3.5 stars rounded up to 4
The House of Lincoln is interesting and detailed historical fiction that provides insight into a turbulent time in American history that coincided with Abraham Lincoln's presidency. The story takes place primarily in Springfield, Illinois from 1851 - 1909 and covers Lincoln's political career and rise to the presidency of the United States, the political divide over slavery, the underground railroad, the Civil War, Lincoln's assassination and its aftermath through to the Springfield race riot of 1908.

I loved the author's choice of narrators which provided an interesting perspective on Lincoln's life. The story is told primarily from the point-of-view of Ana, a Portuguese immigrant who is a young girl at the start of the story and works in the Lincoln household at one point. Some chapters are from the perspective of Spencer Donnegan, a free Black man, and his brother, William, who operate businesses in Springfield and are part of the underground railroad network helping runaway slaves. There are a few chapters from Mary Todd Lincoln's perspective as well - less interesting than the others but provides a sympathetic portrayal of the former First Lady.

I expected the book to be focused entirely on the life of Lincoln but it was actually quite interesting in that it was as much about racial prejudice in the United States as it was about Lincoln. From Spencer and William (and also Ana's friend Cal), we learn about the prejudice that free Blacks living in Springfield experienced, the dangers faced by runaway slaves and those that helped them, and their disagreement with some of Lincoln's policies such as his pre-war support for colonization (sending Black Americans to Africa). By continuing the story through to the 1908 riot, the author shows that, despite the abolition of slavery aftrer the Civil War, it was going to be a long road to equality for Black Americans because of entrenched racial prejudice.

I love historical fiction that educates and The House of Lincoln does that effectively including exhaustive research on many aspects of Lincoln's presidency and his political opinions/policies/speeches, the Civil War, and the race riots early in the 20th century. The novel is very strong in this regard and a little weaker on the storytelling side as it sometimes veers into summarizing events that have taken place. Overall - an enjoyable, informative read!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN
BY: NANCY HORAN

After reading and loving both of Nancy Horan's first two historical novels, which were breathtakingly fantastic; the first of which was called, "Loving Frank," a heartbreaking account of Frank Lloyd Wright's love affair, and her second novel, called, "Under the Wide and Starry Sky," about Robert Louis Stevenson--I couldn't wait to read her newest one. I was so excited to see it on my Net Galley shelf, and I devoured it.

Abraham Lincoln is one of my favorite Presidents and I think that Nancy Horan did a fantastic job in writing, "The House of Lincoln." This was a much more intimate account of his earlier years which I loved. From his humble roots as the lawyer whom Mary Todd Lincoln's sister Elizabeth didn't approve of Mary's choice of picking Abraham for a husband. Also, this portrayal of Mary was much more sympathetic as in regards to her spending, and her temperament.

Told through the eyes of a young Ana there are the themes of biodiversity and I was surprised at the extent of the Racial Riots after the Civil War in Springfield, Illinois and elsewhere. Having some of the lesser known to me, parts of Abraham Lincoln's astute excerpts and quotes was an aspect that I enjoyed. Finding out that Robert Lincoln went to the same prep school as I did was amazing. This is another winner for the gifted Nancy Horan. She writes engaging historical novels that triumph, and are an absolute pleasure to inhabit her recreations.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Nancy Horan and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheHouseofLincoln #NancyHoran #SourcebooksLandmark #NetGalley

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Pasted below is my comment from Goodreads.

This exhaustively researched book provides some fascinating insight into the lives of the ordinary and not so ordinary before, during and after the Civil War. I read a lot of Civil War fiction, and what drew me to this one was the fact the main character is a Portuguese immigrant named Ana, not the typical protagonist in novels about this era. I learned quite a bit about the pre-Ellis Island immigrant experience from Ana and her family. Her mother's story was particularly interesting and heart-wrenching for me. I also learned about the Springfield Race Riots, which I'd not know about before reading this book.

That's about it as far as what I enjoyed about the book, unfortunately. I always enjoy seeing an author's interpretation of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, and this book really offered no new or fresh perspective on this well-known couple. This book doesn't eliminate the fact neither Lincoln actually really wanted to free the slaves, which is important as most books I've read glance over this. And while the clearly large volume of research that went into this novel is a huge highlight, it does read like a textbook at times with plain prose and summaries of historical events.

I enjoyed what I learned from this book very much, and it absolutely is worth the time to read, but I did struggle to stay engaged with it and found myself skimming on occasion.

I received a free advance copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Horan is a master at taking complicated flawed characters from history and making them real and keeping the reader engaged in the story while keeping us interested. In the story and the out come . Loved this book about Lincoln and his wife.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read the book

The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan is a great historical fiction that gives us a new look into the early lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln.

I love what the author did with this book. By bringing fictional characters into a historical context, she was able to present a new view, a better understanding, and an inside peak into the early days of Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln before their trajectory takes them eastbound.

The character of Ana Ferreira gives us the mindset and the experiences of someone that is a minority, and how that reflects not only the attitudes of society as a whole at that time, but also how that angle helps focus on what was happening around Lincoln at that time in Springfield…but also more importantly, what was forming and developing within this mind as he crafts his personal beliefs and ideals on what would help found his campaign and time in office.

The full cast of characters bring a wide range of ideas, concepts, and personal experiences to the book and help give us an idea of some of the “jumping off points” of where Lincoln originated.

The blend of fiction and history brings an intellectual, educational, and entertaining experience all in one book.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Sourcebooks Landmark for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/6/23.

The House of Lincoln is an interesting book full of little known history. First of all, the book's protagonist Ana is a Portuguese immigrant, and her story is full of poignant pieces of history that I was completely unaware of until now. Second, this book is probably the first historical fiction I've read that actually addresses Lincoln's racist beliefs (i.e. pro-colonization, the stipulations surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation, etc.) and calls them out for what they were. Third, I think it's wonderful that the book follows the characters through the Springfield Race Riot of 1908 while tying it to how it's directly affected by the Civil War and white supremacists. All of that was done really well.

That being said, I wasn't a fan of how sometimes it felt like the chapters were just summaries of what happened during the Civil War. I felt like I didn't get as much character depth as I would have liked because there were paragraphs dedicated to naming dates and summarizing events that didn't directly affect the story. For someone who enjoys a plot structure like that, though, I'm sure they'll enjoy it! I was also a little disappointed by how little of the book actually deals with Ana and the Lincolns. The Lincolns are a big part of the book, and yes, we do see Ana interact with them, but the cover, title, and blurb indicate that that will be the meat & potatoes of the book when really, it's like the middle third of the book is dedicated to it, and that's it. I'm sure people will really enjoy this book, though, and I hope to see their positive reviews!