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Liked It “Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris were recently engaged to be married, when they were invited to share the Presidential box with the Lincolns at Ford's Theater on the evening of Good Friday, 1865. Henry Rathbone - the son of the mayor of Albany, Jared L. Rathbone - had joined the Union Army in 1861...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Very thick reading.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris were recently engaged to be married, when they were invited to share the Presidential box with the Lincolns at Ford's Theater on the evening of Good Friday, 1865. Henry Rathbone - the son of the mayor of Albany, Jared L. Rathbone - had joined the Union Army in 1861 and fought in the Civil War, attaining the rank of Major very quickly.
Rosefire wrote this review Monday, September 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Clara Harris - a wealthy socialite from Albany, New York - was a personal friend of Mary Todd Lincoln and the daughter of Senator Ira Harris of New York. By an unusual familial inter-connection, Clara was actually Henry's stepsister - as her father had married Henry's widowed mother, Pauline.
Henry Rathbone was sitting with Clara, next to the President and Mrs. Lincoln, when John Wilkes Booth entered the box and fatally shot the President. Henry immediately attempted to stop the assassin, but was stabbed in the arm during John Wilkes Booth's escape. Although he eventually recovered from his wound, Henry was mentally never the same.
He and Clara married on July 11, 1867 and had three children together. Their life together started out rather well and when Grover Cleveland became president, Henry was appointed the consul to Germany. His mental state had been precarious ever since he had returned from the Civil War; however, perhaps magnified by being present at the President's assassination, he was prone to fits of profound melancholia, hallucinations and delusions that people were trying to kill him.
Clara was beside herself. As her husband's mental health continued to deteriorate, she attempted to cover for his frequent mental lapses. She totally adored Henry and nourished her dream that with the proper help, he would eventually recover and they could resume their happy lives.
I really did enjoy this book, but I have to say that if I had one problem with the story, it would be that it covered the politics of the times. I found that I couldn't really keep all the characters straight in my mind. I truly felt sorry for Clara, Henry and their children because their lives were so horribly impacted by mental illness. I give this book an A+!”“Very thick reading.”
Daisy wrote this review Sunday, March 20, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I read this several years ago, and I still find myself thinking about it from time to time. An intimate view of the life of the Lincolns while in the White House from the perspective of friends/neighbors.”
Connie D wrote this review Sunday, July 11, 2010. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“a great retelling of a story we all know, but the effect on the two people who were sitting with the Lincolns that night has only been a footnote before this book.”
Bil wrote this review Thursday, October 1, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Intriguing idea. Pretty well executed.”
Jarndyce S wrote this review Saturday, October 20, 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a really great work of historical fiction. Told a story from the Civil War era and later that I was not familar with. Very enjoyable read for history lovers. ”
chellabella13 wrote this review Tuesday, July 31, 2007. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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