Nancy Horan

This book of historical fiction was an enjoyable read that gives us an insight into Abraham Lincoln's life in Springfield, Illinois, the political machinations of the time and the growing divide between the Northern States and the Southern States. We witness these events through the eyes of a young Portuguese religious refugee immigrant from Madeira named Ana Ferreira, who goes to work in the Lincoln household after her education is complete.

Through Ana's eyes we learn of the dangers of the Underground Railroad that Ana and her friend witness firsthand. The accounts of the atrocities committed at the hands of the slave hunters and the terrors wreaked by the Ku Klux Klan who ruled the area prior to the Civil War is hard to read; but it is very important to know the history and horrors of the slave trade.

We learn much about the inhabitants and logistics of Springfield as well, as Ana becomes familiar with her new town. Ana's family life is weaved into the storyline throughout....Her father who immediately embraces his new town and country, her mother who over time grows more and more depressed because her heart is still in her homeland, culture and religion of her childhood; before she and her husband converted to the new religion that got them expelled from the country that her heart will always remain in.

Ana comes to know the Lincolns very well, as she watches over their boys and does household chores. Abraham Lincoln is rarely home, but when he is the house if full of the laughter of he and the boys. He is often gone on long circuit rides as a lawyer at first, and later, of course, on the campaign trail. Mary Lincoln is a very complex person, as Ana discovers. She is kind but often unreasonable and she and Abraham have many quarrels. Some say Abraham is gone from home so much because he simply can't stand her shrewlike behavior. Ultimately, she is faced with one tragedy after another; and I can't imagine anyone holding up under such devastation.

Ana then marries the love of her life, and at the same time Abraham Lincoln has just been elected President of the United States. Quickly the Southern States secede from the Union and the country is embroiled in a bitter, bloody war. The war takes a huge toll on the Lincolns, as it does on everyone, Union and Confederate alike. Families are torn apart and the toll keeps mounting. Ana's husband and brother both join the troops and she and her family watch in helpless anguish as the war rages on.

Although the hope was that President LIncoln's Emancipaton Proclamation and the North's winning of the Civil War would set the country on a course of healing and reunification, and true, permanent civil rights for all; we discover in the book's final chapters that this was not the case. Of course, we know that already; but it is still painful to follow Ana's path to this realization.

Ana is the perfect heroine for this story, as she is very astute and likeable and easy to grow close to. Through thick and thin, the good and the evil, she stays her course and lands on her feet.… (mer)

Ana is a young lady working in the Lincoln household. She is there to help Mary with all her children. But Ana is very intelligent and she takes in a lot of her surroundings. She witnesses a lot of secrets…like the Underground Railroad. This throws her and her good friend into danger.

This story follows Ana and the Lincolns. And it does encompass a great deal of the history, so I won’t dwell on what you know. But this is a complex, well researched tale. From racial issues, family squabbles all the way to the White House, this story encompasses it all! I learned a great deal in this novel. This does have a large amount of politics, of course. But, I love how the author portrays Lincoln as a man, husband and father more than a politician.

And Mary Lincoln! I knew a little, but I had no idea about the problems she had with her family during the war or how her life ended. It was not easy, that’s for sure!

Need a good historical fiction tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.… (mer)