I must say I was disappointed in this book. After reading the description, I thought it would be much more about Lincoln. I found the story to be a bit disjointed and I didn’t think the characters were as robust as they could have been. It did cover some interesting points in Illinois history which I enjoyed learning about. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nancy Horan's new novel, The House of Lincoln, is a fictionalized re-telling of the life of Abraham Lincoln and the history of the town of Springfield, Illinois, where he lived and started his family prior to being elected 16th President of the United States. The novel spans some 70 years, and focuses on three families, two real and one fictitious: the Lincolns, the Donnegans, a family of free blacks who were active in assisting those who escaped from enslavement to move north; and the Ferrieras, a fictional family inspired by the lives of Portuguese religious exiles from Madeira who emigrated vis Trinidad to Springfield, Illinois, in 1849. Springfield itself, growing from a small village to a bustling city and the state capital, is also a major character in this novel, and a locus of events that the author uses to highlight the conflicting opinions and feelings of both white and Black people, and the events those opinions and feelings caused, both before and after the Civil War. The novel culminates in the true story of the Springfield Riot of 1908, when a white woman's false claim that she'd been raped by a Black man sparked riots in which white people burned and looted in a section of the city largely populated by Blacks, and lynched two Black men: William Donnegan, a minister, and Scott Burton, a barber. The Springfield Riot was the impetus for the formation in 1909 of the NAACP.

Horan's writing powerfully humanized Abraham Lincoln and his family, transforming them from iconic historical figures into real, relatable individuals, with flaws and foibles, but also great capacity for growth and change. Without lengthy descriptions of battles and strategies, she also brought home the suffering experienced by Civil War soldiers as well as the families who waited for their return. And her use of Ana Ferriera as a central narrator/observer of all these events gave these events a striking perspective from the viewpoint of a naive and idealistic young girl coming of age in a tumultuous time in our history. Very well done!

The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan, is a little different take on the life of Lincoln. This book gave us a better look at the early lives of Abraham and Mary his wife. This book is told in the point of view of Ana and young Portuguese refugee that helps take care of their young children. Overall I found this to be a good read, just not a great one. Having said that I would still recommend this to others.

I receive an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

In 1849, Ana and her family flee the island of Madeira, Portugal to escape religious intolerance. The family settles, along with a large Portuguese population, in Springfield, Illinois. Three years later, Ana is 14, speaks English and gets a job in the Lincoln household as a cleaner and helper with the Lincoln boys. The story follows Ana and her family and the connections with Abraham Lincoln and his family as Lincoln rises to the presidency and fights for the equality of all Americans.

Review:
This story gives the reader an inside look into the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. The story gives us details on their lives before the presidency and follows Abraham from a traveling lawyer, to politician, to his debates with Stephen Douglas, his election as the 16th president, the Civil War and his tragic death. Lincoln was early to the battle for equality and justice in the U.S. He prioritized his family, America and ending slavery. The story also puts a spotlight on Mary Lincoln and the many sacrifices she made for her country. It focuses on the grief and sorrow she suffered over losing her husband and three children, falling into a deep depression. Along the way, the story explores the friendship between Ana and her young black friend, Callie. Their exposure to the underground railroad as young girls bonds them together and this friendship carries through into their last years. Ana’s family’s story is a familiar one with immigrants struggling to adapt to a new country and often the younger generation succeeding where the elders fail to thrive. The story is filled with historical facts brought to life through the characters living in Springfield. The reader witnesses the growth and changes of Springfield itself through the years. The tale of Springfield is captivating, ending with the Springfield Race Riot of 1908. This riot created the formation of the NAACP, devoted to fighting for the civil rights of African Americans.
This historical fiction novel is a sweeping tale of the rise of Abraham Lincoln along with the city of Springfield, Illinois. The reader can feel the strain in the town between the immigrants, free blacks and white townspeople. Abraham’s work shown a spotlight on the city, but race relations were difficult even in his hometown. The reader was given a different look at the life of Abraham Lincoln through the lens of a town and the lens of a young immigrant girl growing up along the way. The perspective was well done and gives a fresh take on the story of Abraham Lincoln. I particularly enjoyed the focus on Mary and her life as fascinating details were included such as Mary’s own family was spilt between Union and Confederate during the war. A must read for all historical fiction and Lincoln fans.

Notes: This story contains violence and a lynching.

The House of Lincoln by Nancy Horan, follows the life of Ana Ferreira in Springfield, Illinois. As a young girl she witnesses first hand the turbulant times leading up to the Civil War. When she becomes a servant for the lincoln family, her compasion for Mary and Abraham becomes personal.. As the Civil War breaks out, Ana's family experiences first hand the pain associated with war. And as an elderly woman at the turn of the century, Ana witnesses the horrible treatment of blacks and freed slaves in America. This is an excellent historical novel which covers many aspects of the time period from 1851-1909.

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.