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Courting Mr. Lincoln

A Novel

Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
When Mary Todd meets Abraham Lincoln in Springfield in the winter of 1840, he is on no one's shortlist to be president. Rough and reticent, he's a country lawyer lacking money and manners, living above a dry goods shop, but with a gift for oratory. Mary, a quick, self-possessed debutante with a tireless interest in debates and elections, at first finds him an enigma. "I can only hope," she tells his roommate, the handsome, charming Joshua Speed, "that his waters being so very still, they also run deep." It's not long, though, before she sees the Lincoln that Speed knows: a man who, despite his awkwardness, is amiable and profound, with a gentle wit to match his genius and a respect for her keen political mind. But as her relationship with Lincoln deepens, she must confront his inseparable friendship with Speed, who has taught his roommate how to dance, dress, and navigate the polite society of Springfield. Told in the alternating voices of Mary Todd and Joshua Speed, and rich with historical detail, Courting Mr. Lincoln creates a sympathetic and complex portrait of Mary unlike any that has come before; a moving portrayal of the deep and very real connection between the two men; and most of all, an evocation of the unformed man who would grow into one of the nation's most beloved presidents.
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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Tavia Gilbert and Robert Fass deserve only superlatives for their performances in Louis Bayard's outstanding historical fiction. Mary Todd and Joshua Speed tell compelling stories detailing the way their lives entwined with Abraham Lincoln's. In 1840, Mary comes to Springfield with marriage on her mind. She meets handsome, charming Speed and awkward Lincoln, an unimpressive country lawyer. The two confirmed bachelors share a room and a bed, and as their friendship deepens, Speed teaches Lincoln everything from hygiene to haberdashery. Gilbert's attitude fits the smart, self-assured, determined Mary, and Fass's portrayal of the debonair Speed is pitch-perfect. As Lincoln and Mary grow closer, we feel Speed's jealousy and despair over the inevitable loss of his dearest friend to marriage. An inspired literary invention, superbly performed. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

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  • English

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