The Madness of Mary Lincoln Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I thought this book was very interesting to read. I really felt bad for Mary she had suffered many losses in life. The death of her mother, her own child, then her husband and then her other son had taken ill and passed as well. I think I would go alittle mad myself. "

" I was riveted by this book! Emerson makes a very convincing argument that Mary was crazy, both before and after her years in the White House. Although this is non-fiction, the story is so exciting and interesting, that it reads like fiction. "

" Mary Lincoln has been unjustly criticized over time. "

" Check out my review on Amazon "

" I read Emerson's well written, detailed and fair minded account of the incarceration of Mary Lincoln after reading a fine biography of her. It confirmed two things for me. First the narrative of a whole life is more interesting than a narrowly focused chronicle of someone's idiosyncrasies. And second, that giving a twentieth century psychiatric diagnosis to a nineteenth century person is a pointless exercise. That Mary Lincoln was an odd duck cannot be doubted. Putting this odd duck in a larger historical context allows for an fascinating view of her and her world, an ecological perspective you might say. Focusing down on her insanity becomes tedious, like reading a legal brief. Perhaps the most interesting part of this book is the story of Emerson's discovery Mary's lost letters. "

" This is by the author of Giant in The Shadows (Story of Robert T Lincoln). He(Emerson) discusses the possibility that Mary was BiPolar...The discovery of the remaining letters (and the destruction of so many others) is also of interest to those who want to know more of the Lincoln's "

" Very well written and informative book. I like the fact that the author incorperated so many facts and quotes from MTL and the people she corrosponded with. The notes in the back were actually fascinating. I also enjoyed how the author seemed to interact with the reader by posing questions. Was she insane? No, I don't think so. Did she have mental issues? Oh hell yeah. "

" it was an awesome book, very interesting stuff... "

" Awful. Dry & impersonal. More like a dissertation than an analysis of a fascinating historic figure. "

" Decent book. Sheds some new insight on the "Insanity Episode." Probably didn't warrant a new book. "

" I found this book interesting because I had just visited Hildene, the home of Robert Lincoln and saw the safe where the insanity files had been kept. The telling of incidents suggesting madness were somewhat redundant in this book, however. "

" The author appears to slip "opinions" in the text as "fact." "

" Excellent,factual account of how/why Robert Todd Lincoln had his mother committed to an ansylum in Batavia, IL (I live nearby,building still exists,subdivided into apts. "

" Amazing and hard to put down. I heard this book in two days and was riveted the whole time. The author provides a full perspective on the time period and subjects. "

" Another great book about the Lincoln era. Poor Robert Lincoln, like many children of mentally ill parents, put up with so much but was vilified for trying to do right by his poor, sick mother. "

" I learned a lot about Mary Todd Lincoln, how her relationship with Abraham was, the impact of her illness on her public image, and how her illness manifested itself. It held my interest for most of the book. "

" I love crazies "

" The title is self- explanatory. "