I found this novel about Mary Lincoln to be an informative biography about a very misunderstood historical lady. Mrs. Lincoln's behavior would not have been questioned in the present day. She was an eccentric, ambitious, intelligent woman who very obviously supported her husband's rise to the Presidency and believed in the preservation of the Union. Mrs. Lincoln suffered through illnesses, slander and gossip and unimaginable tragedies while in Springfield and in Washington during the Civil War. Then with President Lincoln's assination she was expected to live in a world where she no longer had her greatest supporter and protector. Mary Lincoln was a lady born before her time; in modern day her intelligence and drive would have been respected. Ishbel Ross' use of historical documentation of Mary Lincoln's life to describe the life of this amazing, intelligent and many times erratic woman shows much research on the subject.