Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
1.5 stars because i can't think of any redeeming qualities but i can think of plenty of things i didn't enjoy
1. vague undercurrent of confederate apologism [oh but he had to defend his people??? did he really???]
2. characters were completely indistinguishable from each other except elizabeth
3. is mary supposed to be an interesting character??? cuz shes just a jerk tbh
4. just really, really boring
1. vague undercurrent of confederate apologism [oh but he had to defend his people??? did he really???]
2. characters were completely indistinguishable from each other except elizabeth
3. is mary supposed to be an interesting character??? cuz shes just a jerk tbh
4. just really, really boring
I previously read Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by the same author. While I enjoyed that book, I was a bit disappointed because I actually wanted to read more about Mrs. Lincoln besides her White House years and next few years after when her dressmaker knew her. Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters is exactly what I was looking for.
This book shifts and back and forth through time from when Mary Todd Lincoln was just a little girl to her death. Mary had a complicated upbringing. She was one of 7 children, but her mother died shortly after giving birth to the seventh child. Her father remarries, and his new wife goes on to have nine children with him. In general, Mary's stepmother preferred her own children over her step children, but she especially disliked Mary, so much so that she sent her to board at a boarding school that was less than two miles away!
Even Mary's courtship was Abraham Lincoln was fraught with difficulty, in large part due to her family's influence.
I enjoyed that this book gave me insight into Mary Lincoln's life, but in the end, it left me feeling a bit depressed. Mary clearly had mental issues from the time she was a young child. I wonder if she had lived in modern time if she might have been able to take medicine and live a fairly normal life. I also wonder how different her life would have been if Lincoln hadn't been assassinated.
Overall, this is a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about Mary Lincoln.
This book shifts and back and forth through time from when Mary Todd Lincoln was just a little girl to her death. Mary had a complicated upbringing. She was one of 7 children, but her mother died shortly after giving birth to the seventh child. Her father remarries, and his new wife goes on to have nine children with him. In general, Mary's stepmother preferred her own children over her step children, but she especially disliked Mary, so much so that she sent her to board at a boarding school that was less than two miles away!
Even Mary's courtship was Abraham Lincoln was fraught with difficulty, in large part due to her family's influence.
I enjoyed that this book gave me insight into Mary Lincoln's life, but in the end, it left me feeling a bit depressed. Mary clearly had mental issues from the time she was a young child. I wonder if she had lived in modern time if she might have been able to take medicine and live a fairly normal life. I also wonder how different her life would have been if Lincoln hadn't been assassinated.
Overall, this is a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about Mary Lincoln.
Sooooo dry! Like other reviews, this would’ve been better as a non-fiction. Characters are all 1-dimensional, dialogue is lacking, and chapters can span years. I will give it 2 stars: 1 for completion and 1 for making me more interested/giving me information about the Todd family. Which is honestly not something I’ve thought about before.
I enjoyed the writing, and especially the topic. At times I forgot this was fiction and I thought that made the book wonderful. However towards the end I began to lose interest.
This is the story of Mary Todd Lincoln as told through the eyes of her sisters. I loved it! It was rich with historical details and settings. I was worried that it might be hard to keep track of all the sisters and their different perspectives, but it wasn’t at all since the narration was always third person and each sister’s section was usually telling about many people at once. It did jump around in time, but was done splendidly. I really loved this book and am very excited that the author has a couple of others that are also about Mary that I can read now!
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Not for me. This read almost like a textbook instead of a novel. Very little dialogue and what there was seemed very unnatural. I didn’t care much for Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker but I gave this one a try. I should’ve passed.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got bored about 3/4 of the way through the book. I didn’t like Mary even though she was the main character and cared more about her sisters. It was an enjoyable enough storyline. Reads a bit like a history book telling what happened next instead of the plot or characters moving it forward. If you like to read about presidents you may be interested.