Nancy Horan's "The House of Lincoln" delves into the tumultuous world of Abraham Lincoln in the pre-Civil War United States, employing the perspective of an immigrant girl who becomes intertwined with the future president's family.

Set against the backdrop of escalating tensions between the North and South, Ana Ferreira and her Presbyterian family flee religious persecution in Catholic Portugal, seeking refuge in Springfield, Illinois. At the tender age of 14, Ana finds employment within the Lincoln household, assisting Mary Todd Lincoln with domestic tasks just as her husband's political influence burgeons.

The narrative spans Lincoln's election, the ravages of the Civil War, his tragic assassination, and the aftermath extending into the early 20th century. Alongside Ana's journey, the novel explores the experiences of other characters, including her Black friend Cal, providing a multifaceted view of the era.

While the evolution of Lincoln's stance on slavery adds depth to the narrative, the true strength lies in Horan's examination of racism in central Illinois. From Ana's discovery of the Underground Railroad to the harrowing 1908 Springfield race riot, Horan unearths the state's often overlooked history of racism, including the influence of White supremacist groups and discriminatory legislation. Though the narrative occasionally shifts focus between Ana's story and that of the Lincolns, Horan successfully sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of American history, enriching our understanding of the era's complexity and challenges.

I’ve explored several historical novels featuring Abraham Lincoln, yet this book intrigued me with its fresh perspective on the Lincoln family. Set in 1851 Springfield, Illinois, it follows the journey of Ana, a young émigré from Madeira, Portugal, who fled religious intolerance and hardship with her family. In their new land, Ana finds employment as a helper for the Lincoln boys, witnessing Abraham Lincoln's ascent to the presidency and his advocacy for equality.

Alongside Ana's narrative, we follow Spencer Donnegan, a free black man and minister, and Mary Todd Lincoln. Together, they offer diverse viewpoints on the tumultuous era, including the horrors of slavery and the Underground Railroad in Springfield.

The novel is rich in historical detail, shedding light on lesser-known aspects such as the backstory of Madeira Island and the Springfield race riot of 1908. However, while informative, some parts of the storytelling rely too heavily on exposition rather than allowing characters to fully experience the events firsthand, which I found somewhat lacking.

I have mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed learning more about Lincoln, however m, I wish we got more of the side characters.

I love historical fiction so I was very excited to read this.

This book gives us a glimpse of the Lincolns before he became president. That part of the story was interesting. However, that was a small part of the story. It was more about the city of Springfield at the time. The title of the book is misleading somewhat because the Lincolns don’t play a major role in the book.

I also did not like how Mrs. Lincoln was portrayed. I haven’t researched her enough to know if her personality was similar to that in the book, but she came off in not the most favorable light. I also thought the way her weight and appearance were mentioned many times was not necessary.

2.5 stars

Don't go into this thinking it's just a book about Lincoln, because he's actually just a small part of it. It's more about Springfield and some of the people who crossed paths with him. We focus mainly on a young Portuguese immigrant who worked for the Lincoln family, along with a conductor for the Underground Railroad and Mary Lincoln, to a lesser extent.

I learned a lot from this book that I hadn't know before, such as about the Springfield race riots. I will say that this book definitely suffered a lot from telling and not showing though. There were many chapters that just felt like big info dumps of history, rather than having any of the characters experience these moments firsthand.

Overall, not a bad book and one I would recommend if you're into history, but not my favorite, either.

Nancy Horan's latest literary venture dives into the heart of 1851 Springfield, Illinois, through the eyes of Ana Ferreira, a young immigrant from Madeira, Portugal. In a narrative rich with historical fabric, Horan weaves the tale of the Ferreira family, who, after a harrowing escape from religious persecution in Madeira, find themselves grappling with the harsh realities of life in a new world. Their journey from the sugar cane fields of Trinidad to the uncertain promise of the United States is portrayed with vivid detail and emotional depth. Ana, quickly adapting to her new environment, becomes a bridge between her family and their new community, learning English and navigating the complexities of their new home.

I enjoyed this book!

Soft DNF around 12% Skimmed to full DNF around 20%

For something titled House of Lincoln, this wasn't what I was expecting. I felt there was too much background for a book that markets itself as a Lincoln-based novel.

Overall disappointed but glad I DNFd and didn't waste my time.

The novel begins in 1909 where Ana Ferreira is attending a birthday celebration of Abraham Lincoln. This is just a year after the Springfield Race Riot in 1908, where mass racial violence was committed against African-Americans in Illinois. This riot was a catalyst for the formation of the NAACP, which organized to work on civil rights of African Americans. A white angry mob protesting the suspected assault on a white woman by a black man erupted into violence. The story proceeds to describe the journey of Ana Ferreira and her family from Madeira, Portugal to Springfield, Illinois in 1849.

Ana was only 9 years-old when her family escaped religious persecution in Madeira, Portugal. Emmanuel and Genoveva Ferreira settled in a small Portuguese refugee community in Springfield, IL with their children Beatriz, Ana and Joao. In Portugal, the Catholics terrorized the Presbyterian converts forcing them to flee. Ana makes friends with Callie Patterson, a free black girl who still endures prejudice in her daily life which Ana finds confusing. In 1851, Ana goes to work at the age of 14 to work for Mary Todd Lincoln helping to care for her children Tad and Willie since her husband Abe traveled a lot. He was a lawyer and politician who eventually became the 16th and first Republican President of the USA.

The author relies on historical facts to present her perspective of what it was like to work in the House of Lincoln. This is presented from the view of Ana experiencing everyday life during the tumultuous time before the American Civil War outbreak in 1861. Ana learned about slavery and racial prejudice from her friendship with Callie which wasn't too different from the religious prejudice from which her family fled. This is a good read for history fanatics looking for a more personal "view" of what it might have been like during this time period.

Loving Frank is one of my all time favorite books so it’s possible to say that I had unrealistic expectations of The House of Lincoln. Unfortunately the story read incredibly dry and didn’t hold my attention.

The title itself also felt misleading as the story didn’t seem to include all that much about the Lincolns. Mary Lincoln’s character was quite interesting though.

I did love Ana as a character and loved the premise of the story. It unfortunately just never quite came together to resonate. Three stars.

An amazing read about a period and characters that I have not read much about. Abraham Lincoln and his family! I have read so many WWII historical fiction books lately that this was very interesting and fresh. Seems that the author did a lot of research.

This book was a delightful twist on historical fiction. I love historical fiction but have not read many set in this time period or around Lincoln. You can tell it was well researched. I enjoyed the characters and how well written it was.

Nancy Horan does a masterful job of combining fictional and real characters to bring history to life for her readers. I never realized how many lives were lost during the battles of the Civil War. It's shameful that despite the major changes President Lincoln brought about so long ago, our country is still struggling with racial and immigration issues. Some things never seem to change. Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Wow. Where do I start with this one? It has so very much to absorb. But it is worth it. A lot of characters to know and a lot of incidents to read about. For me it falls into the slower category as far as my reading goes. But was such a worthwhile read.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

A window into the Lincoln family from the perspective of history. What were Abraham and Mary like before the Presidency? A fresh perspective that brings in other fictional characters that provide their views on the man, the family, and politics.

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic ARC and the opportunity to provide feedback on this book.

I tried and tried to get into this one, but unfortunately, the writing was too dense and dry for me to really be able to sink into. I loved the premise of the story, but this was a miss for me, sadly.

‘The House of Lincoln’, by Nancy Horan, is an excellent historical fiction novel based in Springfield, Illinois, hometown to President Lincoln. This is the retelling of the life and death of Abraham Lincoln against the backdrop of a volatile and changing nation. Told through the perspective of various characters, Horan details the courage of the conductors of the underground railroad, the heartbreak of the Civil War, and the savageness of the race riots. Not to be missed.

It took me awhile to get through THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN. There was so much to absorb about all of the characters and their stories. Once I reached the half-way point, I finished the second half in a couple of days. Nancy Horan is a master story-teller. Our book club read, Horan’s LOVING FRANK a few years ago. We had a great discussion! After reading THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN, I know that I am going to recommend it when we choose our books for the year in May.

I loved Ana Ferreira, a young immigrant from the island of Madeira, Portugal. Their family left Madeira for religious reasons, stopped in Trinidad but the work in the fields in the sun was exhausting. They then immigrated to Springfield, Illinois in 1851, where there was a significant group who spoke Portuguese. I had never heard this before, and as someone who is bilingual, I enjoyed reading familiar phrases.

As a young teenager, Ana forms a friendship with a black girl Cal. Ana becomes a helper in the Lincoln household and Horan does a wonderful job portraying Mary throughout the entire book. I have a new view of Mary’s life. I also loved the storyline of Mr. Donnegan who helps slaves trying to get to Canada.

After finishing an ARC of this book, I decided to get the Audible version as I felt I might have missed something. I am so glad I did, as I felt like I was at story time and picked up some things I did not get the first time. Horan covers the period in Springfield from 1851 - the race riots in 1909. My thanks to
Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. To the reader, you might want to consider the Audible version. I sure enjoyed it for my second reading!

This was a very interesting book. I

Description: "The House of Lincoln tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's ascendance from rumpled lawyer to U.S. President to Great Emancipator and presents Lincoln’s Midwestern home as a complex third home front of the Civil War."

There was a lot of history packed into this story. I appreciate the story and a lot of it was thought provoking.

I would recommend this story. It was a little difficult to follow all of the characters though. It sometimes feels like it skipped around, although that is hard to do in a story that spans so many years

There were a lot of characters, and while all the stories of the different people were interesting, it was a little hard to follow. The description listed above lead me to believe that the story was more about Lincoln, but it was really about others in the town more than Lincoln and his family, although Lincoln did play a role in the story. I really enjoyed the parts of the story where Ana was housekeeper for the Lincolns. The story after Lincoln's death was a little scattered. I'm a little confused by the ending - for a slightly longer story, it seemed to end abruptly

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and I'm glad I read it.

What a well done book and so very perfect for this moment in history. While it’s historical fiction, it has been well researched and Horan weaves a beautiful story of fact and fiction. It ends just a few years after Lincoln is killed and the civil war has ended, but she helps us to understand that the issues of the war have never gone away.

I recommend this book to everyone.