A review by jessalynn_librarian
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming

4.0

Looking through this book is like looking through old family photos and letters - only with excellent research, stories, anecdotes, and ephemera. Oh, and if your ancestors happened to be the Lincolns. While Abraham often takes the spotlight, especially during the chapters dealing with the Civil War, Fleming never neglects Mary and we get an excellent sense of both her early life, before marriage and as a young wife, and her life after the assassination. The format allows Fleming to both tell a story - the chunks of text don't feel choppy when read through in order - and to include so many tidbits and digressions that wouldn't necessarily flow smoothly in a traditional biography. It's a big book, both in terms of format and length, but the scrapbook effect makes it easy to just keep turning the pages. This is biography enough to work for a school project, as well as chock-full of details that would engross anyone interested in the Lincolns or the period. An example of solid, fascinating non-fiction. Detailed references and notes finish it off.