I thought this was an interesting book more than anything. While the story of Mary Todd Lincoln is well known and has been told in fiction before, this was a new take on the divide between Mary and her sister Emily Todd Helm. The dynamics between sisters being for the Union versus the confederacy was well written. Yhis is definitely a book to pick up if you have any interest in the Civil War, historical fiction, and well written relationships

Who has been the most worthy occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Susan Higginbotham believes it’s Abraham Lincoln. This is a deeply personal accounting of the Civil War told from the point of view of Mary Todd Lincoln and her half sister, Emily Todd Helm. The intimate memories of Mary and Abe’s first encounters and subsequent engagement in contrast to Emily and the love of her life, Hardin Helm, will keep the reader traveling in time and place between the North and South, as the nation marches toward a Civil War. The novel opens with five foot two Mary meeting the “off putting” tall Mr. Lincoln; a cousin letting him know that Mary “will talk politics like a man if you allow her!” This close look into Mary’s personal views on slavery, how she manages grieving for a child while on national display, maintaining her family life in spite of news of the battles -is all quite a feat and so revealing through the author’s excellent research! Mary visits hospitals to honor the wounded and endures the horror of the assassination-quite a journey for the reader. The love of Emily for Hardin Helm and his refusal of a position in the Northern army offered by Lincoln leads to the sisters fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War. A novel of relationships and how families endure and maintain through the hard and brutal years of war. “With a country’s legacy at stake, how will two sisters shape history?”

Mary Lincoln stands by her husband through any and every thing, but the rest of the country eyes her with suspicion due to her relatives taking the side of the Confederacy. Emily Todd Hern has married for love, but her husband’s ties to the South put her opposite her sister. In a fight that tears families apart, can any family ties remain in place?

I thought it fascinating to watch the story alternate between these two sisters. There have been numerous fictional tellings about Mary Lincoln, but her sister was less well-known. The author did an amazing job showing the determination of each woman to go their own way, no matter what.

The pace was steady, although the first jump in time was a bit startling. The author shows Mary Lincoln in a more favorable light when it would have been easy to paint her as a grasping, jealous woman. The truth is woven beautifully with guesses as to what might have happened.

For readers of historical fiction based on true events, this would be an excellent choice.

I received a free copy for reviewing purposes from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have been reading a lot of books from the American Civil War and American Revolution era. I usually choose novels that take place in France or England's history, but I've been on an American history kick lately. This novel was a perfect addition to the novels that have really grabbed my interest lately. I have read a couple of books about President Lincoln or Grant, and they have had Mary Todd Lincoln as a minor character, but have not gone into very much detail about her overall life and characteristics. In fact, the novels I read that have included her have made her look like a crazed, jealous woman, with very little else to add. Therefore, it was great to pick up a book that went into more detail about her life and personality, so I was able to learn more about her, other then her negative characteristics. Another plus to this novel is the fact that it is written by Susan Higginbotham. I have read the majority of her novels, and I have loved them all. She is another great historical fiction author on my list of favorites. She does her research, keeps her books true to history, but also makes it interesting and flow nicely for the reader. When I see her name, I know it is a book that I will enjoy.

I found the book to be somewhat of a story that I had already heard before. It had a few interesting new details that I had never heard before, but all in all the book moved too slow for me and I found myself frustrated at times.

REVIEW
All's fair in love in war. This adage came to mind when reading The First Lady and the Rebel by Susan Higginbotham. Mary Todd Lincoln and Emily Todd Helm are sisters and are on opposite sides of the Civil War. The narration shifts between the two sisters, which adds an interesting depth to the book. They are loyal to their husbands, and we learn about how they met their spouses and how they made their choices that put them at opposing sides. This is a humanizing look at the war between the states. Masterfully written and compelling.

AUTHOR
SUSAN HIGGINBOTHAM is the author of six historical novels. The Traitor's Wife, her first novel, is the winner of ForeWord Magazine's 2005 Silver Award for historical fiction and is a Gold Medalist, Historical/Military Fiction, in the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards. She writes her own historical fiction blog and is a contributor to the blog Yesterday Revisited. Higginbotham has worked as an editor and an attorney, and lives in North Carolina with her family.

A good story of 2 sisters in the middle of a famous part of U.S history on opposite sides with different perspectives and personalities. I really enjoyed reading this especially given all the novels on Eliza Hamilton, it is nice to read about other women in U.S. history

We all know of Abraham Lincoln, but how well do you know the history of his wife Mary Todd Lincoln and their personal relationship and journey to presidency? 'The First Lady and the Rebel' tells the story of Mary Todd Lincoln and her younger sister Emily Todd Helm. Higginbotham begins with Mary Todd and Lincoln's meeting and subsequent journey to marriage. Interesting to see the more personal side and internal struggles the Lincolns had through their early years, the presidency and Civil War. As well as the impact to families who find themselves on opposing sides.

This is a story about Mary Todd Lincoln and her half-sister, Emily. Mary, of course, is for the Union while her sister is a Confederate. It was interesting to see how these two sisters handled the Civil War. I really enjoyed this book. I would have liked for this story to continue a little but after the death of Lincoln.

This is a story of two sisters: Mary Todd Lincoln and Emily Todd Helm. Both women chose to be loyal to their husbands. Abraham Lincoln stood for the rights of humanity. Benjamin Helm decided to be loyal to the South.

1839: Mary Todd lives in Lexington, Kentucky. She visits her sister Elizabeth in Springfield, Illinois, where she meets Abraham Lincoln. She finds him fascinating from the first glance. As a short person, she never cared for tall men, but he is certainly worth tipping the head up. “It was not handsome face by any means, but after years of enduring the good-looking and vacuous young men of Lexington, Mary had concluded long ago that handsomeness was overrated. This man had character in his face, character and intelligence. She had never seen the like.”

“With her habit of saying what she thought and her unladylike interest in politics,” resulted in her preferring men of the North rather than the South.

Emily Todd not able to meet a man of her liking in Springfield, returns to Lexington. In Frankfort, at the first ball of the season, she meets Benjamin Hardin Helm, a new legislator.

February, 1861: The Lincolns are moving to the White House. As President, Abraham quickly becomes a rare trait, listening to all sides of an issue.

Emily’s husband gets an offer of the paymaster’s position by the President, but he declines. Instead, he decides to be loyal to the South, not leaving his wife any choice.

Set against the Civil War, weaving many battles fought, but with details not overwhelming the story; bringing the effects of the war, not only the casualties, but also the unpreparedness to handle the large number of wounded soldiers; and the tragedy of the families being split between the North and the South, resulting in reading about losses of their relatives from the newspaper instead of each other.

Narrated between two sisters, adding humor to tragedy, in the process creating a touching portrait of two sisters divided by the Civil War.

Informative story, beautifully executed through action, with engaging dialogue moving the story forward. Not a line of stagnation. Superbly written.

First Lady and the Rebels tells the story of two sisters torn apart from Civil War. While I love reading about Mary’s story, her story is well-documented so there was nothing new in this retelling. The story I was most intrigued was reading about Emily’s story, who I have heard nothing about. The novel is very well-written and detailed. There were some unnecessary scenes that tended to make the novel. Still, I recommend this for fans of Varina, Thou Shall Be Near to You, and The Widow of the South. Full review to come!

The First Lady and the Rebel is a fantastic historical fiction story the captures the emotions of the separation of data families of the North and South including the Lincoln family during the civil war.

The First Lady and the Rebel by Susan Higginbotham is a fabulous novel describing a lesser-known facet of Mary Todd Lincoln then what we usually learn and think about when we think of her, her relationship, and her husband President Abraham Lincoln. This novel places us right into the turmoil (external and internal) of Mary and her sister Emily Todd Helm during the Civil War.
External as Mary has to deal with the struggle of having her sister’s loyalty to “the other side” the South, as Mary is aligned with the North and her Husband, President Lincoln. Internal as Mary has to choose between family and spouse and what is right and what is wrong.
Ms Higginbotham does a fabulous job creating these images for us so that we can feel and see this struggle as if we are there as well.
Excellent read. 5/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC. In return I am submitting my honest, unbiased, and voluntary review. Thank you.

I am fascinated by stories of Abe and Mary Lincoln. I never knew how the Civil War divided Mary from her family. There were numerous families divided by this war and the author did a fabulous job in portraying this.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.