Courting Mr. Lincoln by Louis Bayard

Courting Mr. Lincoln is a true delight to read.  Louis Bayard was the favorite author of my previous Kewaunee Library Book Club.  We read and actively discussed all of his novels.  Reading Courting Mr. Lincoln reminded me why he was a favorite.  I couldn’t put this book down, it was riveting.  Once I started this book, my family had a hard time catching my attention the rest of the weekend.  It went everywhere with me.

Courting Mr. Lincoln is told from two viewpoints, the viewpoint of Mary Todd and the viewpoint of Joshua Speed.  Mary has come to the growing new state capital of Illinois, Springfield, to stay with her sister Elizabeth and look for a husband.  Mary adores politics and searches for someone who will respect her for who she is.  Joshua runs a home goods story in Springfield when a young lawyer happens into his store looking for a room to stay in.  Joshua helps Lincoln to navigate the social scene, including how to dress and talk, to help him move up in politics.  The two become inseparable best friends, but when Lincoln needs to marry to move further up in his career, will their friendship survive?

I love, love, loved that we got a story of Mary Todd as the spunky, smart young woman that Lincoln fell in love with.  So much historical fiction and non-fiction today focuses on her later years when her mental health suffered.  After watching your husband get shot to death while you sat next to him and also have three of your four children die too young, it is bound to cause some mental health problems.  I find it sad there wasn’t more help for her back then.  I love that of all men in this story, Lincoln was the only one who not only appreciated her beauty, but appreciated her mind and wanted to talk politics with her.  I love that his first present to her were his winning ballets. 

I love the way the narrative was framed from Mary and Joshua’s point of view with Lincoln as the enigmatic lead that they both loved.  The love between Speed and Lincoln was chaste and they both went on to marry women, but it seemed that neither man understood their relationship with each other and didn’t really want anyone to interfere with it.    It was intriguing.

The book ends by fast-forwarding to the future where Mary lives with her sister Elizabeth again as the mad woman of Springfield.

Favorite Quotes: 

“Lincoln asked me a question not half an hour ago.  He asked if I was ready to walk in the sun with him.  And I realize now that I should like that very much.  I should like to walk in the sun with him.  If it’s all the same to you.”

Overall, Courting Mr. Lincoln is a superior book that is not to be missed.  I loved this book and couldn’t put it down.

Book Source:  The Kewaunee Public Library