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Alicia Bayer's Reviews > Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln
Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln
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Reading a 620+ page book takes a toll on your Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ book goals for the year! ;) That said, I really liked this book.
I have to admit that there were times reading this book that I just wanted it to end. Parts of Mary Lincoln's life were depressing to say the least and you know it's not going to end well. In the book, Mary Lincoln tells her story from the insane asylum that her son had her committed to (yes, really) and it weaves back to her childhood and through her entire life, while also talking about what is going on in the asylum as she was trying to survive and find a way to get free in a time when men could (and did) commit women for anything that they liked.
Mary Lincoln was such a fascinating, strong, passionate woman, and this book pulls you into her life and makes you feel as if you knew her -- flaws and neuroses and all. She talks about her passions for Mr. Lincoln (wow, what passions! LOL), her trips to seances and mediums (one of the main reasons her son succeeded in getting her committed against her will), her great losses, and her feminist nature in a time when women were not permitted to be political or empowered.
It is such a long book but that much is needed to properly flesh out all of Mary Lincoln's life. Obviously, much of it is imagined and you have to keep that in mind as you read. We have no way of knowing exactly what the sex life of President Lincoln and his wife was like (it's not handled in a smutty way but you certainly get a glimpse of Abe and Mary Lincoln that our elementary school lessons didn't give) or what she really may have thought about how cruelly her only surviving son treated her.
The author tells the story by giving Mrs. Lincoln a strong, passionate, likeable voice that pulls you into her story and makes you want to research her and the others in her life more fully. I am very glad I read it.
I have to admit that there were times reading this book that I just wanted it to end. Parts of Mary Lincoln's life were depressing to say the least and you know it's not going to end well. In the book, Mary Lincoln tells her story from the insane asylum that her son had her committed to (yes, really) and it weaves back to her childhood and through her entire life, while also talking about what is going on in the asylum as she was trying to survive and find a way to get free in a time when men could (and did) commit women for anything that they liked.
Mary Lincoln was such a fascinating, strong, passionate woman, and this book pulls you into her life and makes you feel as if you knew her -- flaws and neuroses and all. She talks about her passions for Mr. Lincoln (wow, what passions! LOL), her trips to seances and mediums (one of the main reasons her son succeeded in getting her committed against her will), her great losses, and her feminist nature in a time when women were not permitted to be political or empowered.
It is such a long book but that much is needed to properly flesh out all of Mary Lincoln's life. Obviously, much of it is imagined and you have to keep that in mind as you read. We have no way of knowing exactly what the sex life of President Lincoln and his wife was like (it's not handled in a smutty way but you certainly get a glimpse of Abe and Mary Lincoln that our elementary school lessons didn't give) or what she really may have thought about how cruelly her only surviving son treated her.
The author tells the story by giving Mrs. Lincoln a strong, passionate, likeable voice that pulls you into her story and makes you want to research her and the others in her life more fully. I am very glad I read it.
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Mary.
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Reading Progress
October 15, 2017
–
Started Reading
October 15, 2017
– Shelved
February 23, 2018
–
Finished Reading
