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A review by 100pagesaday
Mrs. Lincoln's Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini
3.0
This is a thorough examination of the adult life of Kate Chase, daughter of Salmon P. Chase. Salmon was the U.S. Treasury Secretary under Abraham Lincoln. Kate was a rising socialite during this time and hoped to one day be First Lady herself; Kate was intensely involved in her father's political life and his run for the Presidency. Much to the chagrin of Mary Todd Lincoln, many found Kate's life, fashion and political musings far more interesting thus creating a long-standing rivalry.
This was another outstanding woman in history who I was very glad to get to know more about. However, this book seemed to me to read more like a biography and at times was a little difficult to get through. Granted, Kate Chase was very involved in her father's politics and the story is set within the government at the time of the Civil War, so we are taken into the political decisions of the time. I've never been one for all of that. I actually found myself most interested in Kate's courtship and marriage to the 'Boy Governor' of Rhode Island, William Sprague. His characterization within the book was engrossing, perhaps because he was an alcoholic or because of the secrets he kept, William came off as almost bi-polar. William and Kate's relationship was as gripping as watching a train wreck. I was also compelled to see how Mary Todd Lincoln was portrayed. There are actually not many interactions between Kate and Mary since Mary avoided Kate at all costs, this disappointed me a little since I thought Mary would have a bit more of a role in the book. However, Kate and her friends do call Mary 'Her Satanic Majesty' and other fun nicknames throughout.
A good book to read if you want an in-depth portrayal of Kate Chase's life, but this was a little heavy for me and almost seemed as a slightly romanticized non-fiction.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
This was another outstanding woman in history who I was very glad to get to know more about. However, this book seemed to me to read more like a biography and at times was a little difficult to get through. Granted, Kate Chase was very involved in her father's politics and the story is set within the government at the time of the Civil War, so we are taken into the political decisions of the time. I've never been one for all of that. I actually found myself most interested in Kate's courtship and marriage to the 'Boy Governor' of Rhode Island, William Sprague. His characterization within the book was engrossing, perhaps because he was an alcoholic or because of the secrets he kept, William came off as almost bi-polar. William and Kate's relationship was as gripping as watching a train wreck. I was also compelled to see how Mary Todd Lincoln was portrayed. There are actually not many interactions between Kate and Mary since Mary avoided Kate at all costs, this disappointed me a little since I thought Mary would have a bit more of a role in the book. However, Kate and her friends do call Mary 'Her Satanic Majesty' and other fun nicknames throughout.
A good book to read if you want an in-depth portrayal of Kate Chase's life, but this was a little heavy for me and almost seemed as a slightly romanticized non-fiction.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.