Mary Todd Lincoln, the "most misunderstood and tragic first lady in American history," finally receives her due in Lois Romano's sympathetic and superb biography, An Inconvenient Widow. The wife of President Abraham Lincoln aroused strong opinions in her day, but in this comprehensive look at Todd Lincoln's life--from the charming conversationalist who first won Lincoln's heart to the cash-strapped and grief-stricken widow the country forgot--Romano portrays a woman failed by everyone: her family, her friends, her government, and ultimately history itself.
Relying on hundreds of archival documents from contemporary sources, Romano paints a thoughtful and complex portrait of Todd Lincoln, untangling the damaging aspersions and vilifications her contemporaries cast at her without glossing over her verifiable flaws. The result is a moving testament to a woman "who would not be defeated," despite profound loss, overwhelming grief, and the diabolical betrayals she endured. Reexamining Todd Lincoln through the lens of 21st-century medical science, Romano contextualizes her frequent "histrionics" and outbursts as something 20th-century clinicians could easily have diagnosed and treated. What is clear throughout this magnificent reappraisal is how vital Todd Lincoln was to her husband: "a true partner" whom Lincoln loved deeply and relied upon throughout his political career. Romano argues that this puts Todd Lincoln in the same class as Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan, and Michelle Obama. An Inconvenient Widow is a bittersweet and thorough tribute, warts and all, that restores Todd Lincoln's accomplishments and humanity for a new generation of history readers. --Peggy Kurkowski, freelance book reviewer in Denver