I read the book 'Loving Frank' by this author and really enjoyed this so when I saw that the same author had released a book about Lincoln I was intrigued as Lincoln has always been a historical figure that I wanted to learn more about. 'Team of Rivals' has been sitting on my shelf for YEARS, intimidating me! So I thought that approaching Lincoln in a somewhat fictional way where the author is able to make allowances and fill in the blanks of the story with their own perception of things, I thought this might be an excellent way to build my Lincoln knowledge.

I was actually very much invested in the storyline and found it exceptionally compelling, and I was also very much interested in the new angle that this book was giving on Lincoln's knowledge by choosing to write from the perspective of a young immigrant whose family was forced to leave Portugal and are unmoored & left to figure out how to survive on their own. We also get a few other POVs, those of which consist of a free black man, a minister and a barber, I was really excited to read about it from the angle of black people/immigrants as we all have likely read some book or excerpt or another from the angle of the government that surrounded Lincoln in his time of presidency. Such an enigmatic and major figure in history, one would think that there would be endless amounts of info about not only the white lawmakers and heads of military positions, but also from the many many white men that were angered by what Lincoln was trying to establish, as well as the many black men whose lives would be greatly altered and whose mentalities towards themselves was greatly altered because of Lincoln's goodness. And all this is hunky dory and just what I was hoping for but once I did a little digging I realized that a good hunk of this book was not actually true and had absolutely zero basis in fact and was in fact completely sensationalized or made up, which greatly affected my feelings towards the book.

I do realize that historical fiction is in fact fiction, but I prefer the history to be facts and the characters and their storylines within the history to be the fictional elements. With The House of Lincoln it was really hard to tell as we were reading things from a few unknown perspectives. It also was not centered entirely around Lincoln and followed some of the lives that were or would be touched by Lincoln's message & principles. It was a really interesting angle but it was also not exactly what I was searching for. It was still mostly entertaining, which some might think is a large feat: to make a legal political conversation interesting, but I think Nancy Horan pulled it off.n My only complaint was that it felt in a way almost formulaic, like her books are becoming easy for her to just blow through which is understandable because it has worked for her, but I would have liked to see her reach even further out of her comfort zone. This was a solid 3.75 rounded up to a 4 star book.

This was an interesting historical novel from this acclaimed author. It is narrated by a young immigrant who initially comes to work in the Lincoln household in Springfield IL to look after the children and to help Mary Todd Lincoln. She follows his journey from a traveling lawyer to his presidency and beyond.

This is loosely a story about Abraham Lincoln, his life and presidency. More to the point, it is the story of Ana, an immigrant who, with her family, has arrived from a Portuguese community. I did not realize that Springfield, Illinois had a large community of Portuguese immigrants. These people, along with the African American population, formed the working class of Springfield. Ana is befriended by an elderly woman who pays for her education and helps Ana see the much larger picture. Ana goes to work as a housemaid/child care person in Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln's home in Springfield. Growing up, Ana and her African-American friend, Cal, were very close. Cal's family is very heavily involved in the Underground Railroad. Cal realizes she can do so much better in Chicago, and she leaves Springfield. Ana follows the news of the Lincolns throughout the years. Upon Mary Todd Lincoln's return to Springfield, Ana renews her acquaintance with Mary, and attempts to help her out of the morass of her life.

Ms. Horan has done extensive research; the Illinois "Black Laws," which kept out-of-state African Americans from moving to Illinois, racism which continued to be felt in parts of Illinois. She includes facts about the 1908 Springfield race riots, where an elderly member of Cal's family, the Donnegans, was lynched. The book was at times more educational than entertaining, and the movement of the story was somewhat irregular.

Frankly I had a difficult time staying engaged. I found it read more like a textbook or was a more educational read as opposed to entertaining.

“Lincolnphiles” that read everything about Mr. Lincoln might enjoy this more. Certainly there are a few little gems we may not have known about, but those may be the fictional side of this combo fiction/non-fiction novel about the Lincoln’s. .

I found the story about the Portuguese immigrant the most engaging, but even so found the pace irregular.
I sincerely thank the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to peruse this ARC in exchange for my personal and unbiased opinions of this work.

Historical fiction with deeply relatable characters and a strong sense of place. ********************

The House of Lincoln follows the story of Portuguese immigrant, Ana, who comes to work in the Lincoln house as a caregiver and servant. Through the early days of Lincoln’s political career through the death of Mary Todd at an older age, Ana is drawn into their lives while experiencing the growth and racial tensions of Springfield, Illinois. While much of the Lincoln lives is already well-known, the political activism of the supporting characters lends richness to this novel.

I’ve read a few historical fictions involving Lincoln. Despite that I was interested in this book as it gives a new angle of seeing Lincoln family. It’s through the eyes of a young émigré, who with her family, was forced to leave Madeira, Portugal.

1851, Springfield, IL. Fourteen-year-old Ana with her family had to flee their island due to the religious intolerance and hardship they experienced there. In this new land, they quickly saw that with hard work they could achieve a decent living, not possible in Madeira.

Ana gets hired as help to clean and help with little Lincoln boys. She witnesses the rise of Abraham Lincoln to presidency, and his fight for equality.

With her African American friend Cal, Ana witnesses the underground railroad in Springfield. It’s a horrifying experience to leave the abuse of her island, only to witness how her adopted country is torn by slavery.

The narration is through three characters: Ana, Spencer Donnegan, a free black man, minister and barber. With his brother William, they help runaway slaves through the Underground Railroad. And Mary Todd Lincoln.

The story is steeped in historical facts, many I wasn’t familiar with. It was interesting to learn the backstory of Madeira Island and why people were fleeing it, and the little-known Springfield race riot of 1908.

Some of the storytelling is through telling, which I wished was through characters actually experiencing what was being told. We learn a lot of history and what was happening, but we don’t experience much of characters experiencing their stories.

Thanks @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy! This is a history of Abraham Lincoln and his family, told from the perspective of Ana, who works in his home. Ana's family has fled bad conditions in Portugal, and if figuring out life in the United States. it is a very volatile time politically, and obviously Lincoln and his family are right in the middle of it. There is a lot of coverage of the racism that was rampant even in Illinois at this time, showing it wasn't only the south. You learn about Lincoln and his family, especially Mary Todd Lincoln, and the imagined marital relationship. I enjoyed this historical fiction, and the different perspective. #thehouseoflincoln #nancyhoran #historicalfiction #abrahamlincoln #netgalley #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks

Good read, but maybe a bit too much of the political stuff for me. It is very evident author did an amazing amount of research for this book.

Thank you to #Sourcebooks and #NetGalley for providing this #ARC Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is June 6, 2023.

THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN is an engrossing historical fiction novel that delves into the complex and tumultuous life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. The novel follows Lincoln's life from his humble beginnings in rural Kentucky to his rise to prominence as a politician and leader during the American Civil War. The book explores both his triumphs and struggles as he navigates the challenges of his time.

A very interesting book in which we learn about Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln through the eyes of a young immigrant girl.
Through this story told by Ana, over the course of her life, we learn things about the Lincolns and various townspeople, how it was to live through this time of the Civil War,
the effects of the war, the lives lost and the lives forever changed.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. Happy reading!

Absolutely fascinating, extremely compelling, and destined to be a classic of the genre. This isn't even a genre I tend towards, but I feel confident in saying we'll be returning over and over again to this book.

Really great portrayal of Lincoln and Mary Todd. First book I've read by Horan and I interested in going back and reading her earlier books. Her writing really gave you a good feel for the evolution of Lincoln's thinking and was a great portrayal of life in Springfield. Great read.

11-year-old Ana Ferreira and her family arrived in Springfield, IL in 1851 from Portugal with the same dreams of most immigrants to live free and happy lives. In The House of Lincoln, author Nancy Horan uses Ana to frame the pivotal years of U.S. history surrounding the Civil War. Following Ana and her relationships throughout her life enables Horan to explore many themes and events including racism, war, and reconstruction. The narrative also includes sections focused on Mary Todd Lincoln who Ana works for, and a black family Ana grew up with who were active in the underground railroad. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will find The House of Lincoln an engaging story about the Civil War period with interesting details about the Lincolns and Springfield.

I am somewhat conflicted with this story. While I enjoyed getting to “know” Abraham and Mary Lincoln as real persons through their interactions with Ana and the other characters, the last twenty percent or so of the book was largely unnecessary. After the death of Lincoln the novel could have been wrapped up in three to five more chapters. Instead it dragged on for about fifteen more. And most of those last fifteen felt more like an info dump and did not advance the story at all. While I think the aftermath of emancipation and the Springfield riots are important topics to learn about, I feel this part would have been much better handled in an author note at the end. Or perhaps as a series of short newspaper articles. As presented it felt didactic and like I was being preached at with an agenda to blame everything on white supremacy. While it is true that many, particularly Southern Democrats did everything in their power to keep the “Negro” race down, this was not a universal phenomenon. Plenty of whites supported emancipation. And to label all whites as supremacists is just as racist as labeling all persons of color as inferior. Because of how the last 20% dragged on, I am giving this story four stars out of five. Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

While not OMG amazing piece of historical fiction, I truly have not experienced much in this time period, so it's absolutely a priority purchase for libraries.

I chose this book due to interest in Abraham Lincoln since I was a child, I know this is historical fiction but some truths are within.

I wasn't sure at the beginning as it didn't involve Lincoln but all came to be further into the story. The story is set in Springfield, IL where we meet Anna, whose story we follow throughout. And, we meet her childhood friend Cal. They are learning to navigate life with Cal being at the disadvantage due to being black. They witness underground railroad activities, men hunting slaves and the ugly side of that life. It is a lot to take in but well told and terrifying in parts.

As Anna gets older, she begins working for Mary Lincoln and gets to know all her family. Lincoln comes across well while with Mary, we begin to understand her struggles. Her life was not easy and she paid for that later in life.

Part of the story does follow the Lincolns to the White House and the turmoil of war. The war stories are told but not too many or in great depth. After his death, the story goes back to Springfield and all the changes there with slavery, freedom and those who do not accept it.

An interesting and serious read worth reading.

My thanks to Net Galley and Source Books for allowing me to review this arc.

Very interesting insight into Lincolns life told from the perspective of a servant that came to work for the Lincolns at 14. Terrific research about the historical content.

Book was ok. Sort of dragged for me but not terrible.

This was such a powerful book. Abraham Lincoln lurks at the periphery of this novel, and Mary Todd Lincoln plays a supporting role. But this book is about race and what is right vs what is wrong. The novel explores the role skin color plays among when the free people in Springfield, IL. Ana and Cal are two characters who are best friends as children but later live lives that are very separate and different but whose paths periodically cross. Surrounding these two girls/women are a community of Portuguese immigrants, white employees, freed blacks, the Underground Railroad, and deeply held secrets of monumental importance. The book spans over 50 years of American history whole following Ana throughout her life. I think this book is one most people should read.

I thought this was a historical fiction book but it was too dry and i couldnt get into the story. Sadly i couldnt finish this book.