The House of Lincoln
A Novel
by Nancy Horan
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Pub Date Jun 06 2023 | Archive Date Jun 17 2023
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark
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Description
An unprecedented view of Lincoln's Springfield from the acclaimed and bestselling author of Loving Frank.
Nancy Horan, author of the million-copy New York Times bestseller Loving Frank, returns with a sweeping historical novel, which tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's ascendance from rumpled lawyer to U.S. president to the Great Emancipator through the eyes of a young asylum-seeker who arrives in Lincoln's home of Springfield from Madeira, Portugal.
Showing intelligence beyond society's expectations, fourteen-year-old Ana Ferreira lands a job in the Lincoln household assisting Mary Lincoln with their boys and with the hostess duties borne by the wife of a rising political star. Ana bears witness to the evolution of Lincoln's views on equality and the Union and observes in full complexity the psyche and pain of his bold, polarizing wife, Mary.
Along with her African American friend Cal, Ana encounters the presence of the underground railroad in town and experiences personally how slavery is tearing apart her adopted country. Culminating in an eyewitness account of the little-known Springfield race riot of 1908, The House of Lincoln takes readers on a journey through the historic changes that reshaped America and that continue to reverberate today.
Advance Praise
"Brimming with a rich and unforgettable array of imagined and real historical figures who helped to shape Springfield, Illinois and the nation beyond during the turbulent time of slavery and the Civil War, The House of Lincoln is storytelling at its best." ―Gail Tsukiyama, author of The Color of Air, The Samurai’s Garden, and Women of the Silk
"Here, happily, is Nancy Horan doing once again what Nancy Horan does best – telling us the part of the story we don’t yet know. Strong on fine detail yet cognizant of the expansive historical context, Horan’s newest is wonderfully immersive, memorable, important, and pertinent. An ambitious and accomplished work." ―Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Booth
"Nancy Horan’s nuanced portrait of Abraham Lincoln as his thoughts on emancipation evolve and her deft, revelatory use of narrators from marginalized communities enhance this compelling, beautifully crafted novel. The House of Lincoln evokes the past to illuminate the present as only the very best historical fiction can." ―Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters
"What a gift Nancy Horan has for conjuring the past and bringing it vividly to life! Here, she turns her considerable talents to Lincoln's strange road to the White House and the turbulence of his presidency, illuminating lesser-known perspectives and details that resonate eerily with our contemporary times. This is top-quality literary time-travel, and the trip is well worth taking." ―Therese Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of A Well-Behaved Woman
"The gifted Nancy Horan once again brings readers into a story -- inspired by real events -- that will forever change the way they perceive famous historical figures and their times. In the captivating and important The House of Lincoln, the young Portuguese immigrant Ana is hired to help in the Springfield, Illinois home of Abraham Lincoln as the Great Emancipator is on the rise. Through Ana's relationship with Lincoln's wife Mary and her close friendship with Cal, a free Black girl, the novel explores a lesser-known aspect of a crucial historical period." ―Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781728260549 |
| PRICE | $27.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 352 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Yolanda C, Reviewer
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
Rachel F, Reviewer
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.
Karen M, Reviewer
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
Debbie S, Reviewer
Really great portrayal of Lincoln and Mary Todd. First book I've read by Horan and I interested in going back and reading her earlier books. Her writing really gave you a good feel for the evolution of Lincoln's thinking and was a great portrayal of life in Springfield. Great read.
ELIZABETH C, Educator
This was such a powerful book. Abraham Lincoln lurks at the periphery of this novel, and Mary Todd Lincoln plays a supporting role. But this book is about race and what is right vs what is wrong. The novel explores the role skin color plays among when the free people in Springfield, IL. Ana and Cal are two characters who are best friends as children but later live lives that are very separate and different but whose paths periodically cross. Surrounding these two girls/women are a community of Portuguese immigrants, white employees, freed blacks, the Underground Railroad, and deeply held secrets of monumental importance. The book spans over 50 years of American history whole following Ana throughout her life. I think this book is one most people should read.
Charlotte O, Reviewer
Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with this Advanced Copy.
I love reading about Lincoln. This story is told from the point of view of a young immigrant girl who is Portuguese. She lives in Springfield, Illinois, and works in the Lincoln home there. The story also involves some free blacks who are working for emancipation. I enjoyed this book a great deal and want to get a copy for my Lincoln collection.
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Kenneth Womack; Kenneth L. Campbell
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