The House of Lincoln is a historical fiction based on true facts of Lincoln's life in Springfield, ILL . It also talks about a little known race riot in 1908 in that happened in that town.

It's told from different view points, but the chapters aren't POV. Ana, a Portuguese immigrant, that is young when her family moves to Springfield. Spenser Donnegan, a black minister and barber that helps his brother with the Underground Railroad. Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's wife. With these three narrators you get a different feel for that time. The struggles each dealt with from friendships, family and love.

I wished that part of the things I read, would have been by one of the narrators instead of just facts and information. I could tell that Horan had researched this book well.

It published on June 6, 2023

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🙂 Happy Reading 🙃

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"People want to blend in, forget where they came from. They change their names, throw off their old ways. They want to be American, where everyone is supposed to be equal. But where does that leave them? They're nowhere near the top of the pecking order, but they don't want to be at the bottom. We all need somebody else to be at the bottom so we can say, "Well, I am not that."

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Ana is a young Portuguese immigrant to Springfield, Illinois and this is the story of her integration into American culture which she views as a servant to the Lincoln household as he begins his political career, becomes president and ultimately dies. She sees his desire to emancipate the slaves, reunify the country and bring peace to his family. The view we get on the family is unique, almost from within and yet with the eyes of a person with some stake in the results. While she is not Black, she does have dark skin and a best friend and fellow Lincoln servant, who is. We get glimpses of the Underground Railroad, the brutalities of the Civil War and the riots that lead to the forming of the NAACP.

I really loved Ana as a character. She maintained her innocence as well as see the evolution of her as she comes of age and learns more about the realities of the world around her. I liked that while we got glimpses of Lincoln, her view on him differed from what the rest of the world saw, but only served to strengthen the ethos. Seeing Mary Todd's life as a Southerner married to such a polarizing man, a wife who rises to First Lady and a mother who lost children as well as her husband, was so enlightening. She was a strong woman who had such heartache. This is a nice piece of historical fiction that well balances the line between the life of an average person with that of such a sweeping figure.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

It was a last-minute decision to grab this auto-approved book from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, but it involved a U.S. President so I decided to give it a chance. I received a copy of The House of Lincoln in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you’re looking for a lot of Lincoln, you’ll be disappointed. The book is actually follows the tale of Ana, a teenage Portuguese American who gets a job at the Lincoln household in Springfield, Illinois. While her story is mildly interesting, it’s at least 20% into the book before she gets encounters the Lincolns.

The book has a lot of messages about slavery, race relations in a “free” state, slave catchers, the Underground Railroad, race riots, and the immigrant experience in Springfield, Illinois when the Lincolns lived there and after. While I am interested in these topics and they are still relevant today, I thought the execution of the novel was weak. I thought it was trying to cram too much into the story, and it suffered because of it.

My biggest beef is that there is very little of Lincoln himself featured in the story, but maybe I’m being too harsh. I know from reading biographies that Lincoln spent a lot of time away from home, so Ana living in the “House of Lincoln” means very little. She had much more to do with Mary Todd Lincoln. I found myself skimming the pages until I came upon passages that included any of the Lincolns. After the assassination, I found little joy in the story as it traverses decades, culminating in the 1908 race riots in Chicago, which led to the founding of the NAACP.

Forget Lincoln and concentrate on the other messages in the book if you want to enjoy it. This book is not quite what the book description says it is, but parts of it were interesting.

House of Lincoln is a historical fiction novel by Nancy Horan that tells the story of Abraham Lincoln and his family from the perspective of a young Portuguese immigrant named Ana Ferreira. The book is set in Springfield, Illinois, during the years leading up to the Civil War.

Ana's perspective on the household is interesting because she comes to know Mary Lincoln and the Lincoln children particularly well. Her acquaintance with Abraham Lincoln is much less intimate. Horan does a good job of bringing the characters to life and capturing the atmosphere of Springfield with all of its political and racial turmoil during the Civil War era.

I thought the book tried to do a little too much. I was interested in Ana's story, her relationship with the Lincolns, but also her friendship with a black woman, her brushes with the Underground Railroad, her experience as a soldier's wife. I think the book would have been stronger with a greater focus on the non-Lincoln themes.

I would recommend House of Lincoln to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, biographies, or the American Civil War era.

Ana Ferreira immigrated from Portugal as a teen in 1850’s. Seeking employment to assist Mary Todd Lincoln with the house and childcare Ana finds close friendship with Cal who is a person of color.

With the Underground Railroad and the racism and slavery through Ana’s eyes she tells this story.

What an enlightening book and highly recommend for those that love the history during this time.

Thank you Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love books about presidential history and President Lincoln and his wife, Mary, are my favorite presidential couple. I enjoyed this book about his life in Springfield, Illinois along with the additional storylines about a Portuguese immigrant girl who goes to work for the Lincolns and an African-American man who provides assistance to the Underground Railroad.

The book really picked up for me at the halfway mark when the Civil War began. I love reading about the Civil War, so these chapters were my favorite part. I did enjoy the chapters about Ana and her life after the war, particularly her relationship with her husband who came back from the war haunted and grieving. The mental health aspects of the war are not often found in novels.

Nancy Horan is the author of one of my favorite historical novels, Loving Frank, which was about Frank Lloyd Wright. The writing was so evocative and truly captured the man in all of his complexity. When I saw this book, I was eager to read it as a new novel by Ms. Horan is always welcome.

The House of Lincoln is, as its title suggests, partly about Mr. Lincoln. It is also about his wife and children. However, even more, it is the story of a woman who worked for the family. She witnesses both their lives and the lives of those in the world around her, especially her friend Callie. Through Callie, readers are offered insight into the fraught world of race during this time period. Note that there is a bit of romance to lighten things up.

Those who are interested in Lincoln, the time period and the women around historical events may want to give this title a look.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this title. All opinions are my own.

I thought the author chose an interesting way to tell a story about life in the United States during Lincoln’s lifetime and beyond. The story was well researched and kept my interest. There were actual historical figures included as well as her fictional ones. The storyline included sad days in our nation’s history and poignant reminders of the true cost of war. I especially enjoyed the scenes involving President Lincoln and his wife. It was also interesting how Horan connected the lives of people living in Springfield, Illinois to Lincoln. Overall, a thought provoking read. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This historical fiction story is about Springfield and the Lincolns, as seen through the eyes of Ana, a bright Portuguese immigrant who ends up working for the Lincolns during some of the most tumultuous years of history.

This is a fascinating look into complex ideologies, complicated racism schisms, messed up politics, classism, mental health issues, while being fully researched and as accurate as it can be and not be non-fiction. It touches on mental health of mothers, religious persecution, loss of family members (through death, the Civil War, religious shunning), grief, war, mob mentality, riots, and PTSD. The list seems endless. The issues are handled with care and grace.

I really enjoyed the research that went into the development of this book, lots of interesting details, but the bulk of the book is told as a flashback and sometimes felt like it dragged on but I can see where things tied together, so it kept my interest.

4.5 out of 5 stars, highly recommend for those that like historical fiction that have actual historical figures in them, similar to The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, The Magnolia Palace, Carnegie's Maid.

This book covers more the history of Springfield, IL, than Abraham Lincoln. The book is an up close and personal look of the full life of one of Springfield's immigrants, coming to the city at the age of 10 and living her whole life there. Included is stories of some of the other citizens, including "workers" of the underground railroad, and the Lincoln family. I enjoyed the take on the lighter side, humor, and humanization of Mr. Lincoln as told here, and his family life. However, he is one factor of this book, not the main piece, as the title leads you to believe.

This book is very well researched, and there is a lot of information and history here. The book is a linear examination of the turmoil of the times before, during, and after the Civil War, however, I didn't feel there was really a climax or anything exciting in this book. It plodded a long. I learned a bit, was surprised at the violence and depth of the Springfield riots, and wanted to know more about the building of the Lincoln Library. However, I kept turning the pages to get to the end, not because I was drawn to the story. An interesting book to learn, but not necessarily to read.

What a great book! I have never read a book written by Nancy Horan before but I will definitely read another book by her again. If you haven’t read this I highly recommend it! Thank you Nancy for writing such a wonderful book!

I love historical fiction and I’ve read several about Lincoln, so I didn’t think this would offer me anything new, but it did!

Rather than focusing only on Lincoln in the White House, this gives an interesting and detailed look at how he got there. The state of the United States and particularly in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois.

The story is told through Ana, an immigrant from Madeira, Portugal. Ana is 14 when she is hired to help Lincoln’s wife Mary with the children.

I learned so much from this, while still being entertained (if I can use that word for a story that is pretty heartbreaking) by the story.

As Ana is immersed in the household, we get a glimpse into the kind of woman Mary was. A very strong woman, whit strong opinions who supported her husband in every way.

In addition to the intimate glimpse into the Lincoln household, we see the breakdown of the country over slavery. The laws that were passed, and the different ways each state reacted to slavery.

The book culminated in 1908 with the Springfield Race Riot. I had never heard of this and immediately after finishing the book, learned more about it.

This is a well-researched book, a different look at Lincoln and the racial struggles of our country.

Nancy Horan is a magnificent writer. Her characters are easy to identify with and they bring history to life. Horan chooses to surround Abe and Mary Lincoln with Ana Ferreira, a young immigrant from Portugal. Although she is only fourteen in 1851, Ana is smart and wise beyond her years. She lives with her family in Springfield, IL. Ana is a dedicated and loyal worker and is lucky to develop relationships that greatly impact her future. Horan brings her setting of Springfield to life and tells the stories of several different residents. Although the novel revolves around the Lincoln's, it is really about Ana's story and the effect slavery had on every life at that time. This thought provoking novel should not be missed.

DNF @25%

I should know better than to read a HF book about Lincoln, even with it being written by an outstanding author like Nancy Horan - I have read so many definitive NF books about him, that anything else, even well-researched HF, seems...blase. Such is the case here - I found myself rolling my eyes anytime the Lincoln's are in the story. And that brings me to the elephant in the room - THIS BOOK IS NOT ABOUT LINCOLN. The title is extremely misleading. This is a story about a lovely immigrant girl Ana and two free Blackmen and the trials they face in Illinois, both during the time the Lincoln's lived there all the way through the assassination of President Lincoln. The fact that the Lincoln's factor very little into the story is very disappointing and add to that, the slow-pacing [sloth story anyone?], at points boring, and the overall feel of...disinterest [in a time period I have long loved to learn and read about - we NEED to keep learning about this time frame to keep from completely repeating history <--this is especially important today with the hate continually thrown at Black people, POC, and immigrants on a daily basis], it just makes for a bland read and I found myself unable to continue. As I have loved her previous books [Loving Frank was hands down one of the BEST HF books I have ever read], this makes this even more disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Horan and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was quite the saga. This book has so much information in it. There's a good story hiding in there, with Ana's American journey as a Portuguese immigrant, and the work she did during the Civil War. Part of the book reads like a historical fiction novel and the rest reads like one of my civil war or presidency texts from college. The info is laid out in a very readable way, but there is a distinct change in voice when it switches from Ana to historical happenings. I'm not sure that the title is appropriate to the book, Though we follow Lincoln's rise and fall and the results of all he accomplished, I'm not sure the book focused on the house of Lincoln. We have a brief bit about Ana's family and the how's and why's of their lives in America. We also have Spencer Knox's side. We have a very short intro to Cal but then the book ends with her. We have Mary Todd Lincoln's story, but it is choppy. We have Ana and Owen's life that is disrupted by Owen's stint in the Union army. I think there is more than one book happening between these covers and perhaps they could have been separate.
However, the pages kept turning. As I said, it was laid out in a readable way, just a bit all over the place with everything going on. Incredibly well researched, but not all of it needed to go into the book. I think more attention to building the characters would have been helpful.

Set in the years shortly before, during, and after the Civil War, The House of Lincoln is a sweeping work of historical fiction that explores the impact of slavery and race on Abraham Lincoln and his rise to the Presidency and the effects of the Civil War on race relations in the years afterward.
The book is set in Springfield, Illinois- Lincoln's hometown, whose citizens teetered on between supporting slavery and abolition because of it's proximity to the Southern States. The main protagonist, Ana, is a Portuguese immigrant who moves to Springfield as a child and later works for the Lincoln family before they leave Springfield when Lincoln is elected. The story is mostly from her point of view, but also follows The Donnegans, a freed black family, as well as Mary Todd Lincoln.
The book was interesting to see the shift before the Civil War, and then during, of how President Lincoln came to support emancipation through his interactions with his free neighbors and the logic of the law and how this also affected everyday people living their lives through these historical events.

I was very much looking forward to reading this book as I loved the author’s previous book Loving Frank. This book was a bit of a disappointment. The storyline was rather jumbled and didn’t give me the story about the Lincoln’s I was hoping it would. Instead the Lincoln’s seem to just have been a placeholder to show the time in history we are dealing with. The book had very quick jumps from one time period to the next while never developing any of the characters fully where I was invested in their story.

For the book called the House of Lincoln I initially believed there would be a lot more Lincoln. Except I was pleasantly surprised to learn that instead of being a biographical fictionalized account of his life, the story is told from three different perspectives over the course of Lincoln’s career from a young upstart outside of Chicago until well after his assassination. In fact the assassination takes place off-page and is only briefly mentioned. Instead, the focus is on the effects of Lincoln’s politics on both Illinois and all of America, and the effect his death had on ending slavery.

The primary focus of the book is racism and class divisions. The scariest part of this novel is that it doesn’t feel like historical fiction. The themes and events that take place in large part echo current events happening in the U.S. so this novel could not be more relevant. We primarily get the story from the perspective of Ana, a young Portuguese immigrant who learns from outsiders exactly why her best friend is treated differently. We also get the perspectives of Spencer, a free man and pastor, who assists his brother through the Underground Railroad, and finally Mary Lincoln.

I’m by no means an expert in American history but to the uninitiated it appears to be a well-researched and well-thought out book. There are tons of historical events and people woven into the story. The author does an excellent job of creating a believable atmosphere and for the most part the language used, inner thoughts and actions taken by individuals all seem reasonable for the time period. It is both educational and entertaining.

Yay for more historical fiction being published beyond that of World War II!

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Anna arrived in Springfield Illinois at six years old in with the help of her best friend Kelly she would be the only English speaking member of her family she practiced her English and learned the routes of the town by writing down peoples names in the places they worked in the streets they were on while running errands for her neighbors who also spoke no English one day while at the cobbler’s three rough looking men came in and only later would she learn these were slave catchers in the man fixing her dad‘s boots was a conductor on the northern railroad after the men leave she sees a man’s hand come out from under a pile of animal pelts but when she mentioned it later to her friend,Callie says say nothing and Anna takes the advice to heart. Minding her own business will come in handy because at 14 and starts working for Mrs. Lincoln although this book is called The House Of Lincoln Abraham is mostly just talked about we mainly get to know Mary Todd and her boys when I first downloaded this book I didn’t know what it was about I just knew I loved Abraham Lincoln and I figured any book about him would be a great one but I really enjoyed the sport and although it is just one authors version of what she thinks may have happened with the downward spiral of the first lady there are many things I found very interesting this is a book I highly recommend and thoroughly enjoyed I received it from NetGalley and sourcebooks Landmark but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This book is told by Ana Ferreira who is offered a job working for the Lincolns and assisting Mary Lincoln with her sons. She and her family immigrated to the Unites States from Madeira, Portugal. While working in the "House of Lincoln" Ana witnesses Abraham Lincolns thoughts on equality and his ascent from being a lawyer to being the President known as the Great Emancipator.

When not working she spends time with her family and her friend, Callie Patterson (Cal) who is free. Through her friendship with Cal, she witnesses not only racism but the workings of the Underground Railroad.

If you are looking for a book about Abraham Lincoln, now that this book is more about Ana and her experiences and life. She worked in the House of Lincoln and knew them. She tells not only the story of her life but the story of Abraham Lincoln, the civil war, riots, racism, the underground railroad, friendship, and hardship.

I enjoyed this book and found sections of this book to be gripping while other parts were slow. I learned something new while reading The House of Lincoln. I had never heard of the Springfield race riot of 1908 that took place in Lincoln's hometown.

This book begins with Ana and her family' experiences with being immigrants and follows her and the county and the war that shaped the nation. The author shows the physical and psychological effects of war, the trauma of losing loved ones, political aspirations, racism and the fight for freedom in this book.

Well written, well researched, and thought provoking.


3.5 stars