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An Inconvenient Widow : The Torment, Trial, and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln
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- ISBN-13: 9781982140724
- ISBN-10: 1982140720
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- Publish Date: May 2026
- Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Page Count: 480
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Mary Todd Lincoln is among the least sympathetic characters in American history. Everyone “knows” that Mary was a shrew who trapped Abraham Lincoln in a loveless marriage, a Confederate sympathizer and an American combination of Marie Antoinette and Lady Macbeth. But in An Inconvenient Widow: The Torment, Trial, and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln, former Washington Post reporter, editor and columnist Lois Romano demolishes the myth of Mary Todd Lincoln and creates in its place a compassionate and honest portrait of a complex woman whose impact is still felt.
To be clear, Lincoln was not an easy person to be around. She was demanding, with unpredictable mood swings and a vindictive nature that could nurture grudges for decades. Her impulse shopping and hoarding created financial difficulty and opened her to scandal. But she was also vivacious, intelligent, politically savvy and deeply kind. Further, Romano’s extensive research reveals that the Lincolns shared a deep and comforting love for each other, and that Abraham heavily relied on her support and insights. Additionally, Mary carried a burden of grief that would annihilate most of us: the early death of her mother, the deaths of three of her four sons and the murder of her husband while she was holding his hand. Romano convincingly makes the case that Mary’s outbursts and bouts of profound depression were the result of PTSD and other mental illnesses that were still undefined, much less understood.
Most importantly, An Inconvenient Widow makes evident that Mary and her reputation both suffered from her society’s profound misogyny. Two instances stand out for the particular cruelty of their sexism. First, as her husband lingered on his deathbed, the many men surrounding him deliberately excluded Mary, keeping her from her dying husband. The second was when Robert, her only surviving son, ambushed her with a public trial to have her committed. In both instances, Mary was too outspoken, too emotional and too inconvenient a woman to be given the rights and graces that would have been afforded a man in a similar position. But, as often happens, these men underestimated their victim, and Mary’s story is ultimately one of long-delayed victory.
Mary Todd Lincoln is among the least sympathetic characters in American history. Everyone “knows” that Mary was a shrew who trapped Abraham Lincoln in a loveless marriage, a Confederate sympathizer and an American combination of Marie Antoinette and Lady Macbeth. But in An Inconvenient Widow: The Torment, Trial, and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln, former Washington Post reporter, editor and columnist Lois Romano demolishes the myth of Mary Todd Lincoln and creates in its place a compassionate and honest portrait of a complex woman whose impact is still felt.
To be clear, Lincoln was not an easy person to be around. She was demanding, with unpredictable mood swings and a vindictive nature that could nurture grudges for decades. Her impulse shopping and hoarding created financial difficulty and opened her to scandal. But she was also vivacious, intelligent, politically savvy and deeply kind. Further, Romano’s extensive research reveals that the Lincolns shared a deep and comforting love for each other, and that Abraham heavily relied on her support and insights. Additionally, Mary carried a burden of grief that would annihilate most of us: the early death of her mother, the deaths of three of her four sons and the murder of her husband while she was holding his hand. Romano convincingly makes the case that Mary’s outbursts and bouts of profound depression were the result of PTSD and other mental illnesses that were still undefined, much less understood.
Most importantly, An Inconvenient Widow makes evident that Mary and her reputation both suffered from her society’s profound misogyny. Two instances stand out for the particular cruelty of their sexism. First, as her husband lingered on his deathbed, the many men surrounding him deliberately excluded Mary, keeping her from her dying husband. The second was when Robert, her only surviving son, ambushed her with a public trial to have her committed. In both instances, Mary was too outspoken, too emotional and too inconvenient a woman to be given the rights and graces that would have been afforded a man in a similar position. But, as often happens, these men underestimated their victim, and Mary’s story is ultimately one of long-delayed victory.