The First Lady and the Rebel
A Novel
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3.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
From celebrated author Susan Higginbotham comes an incredible book about Abraham Lincoln's First Lady and, on the other side of the Civil War, her sister.
A Union's First Lady
As the Civil War cracks the country in two, Mary Lincoln stands beside her husband praying for a swift Northern victory. But as the body count rises, Mary can't help but fear each bloody gain. Because her beloved sister Emily is across party lines, fighting for the South, and Mary is at risk of losing both her country and her family in the tides of a brutal war.
A Confederate Rebel's Wife
Emily Todd Helm has married the love of her life. But when her husband's southern ties pull them into a war neither want to join, she must make a choice. Abandon the family she has built in the South or become a true rebel woman fighting against the sister she has always loved best.
With a country's legacy at stake, how will two sisters shape history?
A Civil War book about two women determined to do the right thing, The First Lady and the Rebel is sure to inspire fans of Marie Benedict and Stephanie Dray.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Higginbotham (Hanging Mary) memorably depicts the relationship between Mary Todd Lincoln and her sister, Emily Todd Helm, wife of a Confederate general, against the backdrop of the Civil War. As a young unmarried woman in 1839, Mary Todd travels from her home in Lexington, Ky., to live with her married sister, Elizabeth Edwards, in Springfield, Ill. While in Springfield, Mary meets Abraham Lincoln, the law partner of her cousin John Todd Stuart. Abraham is attracted to Mary's intellect and her interest in politics, and though they break off their initial engagement when Abraham gets cold feet, they eventually marry in 1842. After Abraham becomes president, he offers a job to his brother-in-law, Hardin Helm, who is married to Mary's younger sister, Emily. But Hardin declines the job and offers his services to Jefferson Davis. After both women's husbands die in war-related incidents, their once close relationship is fractured by hatred for the enemy responsible for those deaths. Higginbotham does a great job portraying her characters with complexity and nuance, while also illuminating the circumstances of a war that tore families apart. Historical fiction enthusiasts will delight in this revealing view of the relationship between Union supporter Mary and her Southern-sympathizing sister.
