The First Lady and The Rebel

10:29 am 14 October 2019

Mary Todd Lincoln and Emily Todd Helm are two strong willed sisters who happened to marry two men of equal conviction. Abraham Lincoln is elected to the presidency just as his nation begins to split. Mary is in support of his views for the nation, but finds that many of her family members are not. Emily encourages her husband, Benjamin to travel to Washington upon Lincoln's election and ask for a post within the government. Ben finds that he respects Lincoln deeply, but does not share his views and returns to his family. As war breaks out, Ben takes a post in the Confederate Army as Mary hopes for a speedy end to the conflict. While the North and South are divided the sisters can't directly communicate and feel the loss of the other in their lives as each woman champions for their own victory.

With astounding historical accuracy, the plight of the Todd family during the Civil War is brought to life. I always love when history is told from the woman's point of view and Emily and Mary have equally interesting stories. The point of view switches between Mary and Emily and begins with their courtships. I did find it harder to get into the story this early, but it did give some insight into their relationship. The pacing and interest picked up as the war began and the women were feeling the effects of having family on each side. While there was a lot of insight in the writing as to the impacts of the war and some of the decisions that Lincoln and Helm made, I really wanted to feel the emotional connection to each of the women and their direct impacts on the War through their husbands, I felt more of just a description of what happened around them. Overall, the strength of Mary and Emily shines through as well as their dedication to family in all forms.

This book was received in return for an honest review.

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The First Lady and The Rebel