Nancy Horan, the bestselling author of LOVING FRANK and UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY, makes a triumphant return with THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN, a richly woven work of historical fiction that tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s transformation from lawyer to president.

In 1849, nine-year-old Ana Ferreira and her family arrive in Springfield, Illinois, fleeing religious persecution in their homeland of Madeira, Portugal. Devout Presbyterians, the Ferreiras are relieved to live in a country where Catholics, their former persecutors, are seen as the “bad” ones. But even so, integration will rely on far more than religious allegiance. Ana’s mother, Genoveva, is horrified by America’s cluttered and dirty streets, calling her new country a “pigsty.” Her father, Emmanuel, dives headfirst into his ability to learn new skills and prove himself on construction sites.

"Those looking for more historical context and new voices will delight in Horan’s unusual take on the 16th president. Readers also will love watching Ana --- and her country --- transform under the deft hand and compassionate gaze of Horan, whose talent for unpacking the lives and histories of famous couples is on full display here."

Ana falls somewhere in between the two. She takes to English much quicker than her parents. Consequently, she is often asked to translate for her mother, even when that means overhearing cruel remarks about immigration. But she also delights in her newfound friendship with Callie “Cal” Patterson, a freed colored girl. As she and her family assimilate, Ana starts to notice not just the new, strange ways of America, but the nuances of its racial and class divides, including the presence of slave catchers in her own town.

By the time Ana is 14, her father learns of an opening for a “Saturday girl” --- someone who comes in to help a married woman with her housework and children. It is through this opportunity that Ana meets Mary Todd Lincoln, then just the wife of a rumpled, messy-haired man who comes and goes, always carrying a carpet bag full of papers. But Lincoln’s career is on the rise, and as Ana starts to learn more about Mary, her husband and their family, she finds herself growing more affectionate toward them.

Ana becomes a sort of companion to Mary --- woefully misunderstood Mary, presented here in full, exquisite detail --- and earning the attention of Lincoln, who takes an interest in Ana’s education. Through Ana’s eyes, readers watch as Lincoln becomes the man we know from the history books: a Representative with controversial views who had no trouble confronting the inequity of the South, a terrific debater and, of course, a future Great Emancipator.

But Ana’s life with the Lincolns also further exposes her to the racial tensions plaguing her new home. A free state from its beginnings, Illinois has found itself at a crossroads since the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, which promises hefty fines and jail terms to those caught aiding runaway slaves. As a result, several citizens of Springfield have become involved with the Underground Railroad, including Cal.

On the other side of town, Horan also introduces readers to African Methodist Episcopal minister and barber Spencer Donnegan, who works with his brother, William, to help shepherd enslaved people North as part of their work with the Underground Railroad. Although Ana is hesitant to get involved, she soon realizes that she has no choice but to stand up for what is right. This sets her on a course that mirrors Lincoln’s own and highlights the ways that his brave, innovating steps reverberated throughout the country and to our own present day.

Chronicling both Ana’s and Lincoln’s lives from the early 1850s through Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 and Ana’s life as an adult, including her witnessing of the 1908 Springfield race riot, THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN is less a profile of the man himself and more a thorough backdrop of the world in which he found his footing to do great things. By writing through Ana's eyes, Horan places the focus not on Lincoln, but on America, which, as Ana tells it, is exactly how he would have preferred it.

What makes the book succeed is not its fictionalized retellings of great moments in Lincoln’s life (although those are here too), but rather Ana’s views of a changing America, particularly Springfield. It is through these portraits, as well as those of other supporting characters --- grounded by the easy-to-follow story of Lincoln’s rise to fame --- that Horan paints a fully realized, wholly imagined picture of life in a “middle” state during one of our country’s tensest moments.

Those looking for more historical context and new voices will delight in Horan’s unusual take on the 16th president. Readers also will love watching Ana --- and her country --- transform under the deft hand and compassionate gaze of Horan, whose talent for unpacking the lives and histories of famous couples is on full display here. Perfect for readers of MRS. LINCOLN’S DRESSMAKER, MRS. LINCOLN’S SISTERS and even BOOTH, THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN is a fascinating addition to the canon and a stellar work of historical fiction in its own right.