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| The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage | 
 enlarge | Author: Daniel Mark Epstein
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $28.00
Buy New: $15.44
You Save: $12.56 (45%)
Buy New/Used from $13.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  (17 reviews)
Sales Rank: 36910
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.7
ISBN: 0345477995
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.70922
EAN: 9780345477996
ASIN: 0345477995
Publication Date: May 20, 2008
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Insightful and beautifully written August 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
One might have thought there would be little more to say about Abraham Lincoln, certainly not enough to fill a 500-page book. But that would be incorrect. Epstein's Lincoln is often distracted, sometimes depressed, always under stress, yet caring and psychologically in tune with his troubled wife. Although there were unexplainable tantrums, jealousies, and shopping sprees that he couldn't tolerate, he still drew on a deep reservoir of love. Long before we understood mental illness as we do today, Abraham Lincoln knew that Mary was a basically good woman who was suffering from a serious disease.
Epstein writes like the poet that he is, and he never loses sight of his goal -- to portray the marriage of these two fascinating people. Events such as the Gettysburg Address are hardly mentioned. We know something about them already, so Epstein looks at what was really going on in the White House living quarters at that time.
Epstein uses his sources seamlessly, drawing on letters and memoirs of obscure people to illuminate the Lincolns' marriage. This would have been a five-star review, except that I found the first 50 pages somewhat difficult to follow. Epstein plunges into the political and social spheres of Springfield, Illinois, bringing in dozens of characters, in a way that I found hard to keep up with. This problem quickly resolves itself, however.
 Very Intimate and Personal History of the Lincoln Maraige August 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Well researched with excellent writing, Epstein catures the fascinating and complex relationship of Abe and Mary. Although much has been written on Abe, Epstein provides a full and human description of Mary who was a voluptuous, intelligent beauty in her youth that was well sought by many prominent beaus including Stephen Douglas. The courtship is fascinating by itself as the poor struggling lawyer appears no match for the well kept after Mary and his sudden break of their relationship is full of mystery as Abe becomes seriously ill and the author providess more than speculation as to the cause. The return to Mary in a secret courtship includes their intellectual sharing of poetry and reading, including guarded private moments that all lead to a sudden marraige followed by Robert's birth in quick time. Epstein details the life of Lincolns from their living in a small room in a rooming house while raising their small children, adding to personal stress, till they landed their own homw with Abe's better fortunes and assistance from the Todd family. The revelations of Mary's actions are quite fascinating as she was high strung, emotional and needed more attention than Abe could give that sometimes resulted in sudden and dramatic harsh treatment such as hot coffee to his face to a wrap across the nose with a piece of firewood. Honest Abe, from a variety of examined correspondence was not so political naive but could also play the political gameship well even in his runs for congress. The most fascinating part of the book is of course in the white house where Mary's desire for extravaant spending involveding finacial corruption, her interference with politics, her jealousy over her husband and her extended grief over the death of Willie creates serious strain between the couple. Abe's incredulous stress load only increases as he not only has the war and politics but his wife's often erratic behavior and personal vendettas that are other burdens he must carry as well as caring for young Tad. As Epstein discusses, Mary's head injury from a run away carraige may have caused brain trauma that may never have been resolved as demonstrated by severe outbursts most significantly just before Lincoln's death. And Lincoln's own behavior, dramatically limiting his personal security as noted to his walking into Richmond with a limited escort, his exposing himself at Fort Stephens in the face of Confederates and his toying with his cavalry escorts says something about his feelings of fate. There is no doubt that both loved each other very much but the Presidency, in time of war, certainly strained the relationship between the two as evidenced by Mary's mental health and Abe's physical. Just over 500 pages not counting notes and index and in heavy paper that make this hard back edition a collector's item. A very fluently written book that makes it hard to put down as the author is a great story teller, writer with the documentation to support his telling.
This will be the most talked about Lincoln book this season July 26, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
There certainly is no shortage of books on Abraham Lincoln. More than 140 years after his passing, Lincoln still scores as one of the best presidents we've ever had (if not the best), and is still revered as a visionary leader who saved our country from self-exploding. Ever since I was in fifth grade, I've had a peculiar fascination with the first bearded president that is almost unexplained. Even today, after reading millions of Lincoln books, I can't tell you the single reason why Lincoln fascinates me. Certainly, it's grown over the years in learning about his presidency, his successes and failures in freeing the slaves, and his family.
One would think that there couldn't possibly be any new information about Lincoln that would charm the socks of anyone with an Lincoln interest. However, in Daniel Mark Epstein's new book, "Lincoln a Portrait of a Marriage", paints such a complete and stunning picture of the marriage between two unlikely people, I left the book with such a sense of awe and wonderment, a deeper understanding of the life and times of mid 1800's America, and respect for both Mary and Abraham.
It isn't that Epstein presents new information, he takes the available information, places it in its rightful historical context, sprinkles in letters from Lincoln and people in his sphere, which suddenly makes this story pop alive. Normally, when authors include sections of letters, often long and laborious to read, I merely skip over the section and go back to the text. Epstein interlaces these so expertly that I found myself reading and rereading these sections, giving a deeper portrait. His knowledge of how people lived in his time and place in our history is complete, adding little bits of knowledge to my already overcrowded mind.
Epstein's Lincoln in this book starts out gangly, depressed, and ever bit the human that he was. That may be hard for people to believe, but knowing all the facts about the person (or as many as you can get) leads to illumination and humanity. Mary starts off being the coquettish belle, flirtatious, warm, with a cheery laugh (how many times is our Mary described like that?). Their pairing seems impossible, even more so when Lincoln first declares their engagement ending. Lincoln falls into melancholia; Mary, always the charmer, continues to see men without much interest. She wants to marry a president. How she sees Lincoln in that light 20 years before it happening, is beyond me. But I loved reading about both of them, and when they finally unite, and Lincoln's heart is full, I was actually smiling.
Epstein has managed to take a topic that could very well be overwrought and repetitive, and makes this enthralling, illuminating, and a true pleasure to read. For any Lincoln expert, or someone unfamiliar to Abraham or Mary, "Lincoln a Portrait of a Marriage" is the non-fiction book event of the season. Don't pass tis treasure up!
Also, as an aside, Dark Mark Epstein wrote another book that I adore, and I highly suggest you check this out:
Lincoln and Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington. You WON'T regret it!
Best Lincoln Book in a Generation July 23, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
There is a review in this week's THE WEEK magazine, calling Epstein's book 'maybe the best Lincoln book in a generation.' I know that Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln have had many biographers, but I can't recall a biography (like this one) that felt so compelling. It was literally 'hard to put down.' Epstein has given us a unique perspective on a pivotal portion of the nation's history, and done so with nuance and heart. This is, flat out, one of the best books I've read in the past few years.
Don Mayer
Denver, Colorado
An inveterate reader July 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Mr. Epstein has given us an intimate look into one of the most captivating political marriages in US history. It is beautifully researched and is told with the sensitivity of a poet. Not since Lash's Eleanor and Franklin have I enjoyed a book of this nature so much. It has the backbone of a text book and the soul of a novel.
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