The Trials of Mrs. Lincoln

[Gene C]

by Samuel Schreiner. Published in 1987, with 327 pages. This book has been mentioned before on the forum.

I enjoyed this book as most biographies of Mary Lincoln don't spend much space on her life after Lincoln's assassination. Maybe because most of that time was a very troubling time filled with sorrow, grief and suffering. Mary lived 17 unhappy years after his death.

Her love for Mr. Lincoln is very obvious, and we see how totally lost she is with out him. Many of her decisions, events and situations, turn out badly for her because he was not there to help and protect her. In spite of this Schreiner does an excellent job telling how she dealt with the situations she finds herself. Through her letters we can see and understand why she acted the way she did and how her own family was troubled by her behavior. They didn't understand her and didn't know quite what to do with her. To a certain extent they didn't want to take the time to help her until they felt were forced to. We can see what a determined woman Mary is when she is forced to, she's no dummy, but the tragedies in her life finally overtake her.

Schreiner does a good job defending Mary and showing how Robert, overwhelmed with how to take care of her, makes some poor decisions and his actions alienate her for the rest of their lives. You will see Mary in a much more favorable light.

I recommend this book if you have the slightest interest in Mary Lincoln. You also will get a slightly different look at the Lincoln's relationship and marriage.

The print is of a good size and it is easy to read. It flows well, there are a few places where it gets a little detailed and dry. Later in the book these sections will help fill in the gaps in understanding Mary's "irrational" behavior.

The book is available on Internet Archives to borrow. It helps to read parts of it if you are not sure if you want to purchase your own copy.
https://archive.org/details/trialsofmrsl...3/mode/2up

It's an inexpensive book, and several used copies in very good condition are available for less than $10. You'll get your moneys worth. I give 4.5 stars out of 5stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Trials-Mrs-Lincol...378&sr=1-1