Mary - Paperback

by Janis Cooke Newman (Author)

A fascinating and intimate novel of the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, narrated by the First Lady herself

Mary Todd Lincoln is one of history's most misunderstood and enigmatic women. She was a political strategist, a supporter of emancipation, and a mother who survived the loss of three children and the assassination of her beloved husband. She also ran her family into debt, held seances in the White House, and was committed to an insane asylum--which is where Janis Cooke Newman's debut novel begins. From her room in Bellevue Place, Mary chronicles her tempestuous childhood in a slaveholding Southern family and takes readers through the years after her husband's death, revealing the ebbs and flows of her passion and depression, her poverty and ridicule, and her ultimate redemption.

Back Jacket

USA" Today s Best Historical Fiction of the Year
A "Los Angeles"" Times "Book Prize Finalist
Mary Todd Lincoln is one of history s most misunderstood and enigmatic women. The first president s wife to be called First Lady, she was a political strategist, a supporter of emancipation, and a mother who survived the loss of three children and the assassination of her beloved husband. Yet she also ran her family into debt, held seances in the White House, and was committed to an insane asylum. In this irresistible novel, Mary Todd Lincoln shares the story of her life in her own words, allowing us entry into the inner, intimate world of this brave and fascinating woman.
"Mary" is one of those rare books that turns the reader into an admiring fan of both the author and her subject. You feel a compulsion to urge others to read it . . . Newman gives Mary a riveting voice . . . after reading "Mary, " you ll view stout little Mrs. Lincoln and her 19th-century sisters in a new, more respectful light. "USA"" Today"
Like its protagonist, "Mary "is bold, happy to trample upon convention. It is also an old-fashioned pleasure to read. "The Plain Dealer" (Cleveland)
JANIS COOKE NEWMAN is the author of the memoir "The Russian Word for Snow." She lives in northern California, where she teaches writing classes at the renowned independent bookseller Book Passage. Visit www.JanisCookeNewman.com.
Reading Group Guide available at www.HarcourtBooks.com."