First published 2013
Elizabeth Keckley arrives at the White House in March 1861 as one of several seamstresses competing to dress the new First Lady. Mary Todd Lincoln selects Keckley as her personal modiste, beginning a professional relationship that quickly deepens into friendship. Keckley witnesses private moments between the President and his wife while creating dozens of gowns for official functions. She supports Mary through the devastating loss of their son Willie, then through the shock of Lincoln's assassination. Keckley saves fabric scraps from each gown, later assembling them into a commemorative quilt. Years later, she transforms her memories into a memoir titled Behind the Scenes. The book's publication creates a public scandal that destroys her friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln forever. Chiaverini tells the story of two women from vastly different backgrounds whose bond survives tragedy but cannot withstand public exposure.
Genres: american-fiction, biographical-fiction, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: found-family, friendship
Setting: White House
Period: 1861, Civil War
356 pages · Hardcover · Dutton