Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln

Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln is a work of historical fiction chronicling the strong, albeit unequal, friendship between Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley, her black seamstress. The backdrop to their relationship, the White House, has never been livelier with pot parties, seances gone bad, receptions for little people, and cross-dressing actors.
Elizabeth Keckley was a remarkable woman for any era. It seems a fabrication that a slave, working with only a needle and thread, could amass $1,200 and buy freedom for both her and her son. But her story is singular and true.
Mary Todd Lincoln slowly crumbles under the emotional strain caused by the death of one son, the assassination of her husband, and a knee-buckling debt-load brought about by her compulsive spending. Elizabeth provides emotional ballast as Mary spirals from mercurial antics into full-blown madness.
The novel is mostly faithful to the events and timelines of the Lincoln presidency, the notable exception being the events surrounding the death of Mr. Lincoln. After Andrew Johnson is sworn in as the new president, Lincoln’s salary ceases and Mary faces destitution. Elizabeth alone has the solution.