Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

Disclaimer: This review is based on an ARC edition of the novel I received from NetGalley. Having never read Chiaverini before, I was free of most expectations but one. I thought the story was going to be about Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckley. And, while ostensibly she narrates the novel......more

I found it interesting to read the reviews of this book on Goodreads -- many say this book was too dry, and too unlike Jennifer Chiaverini's other books. This is exactly why I liked it. The book was more about history than dress making. And I love reading history books, the more true to history, the......more

I read this back in October for book club and while I appreciate learning about Elizabeth Keckley and her amazing accomplishments after buying her freedom from slavery, it wasn't enough save the book. The writing style and the insertion of very long passages of the Civil War battles that read like a......more

A while back, I picked up a book by Jennifer Chiaverini. It was charming, sweet, and pretty easy to read. I somehow got the book for free, so I decided when the time was right, I'd buy another book by Jennifer. Time became right when I saw this stunning cover and I knew instantly... this was it. Mrs.......more

This is my first book by this author and right away she reminded me of Michelle Moran's first book I've read, Madame Tussaud, which was an engrossing read from the first page. But I'm sorry to say that this book didn't continue to be an interesting read, rather dry for most of the part. It is a story......more