her adult son had her committed, she became what historians often call the most maligned of the President's wives. I think Chiaverini does a good job with a character based on a real person whose life was so eventful and at the same time is able to make it very believeable. I would give a rating of 4* if the book were organized differently. Each chapter is focused on a sister, for instance Chapter 1 is titled "May 1875" and below that "Elizabeth". That would be fine if the dates were chronological by chapter but they aren't! Chapter 23 is "May-June 1876" and "Ann." Chapter 24 is "April - May 1865" and "Elizabeth." At one point I had already read about the Presidents death and a chapter or two later he was running for Congress! This style just isn't for me!
    • 4/5
      I won this book from Library Thing's Early Reviewer program back in April 2020, but never received a copy from the publisher (William Morrow).  It still appeared on my Not Reviewed list (I've been an Early Reviewer since November 2007), so I checked my libraries and borrowed the e-book from one of my libraries.Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters is another of Jennifer Chiaverini's books about Mary Todd Lincoln and people associated with her (Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, Mrs. Lincoln's Rival).  Mary Todd Lincoln had sixteen siblings in all (twelve of whom survived to adulthood), but this book focuses on her three full sisters (elders Elizabeth Todd Edwards and Frances Todd Wallace, and younger Ann Todd Smith) as well as one of her five younger half-sisters (Emilie Todd Helm).The book starts in 1875, when Elizabeth learns that Mary's oldest and only surviving son, Robert Todd Lincoln, has had her committed to a(n expensive) mental hospital.  Mary convinces people visiting her to reach out to her sisters (from whom she's been estranged) to "rescue" her.The book then alternates between the four sisters' viewpoints, as well as various times in the past and present, to depict Mary's childhood in Kentucky; her years with married sister Elizabeth in Springfield, Illinois, searching for a husband; her marriage to Lincoln and his rise to the presidency; and the years in the White House during the Civil War and the aftermath of his assassination.The Civil War sharply divided Mary's Kentucky-based family. Elizabeth, Frances, Ann, and their husbands, long based in Springfield, supported the Union.  Their three half-brothers fought for the Confederacy, as did Emilie's husband (he was a general killed in the 1863 Battle of Chickamauga).  One full brother died in 1864 in Kentucky under mysterious circumstances; the other was a surgeon who served in a Confederate hospital in South Carolina.  Her other four half-sisters were married to men who either fought for the Confederacy or sympathized with it.Through her sisters, the reader learns how Mary - generally through her own actions - has become estranged.  The sisters have different opinions about Mary's mental state, with Emilie perhaps the most sympathetic, having also lost her husband due to the war, and being a favorite of Lincoln - he called her "Little Sister."  Elizabeth continues the motherly role she had as a child, being the oldest, taking Mary in when she manages to convince the hospital to release her.  Frances and Ann wonder if Mary is acting out for the attention she's always craved.Although Chiaverini provides some of her sources in her author's note, she doesn't clarify where she has deviated from fact to create her fiction, as so many other authors of historical fiction do.  This book can stand alone from the other Mrs. Lincoln's books, but it would be helpful to read Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker before this book.  There are references in Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters to said dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley, as well as more examples of Mary Todd Lincoln's erratic behavior during and after her White House years.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this novel about Mary Todd Lincoln and her sisters and I especially appreciated the focus on Mary's life after the White House, when she went through an illness referred to as madness but which seems more like severe depression. Mary's mental health struggles dominate the chapters set in the later years of her life, as her sisters grapple with how to best care for her, while the chapters set earlier in Mary's life detail the complicated family history of how the Todds ended up on different sides of the Civil War. I find the Todd family fascinating for this reason, and I appreciated this novel's fictional insights into their family life. I'd highly recommend this book for those interested in historical fiction set during the Civil War era.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this in-depth look at the life of Mary Lincoln, the author did an awesome job of giving a glimpse into the personal life of the former First Lady.Such heartbreak, no wonder some of the things that went on in her life happened. How to deal with such grief, enough to break almost anyone.We meet and get to know a lot of Mary’s family, and of course, her sisters. Now her Dad had two wives and so there is quite a bit of family. We get to meet and know most of them, and how they come in time of need.I cringed at her feelings for her son Robert, but keep reading. We also see the love, hate relationship of sisters, and then a war that puts siblings on separate sides.I was quickly drawn into this story, and although fictional, it is rich with history!
    • 2/5
      Book describes the early life of Mary Todd Lincoln in a very negative way. Not the first time I’ve heard this, just didn’t want to read it again. Stopped after the first tape.
    • 3/5
      I was asked to review this book for Library Thing. However, I never received it, I decided to purchase it since I really thought that Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters would be a good read. I still thought it deserved my review. In May 1875, Elizabeth Edwards is stunned that her younger sister Mary, former First Lady, and widow of President Abraham Lincoln, has attempted suicide. Mary’s shocking act followed legal proceedings arranged by her eldest and only surviving son that declared her legally insane. Although she and her sister have not been on the best of terms, Elizabeth knows that Mary has been under severe mental strain through the trauma and loss she has suffered. However, did her attempt at suicide be just an act to keep her out of the asylum. Elizabeth hopes that she can convince sisters to rally around Mary, put their feelings, past and present aside, to save Mary from being committed. Elizabeth, always the peacemaker; Frances always envious of Ann; and much adored Emilie, are always at odds with one another in times of joy and heartache; first as children, and later as young wives and mothers. It seems to never end even when the Civil War erupted that divides the family. However, the sisters are now faced to choose loyalty to family over conviction.I enjoyed the book. It was immensely entertaining.
    • 5/5
      It was fun and sad to read about what Mary Todd Lincoln’s sisters may have actually been like. They were a large family and the oldest girls seemed to be very close. It was sad to see all the horrors that Mary and her whole family went through. It would be interesting to know if some of Mary’s problems might have been treatable now. This book made me laugh and cry a lot. I received a copy of this book from edelweiss for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.