I'm still undecided about this one. Not what I was expecting. Can't say I didn't like it but not exactly one I'd read again either.

The title of this book allows readers to think the setting will flow with the Lincoln family. It is more about the town of Springfield, Illinois and it's people who knew him.
The story starts well with great character development and quickly fizzles as the Lincolns move to the White House. After Abraham Lincolns death, the chapters are hard to follow through the following 60 years.

This is a well written historical fiction novel taking a closer look at the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. I am a big HF fan and this novel does not disappoint. I loved the interesting details about these 2 famous people, flaws and all. A great story for fans of historical fiction and this time period.

Rich in historical detail, the author tells of the changes that America experienced. We also get a behind the scenes look at Abraham and Mary. Very good.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ana was so smart that she ends up working in the Lincoln household helping with Lincolns boys and other duties that were required of the Lincolns for hosting events since they were in the political sector..

1851, Springfield, IL. Fourteen-year-old Ana with her family had to flee their island due to the religious intolerance and hardship they experienced there. In this new land, they quickly saw that with hard work they could achieve a decent living, not possible in Madeira.

With her African American friend Cal, Ana witnesses the underground railroad in Springfield. It’s a horrifying experience to leave the abuse of her island, only to witness how her adopted country is torn by slavery.

The prose is clear and precise. The characters are passionate, determined, and strong. And the plot is a fascinating tale of life, love, bravery, strength, loss, loyalty, friendship, motivation, politics, and the early battle for equality and justice in the U.S.

Overall, The House of Lincoln is a intricate, compelling, informative tale by Horan that does a wonderful job of highlighting her impressive research and knowledge of this complex, influential figure who strove during his short time in office to abolish slavery and give African Americans the civil and social freedoms they rightly deserved.

This was a great book! It gave me a different view of what the USA was like in its early years. It also provides a foundation of what it took to get where we are today. From our best days to our worst, we have come so far and continue to evolve.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan.
Being a fan of both Nancy Horan and Abraham Lincoln, I was excited to get an ARC of this book. However, as much as I wanted to like it, this book just didn't work for me. I found the book to be boring, full of well known information, and not at all like the description.

A very enjoyable read, this novel takes you behind the scenes in the Lincoln household and provides insight into the transformations of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln. Taking a very sympathetic view, it portrays the growth of Springfield over Lincoln's time and personal impact of Civil War. Especially the decisiveness is caused in Southern families split by allegiance to different sides of the war.

Good historical fiction about the early lives of Abraham Lincoln and his family before he became president. The addition of the Portuguese immigration to America was a well researched addition and clearly gave an inside view of Lincoln’s household through the eyes of his maids and servants. The story included historically accurate timelines and events in the pre civil war era especially in regard to abolitionist tenants and perspectives. The book could benefit from a closer editing of paragraph content as it seemed to combine topics in one paragraph making the read a bit cumbersome.

"The House of Lincoln" by Nancy Horan is a compelling historical fiction that brings to life the intimate world of Abraham Lincoln and his family. Horan's meticulous research and vivid storytelling transport readers to the heart of 19th-century America, offering a unique perspective on the iconic figure. The novel expertly balances the personal and political, delving into Lincoln's struggles, triumphs, and the impact of his decisions on his loved ones. While occasionally slow-paced, the depth of character development and attention to historical detail make this an engaging and enlightening read. "The House of Lincoln" is a well-crafted tribute to a legendary leader and his enduring legacy.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

I think every kid in America knows that Lincoln is famous for freeing the slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation ranking up there with Jefferson's Declaration of Independence in noteworthy American documents. This story delves into the behind the scenes of Lincoln's rise to the White House, through the eyes of an immigrant girl who worked for his family. Relaying her backstory to explain how she came to her position in the Lincoln's household, but also what led to her personal political views took a while, which had left me wondering how much of the story could possibly relate to Lincoln. As it turns out, in this story, he was more of a background character. While his life and actions were a driving force for the narrative being portrayed, we didn't really see a whole lot of him as a person.

Although I'm not an expert on life in Illinois leading up to the Civil War, this felt authentic. I felt like I was a witness to transportation on the Underground Railroad, as if I were being turned away from a department store as a child with my friend, whose skin tone is darker than my own, questioning if my father would be in danger from slave catchers even though we came to America as free people, because when he works in the sun, his skin darkens considerably. I was that solidly ensconced in Ana's shoes.

I found it interesting getting this seemingly personal glimpse into life in America in the time leading up to Lincoln's election, and even the aftermath of the Civil War and the racial unrest that followed. As a mayonnaise melanated individual, these are experiences that myself and my family are pretty removed from, so this perspective was different and educational for me.

Overall I give The House of Lincoln 3.978 out of 5 stars, because while I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I was a bit disappointed that Lincoln didn't play a more central role in it.

My Rating: 3.5 stars
The House of Lincoln follows several different characters from Mary Lincoln, a young woman named Ana who worked for the Lincolns when they lived in Springfield, and several other characters here and there. We get to see the happening in Springfield and what was going on around Mr. Lincoln, as well as what was going on with Mary before the presidency and a little bit during his presidency. As the story goes we get more of the other characters and less and less of Mary until we no longer see her perspective at all.

Overall I did like this book, I did find myself a little disappointed in the second half with how we no longer saw things from Mary's perspective after the assassination as that is something I was looking forward to seeing. Instead, it just focused more on the other characters and then we had a time jump to get us to the Springfield race riots that happened in the early 1900s. Are the race riots important to talk about? yes of course, but I was just expecting more of this book to be about the Lincoln family and less about what happened after his death, because of that I did find myself struggling towards the end to finish the book whereas in the first half, I couldn't read it fast enough.
It was interesting to see what happened after the civil war as that isn't talked about a ton, but I also felt like a lot was glazed over in order to keep the story going at the pace it was. I found it fascinating to see how the underground railroad was working in Springfield and the people involved.

This book is good, but don't go into it thinking you will see the Lincolns a lot because that isn't the case sadly.

Historical novels are a real treat to read, especially when the author has done their research on the persons and the time period the persons lived.
I am happy to report that author Nancy Horan did an excellent job at bringing to life Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary, their children and the town of Springfield Illinois where the family lived and where we see the lawyer grow into a politician and his run for President of America
The story is told mostly through the eyes of Ana, a. young woman who came to America with her family to escape the violence in their home country of Portugal.
Ana obtains a job as the "Saturday Girl" for the Lincoln family where she becomes a valuable friend to the family, especially for Mary. Through Ana's eyes we see the changes of their world happening and the rise of Abraham Lincoln in politics that took him to the
White House. We also see Ana's own life change as the political world changes and Ana experiences love and loss over the years. The story is fascinating, touching and beautiful that will make you smile as well bring the sadness over the tragic end of a man who cared about tte world and the people in it. Such a battle and oh my! The end is pretty shocking and gives you pause and make you wonder his efforts were worth it. I try to keep a positive attitude but even then, it really does make you think have things really changed?
The House of Lincoln is really more than just a good historical novel. It presents an issue of our society and how things change but in many ways still the echo of the past haunts us and how can we ever be truly a free country? Very powerful story.
Thank you to Net Galley and author Nancy Horan for the ARC to read and the opportunity to share my opinion which I give freely and with enthusiasm.Historical novels are a real treat to read, especially when the author has done their research on the persons and the time period the persons lived.
I am happy to report that author Nancy Horan did an excellent job at bringing to life Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary, their children and the town of Springfield Illinois where the family lived and where we see the lawyer grow into a politician and his run for President of America
The story is told mostly through the eyes of Ana, a. young woman who came to America with her family to escape the violence in their home country of Portugal.
Ana obtains a job as the "Saturday Girl" for the Lincoln family where she becomes a valuable friend to the family, especially for Mary. Through Ana's eyes we see the changes of their world happening and the rise of Abraham Lincoln in politics that took him to the
White House. We also see Ana's own life change as the political world changes and Ana experiences love and loss over the years. The story is fascinating, touching and beautiful that will make you smile as well bring the sadness over the tragic end of a man who cared about tte world and the people in it. Such a battle and oh my! The end is pretty shocking and gives you pause and make you wonder his efforts were worth it. I try to keep a positive attitude but even then, it really does make you think have things really changed?
The House of Lincoln is really more than just a good historical novel. It presents an issue of our society and how things change but in many ways still the echo of the past haunts us and how can we ever be truly a free country? Very powerful story.
Thank you to Net Galley and author Nancy Horan for the ARC to read and the opportunity to share my opinion which I give freely and with enthusiasm.

The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan was just an okay read for me. I am going to give it three and a half stars.

I am a real history buff, but I'm not really interested in reading text books. Historical or narrative fiction books are a great way to learn about history in a way that is more captivating than a text book.

The House of Lincoln covered Abraham Lincoln's road to the presidency, all the way to the Springfield Race Riots of 1908. Told from the point of view of a young Portuguese immigrant whose family settled in Springfield, and who eventually goes to work in the Lincoln household.

As expected in a book about Lincoln, this books covers themes of racism, race relations, slavery, politics, and civil war. I'm Canadian and we did learn about world history, especially about the underground railway, as Canada played an important role in that, but there were definitely things I learned about Lincoln and the beginning of the Civil War from this book that I hadn't known.

The House of Lincoln is a fascinating, but simultaneously horrifying story. It is a difficult look into the past and sadly a frightening reminder of how we must heed our history and learn from the mistakes of the past. One way to do that is learning about it, even if it's uncomfortable, not closing our eyes to the truth.

Unfortunately, the book suffered from trying to cover such a large time period. This is a very complex and important topic and there were aspects for me that simply felt unfinished or for which I wished for more details.

That being said, I definitely think The House of Lincoln should be added to people's reading lists this year.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark. I received an advance copy of this book for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Abraham Lincoln stands tall in American history annals. We all know the story of his rise in politics from humble origins to his death at the hand of a bitter Southerner. We know of his widow and his children as well as the ones he freed in the rebel states and the push to end slavery. But what of the ones who knew him long before history? How did the average man see him? And how did history impact them?
This is the story told mainly through the viewpoint of a young Portuguese girl who found Springfield, Illinois a new home after being pushed from her homeland. When the reader is not seeing this small city through her eyes, they are viewing the world through that of a young, freeman descended from runaway slaves. They interact with the Lincoln family and see them as normal people. Yes, they were humble, but they were a normal family with emotional issues, family troubles, and even financial concerns. But the story goes so much further than that. 
From the title, you'd think the story was just about the family life of the Lincoln family. While we get a glimpse into that, the story is more about the world around the Lincolns in Springfield. How did the laws in place impact those who lived there? How about how the war impacted those of color and those who claimed superiority? I think we naively think that everyone in Springfield stood beside the President on all his decisions as it was the town he called home. They didn't. Many resented his Emancipation Proclamation and took matters into their own hands in the form of rioting and lynching mobs. What the war was fought over wasn't cut and dry even in Lincoln's town. Everything about the war and the issues surrounding it was muddied. It was complicated, and it turned everyone's lives upside down. 
We think our world is perfect when we are children and even into our young adult years. Then something happens to rip the rose-colored glasses from our eyes. In the book, it was the rioting in Springfield that showed the young girl turned mature woman that everyone did not get along and held deep grudges that would lead to the death of innocent people. 
I would go on about how well the writing was or how the characters developed in ways that kept me hooked. But I took something else away from this fictional story. I took it personal. I saw how I viewed my world and when I was disappointed in its inhabitants. The book made me step back and view my own small world and the social and political actions going on now. How will history view this? Will it be forgotten? This is even brought up in the book. How right the character was in thinking that all the horror would be forgotten. And how it shouldn't have been. 
A wonderful read that will keep you reading until the end and still be wanting more. A haunting story that will inevitability move you to your very soul.

This book is an interesting historical fiction look at the Lincoln era of Springfield Illinois. I loved how all the characters wove together with the events of that era.
This book is beautifully written and a smooth read. I highly recommend it!

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

As a history nerd, I really enjoyed this story set in Springfield, Illinois. Focusing primarily on Ana Ferreira, a young Portuguese immigrant, multiple characters are followed through their lives starting in 1851. Along with Ana, we meet a number of free blacks who are involved in the Underground Railroad, the Lincolns, in particular Mary Todd Lincoln, when Ana becomes part of their daily lives as she begins to work in their household. We see the Douglas-Lincoln debates, the secrets and fears around slave catchers, how the Civil War impacts families away from the battlefields, and how the politics around race evolve.

I found the first half of the book to be the most engaging as the author provides a more detailed description for 10 years until the Lincolns move to the White House. The pace picks up once the Lincolns move to Washington with the story alternating between Mary Lincoln in DC and Ana in Springfield: through the years of the Civil War and ending with Lincoln’s assassination. And then rapidly moving through decades, culminating in the 1908 race riots in Springfield. Ana is a likable, intelligent, and engaging character through which we experience the complicated and ugly story of race in America as seen by one American from the 19th Century.

The House of Lincoln is another beautiful historical fiction novel by Nancy Horan. We delve into the backstory of Abraham Lincoln, his life and family, and get a better understanding of his often polarizing wife Mary. If you enjoy stories about important historical figures and events, this is a must read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book is historical fiction offering a unique perspective on the period following the Civil War that our history books have labeled Reconstruction. Through the eyes of Ana, a recent immigrant who arrives in the Lincoln household, the reader sees a very specific view of American life in Springfield around the turn of the century.

Overall, I think this book accomplished what it intended: take an often-covered time period, stretch it through one not covered enough, and tell the story of a little known struggle for freedom in Springfield via the eyes of a white outsider.

"An acquaintance had said, 'That neighborhood needed to burn down in order to save it.' It was an ignorant remark from an otherwise intelligent woman. For Ana, it reflected what had happened in Springfield. The heart of the town seemed to have dissolved in the crucible of the riot."

This book reminds me that history is always told from a certain point of view. Read this story for yourself and make your own conclusions.