Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival

Chiaverini’s book is based on the memoir of Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave who bought her own freedom and rose to become Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker. As fiction, it is a dismal failure. The characters are poorly developed, especially Mrs. Keckley’s friends. There are long passages of summarized history throughout. The dramatic tension of good fiction is lacking. The author can’t seem to decide if she is writing history or fiction. As a result, she fails at both.

You may notice that the original memoir, written by Keckley herself, is more highly rated on Amazon than this warmed-over version. Black woman writes outstanding book. Nobody notices until bestselling white author rewrites it. A sad commentary on the realities of publishing.

I had mixed feelings about this book, especially after I read Elizabeth Keckley’s, Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. This book starts slowly, and I almost bagged it. I’m glad, however, that I didn’t. Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker is a barely fictionalized novel of the life of Elizabeth Keckley in relation to Mary Todd Lincoln. It seems well-researched, but much of it draws from Keckley’s own memoir. The best parts of Chiaverini’s book were the insights into President Lincoln’s private life with his family. It portrays Lincoln as an unusually honest and moral man who turned to his religion for comfort and strength. His interactions with Mary, and with each of their sons, seemed realistic, and are expressed beautifully. Both Chiaverini’s and Keckley’s books are written from Keckley’s point of view; I think that’s one of the reasons the two books overlap so much.

Another thing — once Lincoln is assassinated, the story continues, though for me, it becomes less interesting. (That’s only 61% of the way through the book). Mary’s strange behavior after the President’s death is well-documented, and that’s where the story falls apart.

At first, I was turned off by what I consider to be a very boring and uncreative writing style consisting of third person description. The writing style seemed very dry and lacking in feeling. However, when I reached the point of President Lincoln’s I was glad that I had stuck with the book. At that point, the author really pulled me in and made me feel sympathetic toward the Lincolns and the main character, Elizabeth Keckley. The book raised an awareness in me regarding race relations of the times outside slavery and the difficulties that former slaves had in adjusting to freedom. Many of those things had not been taught in history courses I had taken. Yes, the book is a novel but it is based on historical fact. I came away with a very high respect for the achievements of Mrs. Keckley and a deep sympathy for the problems faced by Mrs. Lincoln and by Elizabeth Keckley.
I do not know why an author who obviously has writing skills used such an uninteresting style for the first part of the book. Was she emulating the writing style of the time period in which the story takes place? I don’t know. But I am glad that I finished the book. It is worth reading.

I’m not a huge fan of non-fiction and usually find texts about historical persons and eras to be quite boring. However this author has chosen to relate the tale of the American Civil War, as seen through the eyes of Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, confidante and friend, Elizabeth Keckley, a real, freed slave during one of the most exciting and turbulent times of the United States.

The main character, Elizabeth, is an ex-slave that is well-educated and a professional woman in her own right. Through networking, in the mid-19th century in Washington, D. C., Mrs. Keckley, is introduced to the First Lady and wife of Abraham Lincoln. Using the settings of the White House; the war’s battlefields; the mixing with the power brokers of that time; viewing the suffering of the soldiers, fleeing slaves, and families and communities torn asunder; plus the musings of the main characters, the reader sees a new and unique perspective about the Lincoln family and those within their sphere.

Over time, Mrs. Keckley prospers as an independent, professional freed black woman, an unusual life during those times. Not only is Elizabeth a confidant of Mrs. Lincoln, she also becomes a friend of the president, who both treat her with respect and admiration. These relationships remain, even after Lincoln is assassinated and Mary Lincoln decamps into her widowhood and the trials of those trying days.

As a true friend, Elizabeth stays by Mrs. Lincoln, sacrificing her own livelihood, friends, community in Washington, and a comfortable future. Eventually, the two women, both intelligent and strong-willed, play out the years following Lincoln’s presidency, when new politics change the country forever, both good and bad.

This is a very interesting read, often fictionalized from true events and facts that the author has researched. But it is also a cautionary tale that suggests that If one were to compare today’s American politics with those of the Civil War era, one would surmise that people come and go but the politics of societies rarely change.

In the end, Elizabeth does find respite and dignity that stem from her life’s trials, since she has helped many others gain the skills and confidence to build their own lives full of respect, humility, and success.

Bit disappointing but I’m sticking with it!

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