An historical novel about the childhoods of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley, two women coming from opposite ends of society prior to the Civil War.

Mary Todd came from a plantation owning family. She was brought up with fine clothes, housing and slaves, schooled in educational and social arts during an era where women were groomed to be more like background to their husbands, yet expected to run the household like a corporation.

Elizabeth’s mother was a slave, seamstress to the family. Elizabeth’s father was the plantation owner, which put her in the house staff and not in the fields. Nothing more, but if she didn’t behave it could be much less.

Both had difficult childhoods. Mary Todd was the fourth of six children. Her mother died giving birth to Mary’s youngest brother. The following year her father remarried, which was too early for the mourning, but her felt the need to have someone to care for the children. The new wife brought “a new standard of elegance” to the family. From day one she was in charge of the home and children. She was the centerpiece and she had no love for Mary.

Elizabeth was light in skin but it didn’t make any difference in her position in her world. She was still and slave and as long as she was in the south she had no say in her life. Being a girl made it even harsher.

Both girls had dreams and they worked towards them. Mary’s was to marry a politician and live in the White House. Elizabeth’s was to be a free woman and run her own life. Interestingly they did accomplish their dreams, even though it was not easy.

This is a short read. The description of life in that era is harsh and difficult. The fancy dress, and the opulence of one life against the brutal treatment and hard labour of the other emphasizes the extreme differences between the two. ( )

On the night of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, his frantic wife, Mary, calls for her best friend and confidante, Elizabeth Keckley. But the woman is mistakenly kept from her side by guards who were unaware of Mary Todd Lincoln's close friendship with the black seamstress. With vivid detail and emotional power, Ann Rinaldi delves into the childhoods of two fascinating women who became devoted friends amid the turbulent times of the Lincoln administration.

This is definitely not Ann Rinaldi's strongest work. I think the worst part was the way the book was formatted, closely followed by the individual voices of Mary and Lizzy which seemed to be exactly the same. Not a book I'd truly recommend except for die-hard Rinaldi fans. ( )

I guess I just dislike sad endings so I skimmed the book. It is a remarkable story and gives a view of Mary Todd Lincoln not found in traditional history books. It does end sadly but those who want to understand relations among the ethnic groups in our country, (race issues but a wrong use of the word race)will find this informative. Well researched and well written but sad, very sad. ( )

An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley, by Ann Rinaldi, is historical fiction about these two women.  It opens on April 14, 1865, with a prologue with scenes just before and after the assassination of Lincoln, relayed through third-person narration.

This is followed by a section on Mary Todd's early life in Lexington, Kentucky, beginning when she is seven and about to get a new stepmother, up to the point where she moves to Springfield, Illinois, to live with her sister, at age nineteen.  This part is told in first person.  Then, there is a short chapter, again told in third person, about "What Happened after Mary Todd Met Abraham Lincoln," which ends with Mary hiring Elizabeth Keckley as her dressmaker in Washington, D.C., in 1861.

Next, there is a section told in first person from Elizabeth's viewpoint, about her early years as a slave, beginning at age four and ending at age eighteen in 1839, with the birth of her son George, the result of an unwanted sexual relationship with a man to whom her owner hired her out.  This is followed by a final third-person chapter on Elizabeth's following years, obtaining her freedom, and establishing her business, up to the point where she meets Mary Todd Lincoln.

The epilogue is brief (nine pages), again told in third person, about their White House period, with only a couple pages of those nine on their long post-assassination lives. The book concludes with an author's note and bibliography.

Although written for ages 10 and up, I feel this book is appropriate for adults as well.  It provides insights into the early lives of these two women that can lead one to see why a friendship developed.  It's a good complement to Jennifer Chiaverini's Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, which concentrates on Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley from the White House years onward.

And, I love the note printed on the back of the dust jacket:  "WARNING:  This is a historical novel.  Read at your own risk.  The writer feels it necessary to alert you to the fact that you might enjoy it."

© Amanda Pape - 2013

[This book was borrowed from and returned to my local public library.] ( )