Courting Mr. Lincoln: A Novel

Written by Louis Bayard

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert and Robert Fass

When Mary Todd meets Abraham Lincoln in Springfield in the winter of 1840, he is on no one's shortlist to be president. Rough and reticent, he's a country lawyer lacking money and manners, living above a dry goods shop, but with a gift for oratory. Mary, a quick, self-possessed debutante with a tireless interest in debates and elections, at first finds him an enigma. "I can only hope," she tells his roommate, the handsome, charming Joshua Speed, "that his waters being so very still, they also run deep."

It's not long, though, before she sees the Lincoln that Speed knows: a man who, despite his awkwardness, is amiable and profound, with a gentle wit to match his genius and a respect for her keen political mind. But as her relationship with Lincoln deepens, she must confront his inseparable friendship with Speed, who has taught his roommate how to dance, dress, and navigate the polite society of Springfield.

Told in the alternating voices of Mary Todd and Joshua Speed, and rich with historical detail, Courting Mr. Lincoln creates a sympathetic and complex portrait of Mary unlike any that has come before; a moving portrayal of the deep and very real connection between the two men; and most of all, an evocation of the unformed man who would grow into one of the nation's most beloved presidents.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Apr 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684571673

Louis Bayard

A writer, book reviewer, and the author of Mr. Timothy and The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, and Salon.com, among other media outlets. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Reviews for Courting Mr. Lincoln

[Juliette · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Was he? Interesting theory and rumor. Wow. Mary Todd endured quite a life.

[hardlyhardy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A love triangle involving Abraham Lincoln? Well, yes, and what's more, Louis Bayard's 2019 novel “Courting Mr. Lincoln” sticks fairly close to the historical record.Lincoln and Mary Todd show up in Springfield, Ill., at about the same time. Gangly and ignorant of how to dress and behave in polite society, Lincoln comes to town to launch both his legal and his political careers. Mary moves in with her sister to try to find a suitable husband, although her outspokenness has so far turned suitors away.Unable to afford a room of his own, Lincoln accepts an offer to share a bed with Joshua Speed, a merchant with good prospects and a man seen as Mary's best prospect. Yet Joshua and Mary, it turns out, are each more interested in Lincoln than in each other.An older woman in Springfield who views herself as both a political kingmaker and a matchmaker, sees potential in Lincoln that is still invisible to others, but she knows he needs a wife to get very far in politics. She settles on Mary Todd as the best choice, and she conspires to bring the two of them together in secret in her home.Wondering where his friend is spending his afternoons, a jealous Speed has Lincoln followed, then he reveals the secret to Mary's sister, believing that will end the affair. And it does, but only temporarily. How Abraham and Mary eventually get back together and what happens in the Lincoln-Speed friendship occupies the rest of this engrossing and very unusual romantic novel.So did Lincoln have homosexual leanings? Bayard raises the possibility, but leaves the question unanswered. just as history does.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was one of the first books in which I have read about Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln dating. This was a different way to write about Mary , Abe and his friend Joshua. This was well written but I am not sure that the writer needed to read into the friendship of Abe and Joshua quite as much as he did but it might have happened that way. I think I would have liked to know a little more about Mary Todd through this but I enjoyed the story. I received a copy of this book from Algonquin books for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For the most part, this is a pretty conventional novel about Lincoln's on-again/off-again courtship of Mary Todd. Here's the twist: Lincoln is also being courted by his roommate, Joshua Speed. I remember reading a few years ago a claim that Lincoln was probably bisexual and involved in a love relationship with Speed, a shop owner who lodged above his store with the young lawyer; of necessity, the two shared a bed. While this novel doesn't full-out into claim that the two had a physical relationship, it does at least give the impression that there was a deep bond between them and perhaps (especially on Speed's part) a desire for more. And Mary Todd becomes the disrupting factor. Lincoln is attracted to her, primarily for her outspokenness and interest in politics, and he is aware of the fact that he will need a wife to rise in the political arena. But Speed carries out some rather extreme machinations to ensure that the two will never tie the knot and to make it difficult for Lincoln to put aside his obligations to him. What's interesting here is that Mary never realizes that she has a rival for Lincoln's attention.The story is told in chapters alternating between Speed's and Mary's point of view. Another reader-reviewer complained that there is too much repetition in this structure, since the two narrators go over the same events. She missed the point. What Bayard wants us to recognize is that as different as they are, Speed and Mary are quite similar in their devotion to Lincoln and in their efforts to snare him as much through guilt and jealousy as through love. In that regard, I found them both annoying. Also annoying after a while: Lincoln's naiveté and a humility that often crosses the line into self-denigration. It had gotten old--very old--by the book's midpoint. He becomes a pawn in his own story, which is not a position that I would have expected to find him in.

[jenhoward-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A love triangle with a historical twist--the object of desire is a young Abe Lincoln, fresh off the farm and finding his way as a lawyer and budding politician in Springfield. Bayard explores the complex feelings he inspires in two other people: Mary Todd, the daughter of a prominent Kentucky political family, and Joshua Speed, another Kentucky blueblood who's also Lincoln's roommate, best friend, and maybe more. A lovely exploration of kindred spirits on the political, emotional, and social frontier, trying to sort out their feelings for each other, set against a well-researched and wonderfully described period backdrop. Highly recommended.

[nancyadair-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Louis Bayard's novel is about the pre-marriage relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd and Lincoln and his friend and roommate Joshua Speed. The novel is based on the myth created by gay activist Larry Kramer that Speed and Lincoln had a sexual relationship. Kramer claimed to have evidence but he never made it public.I have read several books on Mary Todd Lincoln and had my own idea of her personality. The novel begins when Mary arrives in Springfield to her sister's home to find a husband. The frontier town of 1,500 is described as primitive. I had read that Mary was well pursued and admired as a girl, but Bayard gives us a woman tipping into spinsterhood, surrounded by inferior suitors--except for Joshua Speed, who is dapper and handsome but standoffish with the ladies. Mary is at times audacious and has an unwomanly interest in politics.Speed introduces Lincoln to Mary. Lincoln is stereotyped as a country bumpkin who must be educated to fit into society, a job Speed takes on. Bayard does not really convince me why Mary becomes attached to Lincoln. His character is the least developed. I had read that Mary strongly believed in Lincoln's political future. The book includes their falling out and coming back together leaving the lovelorn Speed to marry a woman who is happy to avoid the physical obligations of marriage.I ended up speed reading through half the book. I do hope readers understand this is fiction! The portrait of Mary may surprise some readers who only know the yellow journalism view of her later life, the mad widow reduced to selling her clothing and sent to the asylum by her only surviving child. In the end, I see this as Joshua Speed's story, assuming he was in love with Lincoln.I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

[janarose1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book begins with Mary Todd moving to Springfield in hunt of a husband. She lives with her sister's family, while making the rounds among the politicians and elite. One day, she meets a poor country lawyer, Abraham Lincoln. At first she is put off by his lack of manners and lack of social nicety. However, she is quickly won over by his wit and way with words. The book then switches to Joshua Speed's point of view. Joshua is a dry goods merchant, who has taken Abraham under his wing. Although the book was engaging, there were a few problems with the timeline and flow between the points of view. The first part of the book spent a long time with Mary Todd's point of view. It was a bit jolting when Joseph's point of view as first introduced and a bit off-putting. Despite this criticism, the characters were well developed, and entertaining. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Historical fiction with a focus on Mary Todd Lincoln, this novel describes her arrival in Springfield, Illinois to live with her sister Ellen. Ellen is a respectable matron whose mission is to find a husband for Mary, but she finds Mary less malleable than she wishes. Her response to Mary's fascination with Lincoln is dismay. The other main character is Joshua Speed, Lincoln's landlord and close friend. Bayard's description of this friendship is unexpected in its implications, and shows another side of Lincoln than the conventional view. The courtship of Todd and Lincoln takes many twists and turns, thanks in large part to meddling by Speed and Ellen, and also because of Mary's independent nature. I found Mary's astute knowledge of politics of the time intriguing. Her migraines and Lincoln's depression do not bode well for their future as we know, but perhaps Mr. Bayard will continue the story and shed more light on these two famous figures.