lindzieh's review against another edition
4.0
My first Louis Bayard book. Seems well researched for a historical fiction. A nice change from the MANY ww2 historical fiction I’ve read. I appreciate the storytelling from Joshua and Mary Todd’s perspective on Mr Lincoln. I can’t say I was in love with what the implied relationship between Joshua and Mr Lincoln was but would be interested in following up on their friendship. Also didn’t really care for the inserts of LDS history with no context within the book (I am LDS and seeing how much Mr Bayard researched for the characters would have appreciated a bit more context on this. It just felt like an afterthought and filler at times. Overall not a reason to skip the boom but just something I noticed. Will probably pick up another book by this author to see if I like biographical fiction.
new_mon's review against another edition
2.0
Did not finish I know there a Theories of Lincoln being a Homosexual but I just didn't like it done in this way.
tamaralgage1's review
5.0
Priceless
This book is a priceless story of a young Mary Todd. History has not perhaps done her any favors. The author paints a picture of an intelligent and political savvy young lady. It also introduces a close friendship between LINCOLN and Joshua Speed.
This book is a priceless story of a young Mary Todd. History has not perhaps done her any favors. The author paints a picture of an intelligent and political savvy young lady. It also introduces a close friendship between LINCOLN and Joshua Speed.
cwalter01's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I know it’s historical FICTION and overall a good read, but I can’t help but feel uncomfortable with the chosen implications
virginiacjacobs's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect this book to be as good as it was--I guess I was expecting something more like a bodice-ripper. Also, I had no idea that the Todd-Lincoln love story was so sad.
daniellesalwaysreading's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting story, and like all fiction that is about real people, it re-introduced me to several important historical figures in a way that allowed me to relate to them better than a non-fiction book could. It also made me want to look up the characters and see how well their lives in the book fit with the historical record. The characters in this book were so close to real life that even some of the dialog came directly from letters that the main characters wrote each other in real life.
My understanding of the cover and the title was that there would be a romance in the book between the two male main characters. There is some evidence in the historical record to lead some to believe that Lincoln's sexuality was not strictly heterosexual, so I expected a romance between Joshua and Lincoln. There absolutely was not. It was implied that Joshua Speed wanted to have at least a platonic relationship with Lincoln where they remained bachelors together, but even in his own head he never admitted a wish for romance. The story was from the point of view of Joshua and Mary Todd, so we never had any idea what Lincoln actually felt about anything. The story as a whole was confusing and unsatisfying because of this seeming disparity.
An author's note at the end would have helped me understand better what the author intended, and perhaps there will be one in the final copy (I read an ARC). Without some statement of intent from the author I will always remain confused by the point of this story.
My understanding of the cover and the title was that there would be a romance in the book between the two male main characters. There is some evidence in the historical record to lead some to believe that Lincoln's sexuality was not strictly heterosexual, so I expected a romance between Joshua and Lincoln. There absolutely was not. It was implied that Joshua Speed wanted to have at least a platonic relationship with Lincoln where they remained bachelors together, but even in his own head he never admitted a wish for romance. The story was from the point of view of Joshua and Mary Todd, so we never had any idea what Lincoln actually felt about anything. The story as a whole was confusing and unsatisfying because of this seeming disparity.
An author's note at the end would have helped me understand better what the author intended, and perhaps there will be one in the final copy (I read an ARC). Without some statement of intent from the author I will always remain confused by the point of this story.
mxemma's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thecaledonianrose's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It took me longer to get through it than is typical for me because of two points, which I'll now warn about potential spoilers.
Okay, here's the problems - one, the book is teeming with italics. So many italics. There's scarcely a sentence in the book where there isn't at least one word in Italics. I understand the purpose of the italics, but honestly, I doubt that people during the 1840s truly spoke in that manner. It comes across as excessively dramatic, almost how a teenager speaks, or as if the character isn't speaking, they're reciting lines from a script and frankly, the lines aren't necessarily eloquent or deserving of emphasis. It isn't just Mary Todd - nearly every character contained in the book whips out the 'italic voice' as I'm now calling it each time they appear.
So many italics. All the italics. My eyes did not appreciate the italics. So that's Issue #1.
Issue #2 - Bayard makes a serious implication towards a theory that literally has no foundation in truth regarding Lincoln's friendship with Joshua Speed. Yes, I know it is the 21st century and that 'that kind of thing' happened all the time so long as both parties were discreet. I have no issues with the notion that friendship between two men can ripen into something deeper and more enduring, something that transcends love. That's not what I struggled with - it's Bayard's open inference that Lincoln shared a homoerotic relationship with Speed when there is less than no evidence to be found that such a relationship occurred. There is - to me - such a thing as taking too much liberty with a historical personage. I realize this is historical *fiction* (there I go, attempting italics myself!), but still - if there's no evidence to support a theory, then it isn't even really a theory and should be discarded. It's bad scholarship.
The point is, Bayard's insinuation (he does not, at any time throughout the book, make any direct assertion of a physically erotic relationship) cast a pall over the remainder of the book for me, as Bayard further uses this implication to suggest it was the purported cause of delay in formalizing his relationship with Mary Todd.
We don't know that's the case, there is no information to suggest that was the reason, nor is there even the remotest whiff of possibility to grant the author's supposition. I realize that Bayard was exploring a notion, relying on the advantage of fiction to justify his decision. Perhaps I am reacting with unnecessary violence because of Lincoln's eminence, but to me, even fictional portrayals of real-life figures should stay within the realm of the realistic and established, or at least possess some evidence to lend credence to the theory. Something to show this isn't a flight of fancy, or playing 'what if' just because he can.
Historical fiction is a less forgiving genre than standard fiction or fantasy, if only because the author does often have considerable evidence of the historical figure's lifestyle, mindset, habits, preferences. Accordingly, while some liberties can be taken within historical fiction, there is (or ought to be) a more stringent standard to which the author is held. One does not have to remain one hundred percent faithful to the facts of a life, but one does need to respect that there are decided limitations within the genre.
Despite my objections to Bayard's subtle suggestions regarding the cause of Lincoln's delay in courting Mary and the true extent of his relationship with Joshua Speed, the book certainly is a rich descriptor of life in a newly-established city, one rife with growing pains and the struggle between 'civilised people' and the trials of the frontier. I am glad I read the book, but it is one that I doubt will ever read through again.