Jennifer Chiaverini

Dear Readers,

I got interested in reading Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini because of an article in the local paper.  Jennifer was going to be at a different local independent store and I thought “Boy I should go and see her, I like her books.”  But other obligations kept me from being able to go.  Bummer, I love author visits as they really open up a book and let you see it through the eyes of the author and what they are trying to communicate to us.

I went to go look up Elizabeth Keckley and found out she really did exist and she really was a former slave who bought her and her son’s freedom.  She was a well-known dressmaker in Washington DC and became Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker on the recommendation of another patron.  Elizabeth and Mary became close friends and Elizabeth walked through several trying times with Mary, the loss of her son, the War Between the States, and ultimately the loss of her husband.

The story line is not a big secret; you can find several books about the relationship between these two very different women.  In fact you can read Elizabeth’s own account in her book, Behind the Scenes that she wrote shortly after President Lincoln’s death. 

I think the one thing this book reminded me of was that very ordinary people make up history.  No one wakes up in the morning and decides to make history that day.  Elizabeth did want to be the dressmaker for whichever lady was in the white house, but not so she would be part of history, she was just doing the job that was asked of her.  She has a talent with the needle and thread, as people said of her, and she used it to support herself and her son.  She liked her life and enjoyed the freedom that she earned.  She had a close up view of the end of slavery and was able to rejoice with those still caught in that terrible institution.   She loved and respected both Lincolns and that comes through in this story. 

I also must say that I enjoyed this book, not only for the story of Elizabeth and Mary, but also for the personal look at President Lincoln.  Yes he was the President, but he was also a husband and father who loved his family dearly.  He did ask them to be second behind the country once and a while, but over all they were very important to him and he was just a man who happened to be President.

Happy Reading

P.S. This book is available at the store or by request at bakerbookstore.com.