Mrs. Lincoln's Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini FIC Chi

When I first saw the title I thought some young house maid might have been putting the moves on Abe- but that seemed a bit far-fetched!  As it turns out the rivalry had to do with being the best hostess in the city.  The rival's name was Kate Chase.  Every time I read one of Chiaverini's historical novels I always have to check out the facts - and as always she was true to the facts.  And that is why I always enjoy these books.  This one was entertaining.  Parts of it were depressing - because there are a lot of things in Washington DC that haven't changed since the Civil War!

Kate lived in Ohio with her father and younger sister.  Since her mother was dead she became the 'hostess' for her father, Salmon Chase.  Chase was an ambitious lawyer and Kate was thrilled to do what she could to help him achieve a prominent role in politics.  Kate always thought her father should be President.  Salmon wasn't chosen by his party to run but after the election Lincoln appointed him Secretary of the Treasury.  Their new hometown was the perfect place for Kate to hone her skills.  Her father was her number one priority but she did fall in love along the way with the governor of Rhode Island.  That was probably the most interesting part of the book in my opinion.  You know that if I found it interesting that means it wasn't the average marriage of the times!

Entertaining and educational - perfect combination.  I think the audio versions of Chiaverini's books are great - in fact I have never actually read one of her books because I enjoy the narration so much.