Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly

January 20, 2003
This double biography opens with an arresting image: two middle-aged women, one white, one black, are seated on a park bench in New York's Union Square in 1867. The white woman is Mary Todd Lincoln, widow of the president and desperately in need of money. The black woman is her dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckly, who is trying to help Mrs. Lincoln realize some profit out of the sale of the clothes that Mrs. Keckly made for her in happier times. Neither woman has been treated well by history. Mrs. Lincoln has gone down as a compulsive shopper whose own son tried to have her declared a lunatic; Mrs. Keckly was at one time thought to be a figment of the abolitionist imagination. Although Fleischner (Mastering Slavery), a former Mellon Faculty Fellow in Afro-American Studies at Harvard, is sympathetic to Mrs. Lincoln, the first lady's portrait here will not enhance her reputation significantly. But Fleischner's rehabilitation of Mrs. Keckly, portrayed as a strong-minded and talented woman who bought her freedom from slavery, lost her son on a Civil War battlefield and wrote a detailed biography of her former employer, is a revelation. Of particular interest is the glimpse provided into the vexed and ambiguous nature of the relations between the races both before and after abolition, a terrain the author negotiates with tact and sensitivity. (On sale Apr. 8)Forecast:This portrait of an interracial friendship will be of great interest to readers of women's history and African-American history.

March 1, 2003
Fleischner analyzes the dynamics of the great friendship that existed between first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and former slave Elizabeth Keckly. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president, Lizzy Keckly was already established as the most sought after dressmaker in Washington D.C. The mulatto daughter of a Virginia landowner and his slave, Mrs. Keckly had purchased her freedom and parlayed her talent with a needle into a successful business venture. When the fashion-conscious wife of the new president moved to the capitol, she immediately sought Keckly's help, and a powerful bond was forged between these two southern-born women from vastly different backgrounds. Set against the backdrop of mid-nineteenth-century America, this fascinating dual biography provides a glimpse into a friendship that defied convention and flourished during an age when social associations between the races were feared and actively discouraged.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

Starred review from February 15, 2003
This is a beautiful book in every way about the friendship between Mary Todd Lincoln and her dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckly, a former slave. Its beauty comes from Fleischner's exquisite control of the narrative as she writes a dual biography of two women-one white, free, and privileged in all but happiness and the other black, initially enslaved, and adept in human relationships, sewing, and money matters-whose lives came together in Washington, DC, during the Civil War and remained stitched together thereafter. Through the two women, Fleischner (English, Adelphi Univ.; Mastering Slavery) reveals the world of petticoat politics in Springfield, IL, and the nation's capital, the cultural and social interiors of women's lives, and the intricacies of dress and public style. Mrs. Keckly emerges as the heroine of the piece for her steady hand in designing her own freedom and faithfully keeping confidences and especially in staying by Mrs. Lincoln when all others had abandoned her. If Fleischner sometimes overplays the evidence when imputing motives to her characters, she always understands the people and the age. Like Mrs. Keckly's fine dresses, Fleischner's brilliance commands the stage. An essential read. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/02.]-Randall M. Miller, Saint Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2002
Mrs. Lincoln was the wife of a President. Mrs. Keckly, a slave who bought her freedom, became a celebrated dressmaker in Washington, DC, and eventually the confidante of the First Lady.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2003
Adult/High School-A fascinating look at the lives and friendship of two women-one about whom historians have told us much, the other, a person who deserves far more recognition than she has received. But before it is possible to understand how two seemingly unlikely people could become friends, it is important to know the circumstances that brought a president's wife and a former slave and dressmaker to the moment of their fateful meeting. To take readers to that point, the author uses alternating chapters to discuss the circumstances and people who molded each woman. Lincoln was used to others stepping in and taking care of her when life got too tough and Keckly took on that role. As their friendship progressed, they shared difficult and heart-wrenching situations. When the president was assassinated, Mary sent for Lizzy. The book gives an in-depth look at a time, a friendship, and two very different women. The author's almost conversational writing style will keep readers engrossed.-Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.