Most historical fiction concentrates on one of two things --- a timeless romance set against a historically accurate and dramatic background, or a wartime escapade that brings all the horrors and thrills of battle into an exciting story with a hero finding his truest strength in the end. Fine. That’s awesome. People love to read historical fiction about love or war, or both together. However, in keeping with the call for diversity in popular culture, Jennifer Chiaverini --- who has written about Mary Todd Lincoln; Kate Chase Sprague, an alleged rival of Mrs. Lincoln’s in Washington society; and Civil War spy Elizabeth Van Lew --- is very comfortable in the history of the War Between the States and the interpersonal relationships it fostered or threatened to destroy. But never before has she told a story of such touching beauty and original perspective as she does now in her latest tome, MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE.

The story of Julia Grant, First Lady of the post-war nation, and her slave Jule was such that Mrs. Grant did write about it herself in her memoir, published after her death. For 37 years, the two women from very different worlds came together and fostered a great and valuable friendship. Having known each other as children, they grew into women who depended on each other. Julia secretly taught Jule to read, and Jule helped Julia as her vision became more and more of an issue for her. Against the backdrop of a nation trying to reassert itself after great internal dissension, Julia’s marriage and Jule’s quest to move forward in polite society as a free black woman raise eyebrows and inspire readers with the compelling partnership that they were able to forge together, regardless of society’s restrictions about class and race.

"MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE manages to put a very deep and incisive specificity to the women’s lives that makes us feel as if we are living with them each step of their journey together. It is a real joy to read about the friendship of deeply caring and intelligent females in a time when the whole world and all its rules and regulations were being reconsidered."

In a recent interview, Chiaverini said that “Julia often brought along her ‘favorite’ slave” when traveling with the President. Jule had designs on moving up in society post-war, but there was not much in the available writings to help her flesh out the character. So she had to pull together what little information there was in newspaper articles, where she was referred to as “Black Julia” and “the ginger-colored maid,” in order to construct Jule’s life in such a way as to help us understand the intimate and meaningful dynamics between two women, both of whom were struggling to figure out who they were and who they wanted to be in this new society, this reconstructed country.

There are several love stories here making a splash against the backdrop of Reconstruction --- the very successful marriage that the Grants shared with each other; Jules and her husband, Gabriel, looking for new and better opportunities for their futures; and Jules and Julia together, a formidable team of intelligence and determination that would put Scarlett O’Hara to shame. As literary ancestors of the O’Haras and Civil War Atlanta, Julia and Jules, and all the details the author was able to find, create a fascinating look at the state of women in this new world. Julia never thought she would be First Lady, and, when the status was thrust upon her, she reacted with a smart elegance that helped quell the anxieties of the renewed nation. Jules never thought she would have the opportunity to learn and grow as a person at all beyond her menial duties. Her education by Julia is a beautiful example of how the women used their disparate skill sets to help the other through good times and bad.

MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE manages to put a very deep and incisive specificity to the women’s lives that makes us feel as if we are living with them each step of their journey together. It is a real joy to read about the friendship of deeply caring and intelligent females in a time when the whole world and all its rules and regulations were being reconsidered. It was a period of eye-opening growth for them both, and clearly, whether the details are real or not, their friendship offers a lesson to all people in this day of renewed racial tensions and the call for further equality for women. America has always been a place capable of great change, but it’s in the story of women such as these two (and the others Chiaverini has written about) that gives us the chance to think about the mistakes of the past and take their lead in continuing to fight for complete equality for all people under the red, white and blue.

I hope that MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE, which would be a fantastic book club pick (so much to talk about!), finds itself on the shelves of literature and history lovers alike as it has so much to offer both (and all) readers.