The Women in Lincoln's Life

by H. Donald Winkler

The tumultuous experiences Abraham Lincoln had with the women in his life have long been known, but here the stories have been brought together - and filled out with newly discovered accounts - in a fresh, new way that shows their effect on Lincoln's personality, ambition, and spirit: The death of his mother when he was nine years old gave him a feeling of abandonment. The discovery that his mother's ancestry and reputation were scandalous and that...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558539220
• ISBN13: 9781558539228
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

a great new perspective

I was quite thrilled when I saw this book in the bookstore. I have read numerous books on Abraham Lincoln, however, this was a perspective about his life I had not read much about. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading this book. It was very well-written and engaging; enough so that it only took me two days to read it. I was captivated. Yes, at times the book seemed prejudicial against Lincoln's wife and biased in favour of Ann Rutledge, however his point of view was very interesting to note. I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to get a firm grasp on all aspects of Lincoln's life. It was just incredible!!!

enlightening

I found this book an easy read and very enlightening book about Abraham Lincoln. It further explains situations in his life that not many people have read about. It gave me a new understanding of one of the greatest presidents of the United States and the hardships he had to endure during his life and why he turned out to be the man that he was.

A book that's fun to read!

As a history teacher, I find much in this book that I can use in my classes. The new, startling account of Lincoln's "courtship" of Mary Todd is in itself worthy of the price of this book. Lincoln's efforts to terminate his supposed commitment to Mary Todd are both amusing and amazing. Also, by inserting Lincoln's relationships with women within the chronological context of Lincoln's life, the author helped me to have a better understanding of the Civil War and other important events in the 19th century. Further, I was impressed with the thirty pages of End Notes. The documentation for everthing is this book is most impressive.

THIS BOOK IS VERY ENTERTAINING AND INFORMATIVE AS WELL!

Of all the books I've read about Lincoln, this one is by far the most interesting. Especially amusing are the stories about "serving Miss Liddy," "putting the bridal party to bed," and Lincoln's refusal to go on credit with Joshua Speed's "pretty woman." But the book is also poignant, revelatory, and romantic. It's a love story, as well as the story of an abused husband and an abused president. Further, it portrays Lincoln as a person and leader deeply concerned about women's rights, being perhaps the first politician to endorse women's suffrage, and the first president to employ women in the federal government on a permanent, full-time basis.It's a great book-- one I shall give to my friends as Christmas presents.

Destined to become a classic!

This fascinating, well-written book is destined to become a classic. It contains not only fresh new material on Ann Rutledge and Lincoln's New Salem years, but also revealing and interesting material on Lincoln's interaction with more than thirty women-- from the farm girls of Indiana to a pious but teasing blond bombshell in Springfield and the militant women of the Civil War era. Nothing is held back as the author delves into areas often sidestepped by other writers. The author establishes--from more than a dozen eyewitness sources--that Lincoln was driven into a marriage he didn't want and would forever regret. Only die-hard Mary Todd fans will be disappointed, but they will be hard-pressed to disprove the accounts. This book will make you laugh and cry, to think and to wonder. Rather than just a collection of stories about women, this books puts them into the context of major events in Lincoln's life and shows how women affected some of his major decisions. This book is illuminating and delightful.