Historical fiction is my favorite kind of fiction but I had a hard time loving Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. Dressmaker Elizabeth was too perfect. I can't love a character with no flaws or weak spots. That kind of pristine character is too inhuman and makes the whole novel ring false. By the end of the novel I felt like I do when I listen to a doting mother go on about her perfect child for too long. I found myself issuing the mental eye roll and an obnoxious "Puh-lease" each time Elizabeth accomplished yet another feat of brilliant loving kindness despite the insanity that was Mrs. Lincoln. The aspect I found redeeming was the little bit about Abraham Lincoln. I'm a fan of his so I like to imagine what he was like in his home with his family and I always enjoy perusing what others imagine he was like. I enjoyed Chiaverini's perspective of our 16th president in that setting.
You will find an official plot line description at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15808287-mrs-lincoln-s-dressmaker.
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