Signed bookgiveaway
By Judi Ketteler
JENNIFER CHIAVERINI HAS always been a student of history. Which means that she has long been
aware of the stories that don’t make it into the record
or don’t get taught much.
“History isn’t just what legislators
were doing, but also what the shop-
keepers were doing and the mothers
of young children were doing,” says
the Costco member and author of the
New York Times best-seller Mrs.
Lincoln’s Dressmaker. “To me, that is
just as intriguing and important.”
Those stories have become rich
material for Chiaverini’s historical fic-
tion. Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker tells
the story of Elizabeth Keckley, a free
black woman who was Mary Todd
Lincoln’s dressmaker during the Civil
War years. “She was born into slavery, and just with
the gifts of her own creativity and imagination and
talent and hard work, she managed to obtain her
freedom and her son’s freedom, and eventually
became the dressmaker to the elite in Washington,
D.C.,” says Chiaverini from her home in Wisconsin.
Mary Lincoln hired Keckley as her personal dress-
maker in 1861, and she became a true confidante to
Mrs. Lincoln during the tumultuous war years.
Chiaverini became aware of Elizabeth Keckley
some years ago, and had already been imagining
these two women and what their conversations
would have been like. But it wasn’t until she was
researching another Civil War–era book that she
discovered that Keckley had actually written a
memoir: Behind the Scenes, or, Thirty Years a Slave,
and Four Years in the White House. “I read it, and I
was so fascinated by it. I thought everyone should
know about her,” she says.
Behind the Scenes was a fertile resource for
Chiaverini, and she tried to use Keckley’s own words
and descriptions of things wherever possible. But
there were gaps in what Keckley
wrote. Some of the workaday details
weren’t there. “That is often typical for
that era, because these authors were
either writing for themselves or for a
contemporary audience that would
already be familiar with the goings-on
of the day,” Chiaverini says. In that
way, her curiosity was provoked by
what was in the memoir as well as by
what wasn’t in it.
She took no license with the historical facts, of course. In fact, the
book is tightly researched (Chiaverini
clearly did her homework, and Civil
When Behind the Scenes came out, it was widely
criticized, and even disparaged. However, modern
scholars have reclaimed it as an excellent source of
information about the Lincoln White House and
the Lincoln marriage. “I wish that Elizabeth Keckley
would have been able to know that her book would
still be in print and finally have the appreciation that
it did not have in her own time,” Chiaverini says.
Chiaverini has another Civil War–era tale, Mrs.
Lincoln’s Rival, her ninth historical novel, coming
out this month. Despite history being one of her
great passions, she’s also written many titles in the
Elm Creek Quilt series, which stitches together her
love of quilting and writing. Chiaverini says that
when she first started writing, she simply followed
the adage “Write what you know.” An avid quilter,
she knew quilting. But in addition to technical
knowledge, she wanted to convey the warmth and
camaraderie of the quilting community. ( To find out
more about the series or to see her fabric designs,
visit
www.jenniferchiaverini.com.)
While Chiaverini continues to be inspired by
other historical figures, Keckley left a lasting
impression on her. She says, “I hope read-
ers will be as struck as I was by her enor-
mous talent, her clear-sighted yet
compassionate approach to Mary
Lincoln and her unprecedented
insight into inner workings of the
Lincoln White House.” C
Judi Ketteler (www.judiketteler.
com) has written a book as well as
numerous magazine articles. F R A
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Jennifer Chiaverini
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While Chiaverini continues to be inspired by
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Pennie Clark Ianniciello,
Costco book buyer
Seamstress’s story
COSTCO HAS 50 copies of Jennifer
Chiaverini’s Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker
with signed bookplates to give away. To
enter, just go to Costco.com, search for
“JanBookPick”and follow the instructions. Or
print your name, address and daytime phone
number on a postcard or letter and send it to:
Jennifer Chiaverini, The Costco Connection, P.O.
Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088.
NO PURCHASE, PAYMENT OR OPT-IN OF ANY KIND IS
NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES.
Purchase will not improve odds of winning. S weepstakes is sponsored by Penguin
Group, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. Open to legal residents of the U. S.
(except Puerto Rico) who are age 18 or older at the time of entry. One entry per
household. Entries must be received by February 1, 2014. Winners will be randomly
selected and noti;ed by mail on or before March 1, 2014. The value of the prize is $16.
Void where prohibited. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state
and local taxes. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
Employees of Costco or Penguin Group and their families are not eligible.
Tablet or smartphone?
Scan or click here to enter the
giveaway in our digital newsstand
and online editions. (See page 5 for
scanning details.)
OVER THE YEARS, I’ve
been so blinded by the
importance of our 16th
president that, until I read
this month’s book buyer’s
pick, Mrs. Lincoln’s
Dressmaker, by Jennifer
Chiaverini, I gave little
thought to Mary Lincoln.
And I certainly gave no
thought to her dressmaker,
Elizabeth Keckley.
But theirs is a relationship worth reading about.
For example, Keckley spent
many years as a slave
before buying freedom for
her son and herself. After
meeting Mary Lincoln,
Keckley became not only
the ;rst lady’s dressmaker,
but also her con;dante.
And Mary Lincoln, who
outlived her husband and
three of their sons, is a
fascinating woman who
battled depression for the
last several years of her
life. Together, they make
for a reading experience
that won’t soon be
forgotten.
For more book picks,
see page 85.
Author has little-known friendship all sewn up
book pick
r
l
Seamstress’s story
Seamstress’s story
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