Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Mrs. Lincoln's Rival
    Mrs. Lincoln's Rival
    Mrs. Lincoln's Rival
    Audiobook17 hours

    Mrs. Lincoln's Rival

    Written by Jennifer Chiaverini

    Narrated by Christina Moore

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Kate Chase Sprague was born in 1840 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the second daughter to the second wife of a devout but ambitious lawyer. Her father, Salmon P. Chase, rose to prominence in the antebellum years and was appointed secretary of the treasury in Abraham Lincoln' s cabinet, while aspiring to even greater heights. Beautiful, intelligent, regal, and entrancing, young Kate Chase stepped into the role of establishing her thrice-widowed father in Washington society and as a future presidential candidate. Her efforts were successful enough that The Washington Star declared her " the most brilliant woman of her day. None outshone her." None, that is, but Mary Todd Lincoln. Though Mrs. Lincoln and her young rival held much in common-- political acumen, love of country, and a resolute determination to help the men they loved achieve greatness-- they could never be friends, for the success of one could come only at the expense of the other. When Kate Chase married William Sprague, the wealthy young governor of Rhode Island, it was widely regarded as the pinnacle of Washington society weddings. President Lincoln was in attendance. The First Lady was not. Jennifer Chiaverini excels at chronicling the lives of extraordinary yet littleknown women through historical fiction. What she did for Elizabeth Keckley in Mrs. Lincoln' s Dressmaker and for Elizabeth Van Lew in The Spymistress she does for Kate Chase Sprague in Mrs. Lincoln' s Rival.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 14, 2014
    ISBN9781470392130
    Mrs. Lincoln's Rival
    Author

    Jennifer Chiaverini

    Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-four novels, including critically acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. In 2020, she was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association for her novel Resistance Women. In 2023, the WLA awarded her the honor of Notable Wisconsin Author for her significant contributions to the state’s literary heritage. Chiaverini earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She, her husband, and their two sons call Madison, Wisconsin home.

    More audiobooks from Jennifer Chiaverini

    Related to Mrs. Lincoln's Rival

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Charles In Charge

      Sep 18, 2022

      If even Sinn Fein can wholeheartedly welcome King Charles to the throne as Northern Ireland’s Head of State, it seems unlikely New Zealanders will surge to the “cancel” button of republicanism just yet. Despite the seeming inevitability of that final

      4 min read

    • Article

      Not Everything Turns to Gold

      Oct 2, 2018

      Theodore Roosevelt once said, “When I am in California, I am not in the West, I am west of the West.” The Rough Rider’s koan has been widely viewed as a celebration of the limitless California adventure, but it’s also a reminder of the dizzying, vert

      4 min read

    • Article

      My Irish question

      Aug 21, 2022

      My Irish question
      11 min read

    • Article

      Losing The Plot

      Jun 19, 2022

      Our bathroom had dark-blue wallpaper with birds and flowers on it, like the wallpaper in an English country house. The paintwork was putty-coloured, with a putty-coloured bath shelf that Dad had built for Mum. As well as room for Mum’s mug of Nescafé

      9 min read

    • Article

      Snitch

      Feb 10, 2022

      So I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned. Job 7:3 January, 2007—New Orleans The Reverend Clarence Washington, senior pastor fornearly forty years at Gethsemane Baptist Church, shifted his three-hundred-pound

      27 min read

    • Article

      Commentary: Fifty-five Summers Have Gone By Since The Watts Rebellion. How Far Have We Traveled?

      Jul 28, 2020

      In the summer of 1965, my birthday cake was stuck at a bakery across town. My mother couldn't get to it because Watts was on fire, which sent surrounding cities, like ours in the South Bay, into lockdown. No way could she have known when she placed t

      3 min read

    • Article

      Royal Flush

      Dec 9, 2019

      Royal Flush
      5 min read

    • Article

      Happy And Glorious

      Jun 1, 2022

      ICAN’T remember when I last used my 12 Fabergé after-dinner coffee cups. Americans call these little cups ‘demitasse’, which is about as bi-lingual as we get. Mine come in five colours and I treasure them, although I’ve reached the age where my guest

      4 min read

    • Article

      Low Expectations

      Feb 1, 2019

      Low Expectations
      7 min read

    • Article

      Donald Trump, America Is Not Your House

      Jul 17, 2019

      Dear Donald Trump: Years ago, I got to visit Kwethluk, an Alaskan town of fewer than 900 souls. It is an isolated place where the people, most of them Yup'ik and Eskimo, live on what the tundra provides: ptarmigan, moose, seal, salmonberries. I remem

      2 min read

    • Article

      Last Portion Of Chips

      Sep 21, 2022

      Last Portion Of Chips
      4 min read

    • Article

      Heartland Heroine

      Jun 18, 2019

      Heartland Heroine
      5 min read

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Sep 30, 2022

      I’m a single mother who struggles financially to get through each month. When my washing machine broke I had no funds to repair it, so I asked my neighbours if I could do my washing at their place. On a Wednesday afternoon my bell rang. At the door w

      5 min read

    • Article

      Too Wild To Love

      Nov 24, 2022

      Too Wild To Love
      11 min read

    • Article

      Lights, Camera, Corsicana

      Nov 26, 2020

      Lights, Camera, Corsicana
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Kingdom To Come

      Sep 23, 2022

      The Kingdom To Come
      5 min read

    • Article

      Proof Of A Nation’s Love

      Sep 14, 2022

      IN the hours after the news from Balmoral, I walked through St James’s Park, joining little streams of others converging on Buckingham Palace. Reaching the road, we found many more coming down the Mall. Before us was the Victoria Memorial, already oc

      2 min read

    • Article

      When She Was Princess

      May 17, 2022

      When She Was Princess
      6 min read

    • Article

      Fine and Dandy

      Mar 18, 2021

      Fine and Dandy
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Many Souths

      Aug 13, 2018

      The Many Souths
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Petulant King

      Nov 12, 2022

      The Petulant King
      8 min read

    • Article

      Against The Odds, A Royal Wedding Worth Watching

      May 19, 2018

      Normally, royal weddings are like the Oscars: a lot of pomp, but no real surprises. But when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, the TV audience sat up and took notice.

      5 min read

    • Article

      ‘The day I met Her Majesty’

      Oct 5, 2022

      Like so many others, when the news came that the Queen had died, I was surprised by the emotion I felt. A tear rolled down my cheek and I was bewildered by it. Why would I cry for a woman I barely knew? Was it because she was always there, a steady,

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Mrs. Lincoln's Rival

    3.5/5

    72 ratings16 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      What an interesting bit of history. Ms. Chiaverini really digs for the unusual bits of information to present in her novels.
    • 3/5
      I chose this book because the Chase family is from Cincinnati. While the book is considered fiction, a lot of historical formation is included. I never realized Salmon P. Chase was such a........jerk! His book portrays him in a totally different light than most history I e read about him. There really isn't much about the rivalry. The author should have concentrated more on that sub just and less on Mr. Chase.
    • 4/5
      Chiaverini returns to the Civil War in this story of Kate Chase, daughter of Salmon Chase and popular Washington DC hostess. Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker introduced readers to Kate, but this provides a more in-depth look at the woman Mary Todd Lincoln viewed as a rival. Lots of historical detail leads to some dry reading, but for anyone interested in history, it’s much better than an imagined story. Chase, whose picture appears on the US $10,000 bill ran against Lincoln for the presidency but was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by Lincoln. His daughter was an intelligent abolitionist as was her father and considered Lincoln too hesitant in his stand on slavery. She eventually married, but the marriage was a failure and she divorced. Lot of good information is included that will widen your view of influential Civil War figures.
    • 3/5
      This is a thorough examination of the adult life of Kate Chase, daughter of Salmon P. Chase. Salmon was the U.S. Treasury Secretary under Abraham Lincoln. Kate was a rising socialite during this time and hoped to one day be First Lady herself; Kate was intensely involved in her father's political life and his run for the Presidency. Much to the chagrin of Mary Todd Lincoln, many found Kate's life, fashion and political musings far more interesting thus creating a long-standing rivalry. This was another outstanding woman in history who I was very glad to get to know more about. However, this book seemed to me to read more like a biography and at times was a little difficult to get through. Granted, Kate Chase was very involved in her father's politics and the story is set within the government at the time of the Civil War, so we are taken into the political decisions of the time. I've never been one for all of that. I actually found myself most interested in Kate's courtship and marriage to the 'Boy Governor' of Rhode Island, William Sprague. His characterization within the book was engrossing, perhaps because he was an alcoholic or because of the secrets he kept, William came off as almost bi-polar. William and Kate's relationship was as gripping as watching a train wreck. I was also compelled to see how Mary Todd Lincoln was portrayed. There are actually not many interactions between Kate and Mary since Mary avoided Kate at all costs, this disappointed me a little since I thought Mary would have a bit more of a role in the book. However, Kate and her friends do call Mary 'Her Satanic Majesty' and other fun nicknames throughout. A good book to read if you want an in-depth portrayal of Kate Chase's life, but this was a little heavy for me and almost seemed as a slightly romanticized non-fiction. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 2/5
      Kate Chase, known as the Belle of Washington in the civil war era, was as beautiful and charming as she was politically savvy. Her good humor and social graces earned her the friendship of many but Mrs. Lincoln perceived her social success as a threat. This rivalry was only one of the challenges she faced while managing her father's political career and her many suitors.

      I went into this book with high expectations, having read several great reviews of the author's earlier books. I was immediately disappointed by the sparse prose and stiff dialogue. Although I could see someone living in the Civil War era speaking as formally as this book was written, combined with the third-person perspective, it left me feeling disconnected. Sometimes it seems as though the author is just trying to include all the details she could find out. She often mentions battles or people that she describes minimally and that don't add to the story.

      The details she included could also be very interesting. The way people lived, the progress of the war, and the political process at the time all fascinated me. One detail of the times actually led to my biggest problem with this book. Kate feels guilty over letting a suitor kiss her. She acts completely subservient to the men in her life and is happy to devote her life to first her father's and then her husband's career. And when she ends up in an abusive relationship, she blames herself! All of this is in keeping with the times, but some indication from the author that this is unacceptable now would be necessary for me to recommend this book, especially to younger readers.

      While the author mentions in the author note at the end that Kate eventually got a divorce, the book leaves her relationship story completely unresolved. The political plot is also fairly anticlimactic since we know that neither Kate's father nor her husband ever become president. At the end of the book, this left me unsure what the focus of the plot was supposed to be. Despite these negative comments, if you can accept the probably accurate but unfortunate representation of women's rights, this was a nice light read which gave an interesting glimpses of life during the Civil War. It's not the finest historical fiction I've read, but still might be worth picking up if you have an interest in the time period.

      This review first published on Doing Dewey.
    • 5/5
      This is the story of Kate Chase, considered by many to be one of the most brilliant women of her time. She was advisor to her father, Salmon P. Chase, once President Lincoln's rival for the Republican nomination, later his Secretary of the Treasury and finally appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Considered "the Belle of Washington," Kate always seemed to instinctively know how to behave to win over others, with the single exception of Mrs. Lincoln, with whom she shared a bitter rivalry. In Kate's private life, she had a much harder time, as her choice of husbands, William Sprague (boy governor of Rhode Island), dealt her many challenges and humiliations, which she handled with grace and pride.The author did a magnificent job of bringing the Civil War time to life with colorful dialogues and a perfect blend of true historical facts and imagination.I received this book free through Library Thing Early Reviewers, the audio version produced by Recorded Books. Listening to it was a pleasure as the narrator demonstrates a wonderful range with her voice and reads with passion.
    • 3/5
      This book deals far more with the life of Kate Chase than it does with the rivalry between Kate and Mrs Lincoln. The historical detail reminded me of The Team of Rivals, and I felt the story that I was expecting had gotten bogged down in history. Kate showed an amazing perceptiveness about her father's career, that was quite surprising for a girl in her late teens. As an Early Reviewer, I had expected something more in line with this author's previous work, but I guess I need to get caught up with her writing career again.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the BOCD version, narration was very good, clear. Found the story to be a bit slow, might have been because it was the BOCD version. I personally prefer reading text over listening to narration when reading historical fiction. Good historical content and I enjoyed the storyline enough to warrant a future purchase of the book!
    • 4/5
      When Kate's father losses the presidential nomination to Abraham Lincoln, he begins wholeheartedly campaigning for his rival. After Lincoln is elected, he is nominated as Secretary of the Treasure. A position that becomes more and more important as war looms closer. Very good with politics, Kate keeps her father's political life alive as his official hostess and the woman of the house. When a crush on William Sprague, the young governor of Rhode Island, her life takes a turn as their relationship waxes and wanes.Overall, I thought this was an interesting book. Although there was some mention of Mrs. Lincoln, the book did not spent a lot of time on the subject. Instead, Mrs. Lincoln was in the background and a source of some friction. The vast majority of the book was about Kate's father's political career, Kate's romance with Sprague and her day-to-day-life. At times the book dragged on, especially when tediously speaking about her crush on Sprague. However, it is certainly worth a read.
    • 4/5
      This book is presented as a fictionalized version of the rivalry between Kate Chase, daughter of Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury and former presidential candidate Salmon P. Chase, and Lincoln's wife, Mary. There really did not seem to be much of a rivalry between the two except for Mary Lincoln perceiving a social snub when the Chase family did not greet her during a stopover in Columbus, OH. Never mind that they were out-of-town. The book covers the time period between Lincoln's election to shortly after his assassination. When compared with another recent historical novel, The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, this one reads like a dry history book. The sections of the book that deal with Kate's romance and personal life are very interesting. Most of the book covers details of the Civil War and the Lincoln administration. I received a copy of the audio book from Library Thing to review. Though the temptation to skip tracks was strong, I listened to the whole thing. At 14 discs, it took a lot of commitment to do so. I felt relief when it ended and wish it had been shortened by about one-third. Not Chiaverini at her best. If you want to read about the Lincoln administration, try her Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker instead for a much more interesting reading experience.
    • 5/5
      Won this book from LibraryThing as an audio book. I also read The Spymistress in hardback at the same. To say the least I was thoroughly immersed in the Civil War atmosphere after reading both of these. I enjoyed both by this author.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the story of Kate Chase who was set up as Mrs Lincoln's rival. Kate was very politically savvy but given the social atmosphere, she was in a more subservient role. It's always tough for me to see strong female leads in a more oppressive societal setting. While I really liked the character, I think that she could have been stronger even given the times. As an example, she blamed herself for the abusive relationship she was in. Lots of good history, although I did find myself fast forwarding over some of the materials that were a bit more dry to get back to the story. There were some spots it felt a bit stiff. Not sure whether to attribute that to the reader of the audio or the writing. Overall a really good historical fiction read! Reader received a complimentary copy from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.f
    • 4/5
      Mrs. Lincoln's Rival is a work of fiction that is inspired by historical facts. The author did a tremendous job with the details of the Civil War, as President Lincoln struggles with the difficult realities of that time. At times I felt bogged down with political details and almost abandoned the book, but kept reading and I'm so glad I did.The author paints a stunning picture of Kate Chase who is elegant, outgoing, and filled with charm and I soon became engaged with her willful character. Kate was a true and loyal daughter to Salmon P Chase and they both had an ardent desire for him to become the President of the United States. Kate was very involved with her father's political career, and as his eldest daughter, Kate would have become First Lady since he was a widower. But their ambitions are thwarted when the Republican Party selects Mr Lincoln as their candidate and Mr Chase is sworn in as Secretary of the Treasury. It was rather ironic that Mr Chase ran the Treasury with skill, but his own finances not so well.And the story unfolds through the Civil War, President Lincoln's days in office, the rivalry between Mrs Lincoln and Kate Chase, and finally the assassination of President Lincoln.I became most engaged in the storyline during the rather turbulent relationship between Kate and William Sprague, the "Boy Governor" from Rhode Island. 30 year old Sprague was a cavalry officer and fueled with charm. He was very wealthy, worth millions, and owned cotton mills in Rhode Island. His accomplishments were quite extraordinary, but Kate was warned that he was less than he seemed. The writing is simple and flowing and easy to read. I found the rivalry between Mrs Lincoln and Kate Chase to be secondary to the storyline and is certainly not what grabbed my attention. If you have any interest in the Civil War, there is a wealth of information, and much to be learned from this book. My rating is 4 stars.
    • 3/5
      Kate Chase was the elder daughter of Salmon P. Chase, Abraham Lincoln’s rival for the Republican party nomination for President in 1860, Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, and appointed by Lincoln to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Her mother died when she was not yet five. Her father remarried twice and was widowed twice. Kate became her father’s official hostess, confidant, and political advisor. MRS. LINCOLN’S RIVAL primarily focuses on the years 1859 through 1865, the year before Lincoln was nominated, through his assassination. While Mary Todd Lincoln is not mentioned very much in the book except in instances of her performing or not performing her mostly social duties as First Lady and as the mother of a child who died, the title of the book comes from the role that Kate played as the Belle of North which rivaled and overtook Mrs. Lincoln’s social position.Mary Lincoln comes across as a petty, extravagant woman with a terrible temper. She strongly disliked the Chases, partly because they were not present in Columbus, Ohio, when the train carrying her and Abraham Lincoln stopped there enroute to DC. The fact that they were already in DC didn’t seem to matter. She maintained a grudge against them, even refusing to attend Kate’s wedding to William Sprague, former governor of Rhode Island, US Senator, and military leader. Kate Chase comes across as beautiful, wise (especially politically), and full of herself. Her main goal was to help her father get elected President and she put down anyone who got in his way. She deeply resented anyone who had more political clout than her father. She desperately wanted to be First Lady. She also did not want her father to remarry.There is a lot of general information about specific actions during the Civil War. It seems, however, that the horrific events on the battlefields did not diminish the party scene in DC. More attention is given to who was there, what they wore, how the room was decorated, who provided the entertainment, and what they ate. Dinner at the White House often began at midnight.The book details her relationship with John Hay, President Lincoln’s assistant secretary and William Sprague.Jennifer Chiaverini provides a lot of references for more information about Kate Chase as well as a short epilogue about what happened after Lincoln’s death.I found much of the language stilted; conversations did not sound natural. Some of the information seemed illogical. In one case, an opponent is said to have had voters driven to the voting booth and given $50 to vote. That seems like an excessively high amount, even for today let alone 1860. I wonder if this early-twenty-something woman was really more politically astute than most of the men who had more education and experience than she did.The book has too much unnecessary detail and description, almost as if the author felt compelled to tell everything she knew. It tended to make the story drag. Based on MRS. LINCOLN’S DRESSMAKER, I wonder how much of the story was written by the author and how much was taken almost verbatim from other sources.She also doesn’t explain how Kate and her father’s relationship developed. When she was born, he wrote a disparaging comment about her in the family Bible and later sent her to a boarding school when she and her stepmother didn’t get along. Something had to happen to bring them closer and have him rely on her so much.I first read MRS. LINCOLN’S RIVAL quilt series novels and enjoyed them. She is a good writer. I hope she returns to them.
    • 3/5
      Kate Chase was the daughter of one of Lincoln's rivals and as a result she herself became a rival of Mrs. Lincoln. The two had a hostile relationship as was seen somewhat in this novel. This was an interesting account of the Lincoln White House as told from the point of view of a young woman who had hoped to be the First Lady of her widowed father. While this was not to be she was still involved and informed of the political and social scene in Washington and would marry a Senator. While it seemed a bit long an repetitive at times with the descriptions of holidays and events this was an interesting and enjoyable novel about this very turbulent time.
    • 4/5
      I first read about and became aware of Kate Chase Sprague when I read "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I didn't really like her that much after reading about her but I was interested in learning more about her rivalry with Mrs. Lincoln. Even though this book is titled "Mrs. Lincoln's Rival" there is only a small bit about her rivalry with Mrs. Lincoln. Maybe it was just me hoping for some more drama between the two. This was more a historical fiction view on Kate Chase Sprague's life a little before and during Abraham Lincoln's presidency. I did find it interesting following Kate and actually found myself liking her a bit more and feeling sorry for her. One problem I had with this book is that it felt long while I was reading it. There were so many events and things that the author covered in this book that I think that is why it felt so long to me. The author included a historical note at the end of the book which included a summary of Kate's life after the events of the book. Those events in the historical note seemed very interesting and I would have loved to have read more about them. I do understand why the author left them out as it would have made the book much longer (and I did just complain about it feeling long). I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is really interested in American Civil War historical fiction and also someone who is interested in reading more about Kate Chase Sprague.Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the book.