THE LINCOLNS Portrait of a Marriage

Intent on eroding the stereotype that Mary was mad and Abraham was saintly, Epstein utilizes some new sources to create a portrait of the Lincolns' marriage. In coolly objective tones, Adam Grupper narrates Epstein's detailed account of the couple's early years. Their turbulent courtship included a broken engagement that might be attributed to Lincoln's infection with syphilis. Epstein paints a picture of a couple deeply connected, both in romance and politics, from Springfield to the White House. Grupper's nasal timbre is well suited to this work, which is narrative heavy. He reads most of the dialogue plainly, but his few forays into accents are distracting. Although Grupper trods a bit heavily on Epstein's occasional poetic passages, overall, his informative reading fits the text well. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]