Courting Mr. Lincoln

Courting Mr. Lincoln is a fictionalization of the relationship between Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln from the time they met in the frontier town of Springfield, Illinois. The other perspective included in the novel is that of Joshua Speed, Lincoln's closest friend. Mary's fiery personality and passion for politics draw Lincoln to her, but are their shared interests enough to overcome their differences?

I enjoyed this story, as I don't know much about Lincoln's background outside of his time as president. I know even less about Mary Todd, so it was interesting to get to know her better as well. The choice to alternate perspectives only between Joshua and Mary serves to maintain the air of mystery and reticence that has always characterized portrayals of Lincoln - we get to know him only through the eyes of others. As the title suggests, the novel focuses only on the courtship period of Lincoln and Mary, so do not go into this book expecting a window into Lincoln's presidential years. A fun read for fans of historical fiction.