The Lincolns

Portrait of a Marriage

By: Daniel Mark Epstein

Narrated by: Adam Grupper

Length: 21 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1974 the historian Fawn Brodie predicted that a "sensitive study of the Lincoln marriage will not always defy biographers". Until now, it has. The only book-length treatment of the marriage was published in 1953, when scholars lacked today's resources and were still struggling with deep-seated prejudices about Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln.

Now Daniel Mark Epstein has produced an incisive and balanced portrait of the Lincolns, from their mysterious and troubled courtship in 1840 to his assassination in Ford's Theatre in 1865. For the first time, we can feel the full force of the tragedy that was the slow crumbling of their marriage, knowing it intimately from the first act to the last.

©2008 Daniel Mark Epstein (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Intent on eroding the stereotype that Mary was mad and Abraham was saintly, Epstein utilizes some new sources to create a portrait of the Lincolns' marriage. In coolly objective tones, Adam Grupper narrates Epstein's detailed account of the couple's early years.... His informative reading fits the text well." ( AudioFile)

The Lincolns

I loved it.I thought it was very insightful and interesting. I've never been too high on biographies but I do like the Civil War era. I think, although probably a good president, they were both nuts.

Fascinating!

This was one of the most interesting books, full of historically accurate and intimate details, that I have ever "read." The lives of two individuals and their subsequent marriage, when the two people are as interesting in their own right as Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln, is immediately engaging. Toward the end, this book brought back vivid memories of a childhood trip to Washington D.C. and our visit to Ford's theater and the boarding house bedroom in which President Lincoln lay dying. The intensely personal view of Mary and Abraham and their relationship was so well written and narrated that when I finished listening, I could not wait to learn more. I went online and researched multiple topics about the Lincolns, Abraham Lincoln's assasination, burial in Springfield, and the available accounts of those involved in the assassination conspiracy. Of course, my next listen was another Audible offering, "Manhunt", the breathtaking account of the 12 day hunt for John Wilkes Booth. I highly recommend The Lincolns:Portrait of a Marriage for readers who enjoy American history or any biographical works. It will leave the reader anxious to know anything more that he or she can find out about this complex couple.

Interesting

What did you like best about The Lincolns? What did you like least?

Enjoyed the historical detail,history shows the Lincolns to have a distant relationship with Mary having mental illness. After reading this book, I realized that she suffered from a serious depression. Her life was seriously marked by the death of their son.
Abe was loyal and cared for her. He seemed to suffer to suffer depression as well. This time period was difficult for them.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the overall historical detail and the narrator.The story showed steady and caring leadership, as well as determination to conserve out Union.

Have you listened to any of Adam Grupper’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any of Adam's other performances.Will look for them as I shop Audible.

Any additional comments?

This book edged close to being a little boring. I finished it anyway, I wanted to know the historical details to the end.

Enlightening and Fair

What comes through most in this lengthy and well-researched book, is that the author really doesn't like Mrs. Lincoln very much. Apparently, few did. I had no idea the trials and embarrassments that this kind man endured as he led his country into war.

Very, very interesting and compelling. Well worth your time.

A sensitive review of the Lincoln marriage

I loved this book. I’ve read it in print and now audio. It’s particularly good at portraying Mary, and her problematic behavior at times. It covers the courtship through his death. The author is also a poet and the writing reflects this - a joy to listen to. The narrator is good. I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in Abraham or Mary Lincoln.

The Lincolns

This book was interesting but it really was hard for me to follow. I did enjoy it very much.

Excellent inside look

Fascinating look inside the relationship/marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. I could not stop listening and in fact listened to it a second time so as not to miss anything. It let's us know that most of have stories to tell about our life and marriage, including the famous. I loved the humanness of Mr. Lincoln. I cannot wait to compare this to the current Lincoln movie when I see it. For those who love President Lincoln and need to know more, get this one.

Listening to this Lincoln story has led me to The Madness of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Worth the time

Definitely worth the price and the time. There are lots of books about President Lincoln, but this is the only one I can find regarding Mrs. Lincoln.

The down and dirty on their Marriage.

Where does The Lincolns rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This ranks near the top. An in depth view on what made the Lincoln's tick. Lincoln was away so much of the marriage that Mary instead of becoming more independent, made her sons and neighbors take care of her.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mary was the belle of the ball, but once she made a choice on who to marry her life did not match her expectations. She continually acted out in order to get her husband's attention, either by purchasing huge amounts of clothes and furnishings, or making friends with ruthless men who took advantage of her weaknesses.
The death of her son Willie was the unmaking of Mary. I don't think she was ever able to get over the fact of his death.

What about Adam Grupper’s performance did you like?

He had just the right nuances to the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long to listen all at once. I enjoy an hour or two at a time to listen to books.

Enjoyed the book but caught a narration error

I have both the ebook and audiobook and use WhisperSync. I'm not sure if errors in narration are ever "corrected" to update audiobooks, as they sometimes correct ebooks.

I can't find a way to report an error for the audiobook elsewhere. In Chapter 4, (~37:18), the narrator made an simple error. Instead of saying, "...the Lincolns bade farewell and thanks to the Todds of Lexington,..." as the book reads; he said, ""...the Lincolns bade farewell and thanks to the Todds of LINCOLN,..." I wonder if they can fix it?