Abraham Lincoln may be the most revered president in American history, but his wife Mary Todd Lincoln has remained an enigma, dogged by mockery, barred from the halls of power she once presided over, and judged mentally unsound. Here the author of Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom and Fanny Kemble's Civil Wars portrays a woman too fragile for the demands of the office into which she was ushered in midlife—particularly during such a momentous period in American history—yet one who was condemned unfairly, and whose colorful personality provides historical insight.
"In this remarkable book, Catherine Clinton displays an emotional depth in her understanding of Mary Lincoln that has rarely been revealed in the Lincoln literature. This engaging, wonderfully written narrative provides fresh insight into this complex woman whose intelligence and loving capacities were continually beset by insecurities."—Doris Kearns Goodwin
