Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini is a historical fiction novel about Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley. The story starts in the run up to the 1860 election with Elizabeth working as a dress designer and maker for the wives of the various powerful men in and around Washington D.C. One of her more influential and close clients is Mrs. Davis, the wife of Jefferson Davis. When the threats of secession start and Mr. Lincoln gets elected, several of her clients end up fleeing south though some stay behind. One of the ones who stays behind ends up recommending Elizabeth to someone who will end up becoming one of her most powerful and influential clients, as well as one of her closest friends, Mrs. Lincoln. As she starts working for Mrs. Lincoln, she ends up gradually becoming the dress maker to hire in Washington as well as becoming increasingly familiar with the White House in general. Over time she ends up gradually becoming a confidant of Mrs. Lincoln’s and supports her over the next four years in the White House, and even beyond, due to the continuing strength of their friendship.
I am not really sure what to make of this book as it was a good read in terms of seeing an often overlooked or ignored part of history. However, I also felt like there was a disconnect at times throughout the story. What I mean by that is that there are times where it pulls away from the protagonist and randomly discusses outside events, typically political or war related, before pulling back in and these don’t always relate directly to what is going on in her life. It feels more like these are just listing what is going on in general in order to help the reader keep track of the historical timeline. I am not entirely sure that I like that it does this. Another thing I noticed is the seeming lack of emotional depth in the protagonist. There are emotions there but they feel shallow and like the text is not providing the necessary depth to make them feel entirely real. This may just be my opinion though so it could be nothing for other readers. In terms of the level of historical detail and the research that must have gone into it, I was somewhat impressed as that was well done overall. I did enjoy the story despite what bothered me about it as it was a good story. It did a good job of showing how the events of the war and Lincoln’s time in the White House affected the everyday working classes, specifically the black working classes. The book gets 3.5 out of 5 stars from me.
This is a pretty good work of historical fiction that focuses heavily on the Lincoln administration and the Civil War so if you want to know more about that then you might consider this one. Despite covering the time frame of the war there is very little in the way of direct coverage of the war and practically none in the way of graphic or gruesome content. This is the kind of book that would probably be suitable for just about any reader because of this, even younger readers though probably only as young as thirteen or fourteen. Despite my potential problems with it the book is still a read worth considering if you like reading about this topic or time frame. If you do decide to try it, consider sharing your thoughts in the comments.