Final Resting Place by Jonathan F. Putnam

FINAL RESTING PLACE by Jonathan F. Putnam is a historical mystery with Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas as two of the main characters. In fact, they oppose each other in a murder trial based on actual events from “the highest profile trial of the year in Springfield” where Lincoln (a Whig) defended a Democrat accused of murdering a political rival and Douglas (a Democrat) acted as prosecutor. What makes this mystery especially appealing are the numerous references to the very contentious Illinois election held on August 6, 1838, almost exactly 180 years ago.  It was fascinating to read about the raucous political debates, anonymous and abusive letters to the editor, influential newspaper coverage, and religious revival. Lincoln’s real life friend Joshua Speed narrates this story and comments at one point, “Life in the frontier town had been oriented around three nearly universal public institutions: Politics, Commerce and Liquor.”

Although referring to a slightly later (1850s) period, a recent New York Times article by Jennifer Finney Boylan, “The New Know-Nothings,” draws some intriguing parallels to today’s political partisanship, especially changes in the Republican Party. Putnam, too, mentions this comparison in his historical note: “Those who think the current political moment is beset by unique coarseness and animosity would do well to study the American political environment of the nineteenth century, especially in the Western states such as Illinois.” If you enjoy historical mysteries based on solid research, definitely look for FINAL RESTING PLACE - it is filled with personal anecdotes, courtroom drama and political twists.

Putnam is a Harvard-trained lawyer and amateur Lincoln scholar who has written two other books in this series: These Honored Dead and Perish from the Earth.  Once you have enjoyed those, consider Girl in Disguise and the Seneca Falls Inheritance series, excellent historical mysteries set in the mid-1800s.  

Historical Fiction Titles

I enjoyed THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR, a debut novel by Jennifer Ryan.  Set in 1940 in a small village near the East Coast of England, this was a fairly gentle and undemanding read which allowed one to imagine the changes in personal relationships wrought by WWII.

Ryan uses letters and diary entries from a variety of village inhabitants to convey events involving bombs, baby-swapping and singing competitions.  Chroniclers include 13 year-old Kitty who has a beautiful singing voice and a lovely older sister, Venetia, who is prone to flirting. Adult perspective is provided by Mrs. Tilling, widowed and sending her only son off to war, plus Mrs. Paltry, a local midwife. 

Throughout the novel, there is plenty of talk of standing together and taking care of each other as the choir and its members all must take on new duties and face possible death from the Nazi air raids.  Even in the short space of a few months, Kitty and Venetia are forced to grow-up, with the latter observing, “I realized that this is what it’s like to be an adult, learning to pick from a lot of bad choices and do the best you can with that dreadful compromise.” 

THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR has been compared frequently to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society; and, according to Library Journal, TV rights have been sold to the production company behind Downton Abbey.

If you are looking for a much more sophisticated historical fiction read, turn to LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, a first novel for award-winning author George Saunders. 

The story begins around the time of the death of 11-year-old Willie Lincoln in 1862 and occurs largely in Oak Hill Cemetery where President Lincoln is alleged to have visited frequently. Called a “collage,” "strikingly original," or "imaginative" and reading at times like a play, this work features quotes from historical works and the voices of other dead characters as they and Willie inhabit the bardo, or limbo, between life and death.

LINCOLN IN THE BARDO was reviewed recently on NPR and in The Wall Street Journal. Saunders’ novel also received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

New Books about the American Civil War Era

It has been 150 years since the American Civil War and we are still fascinated by that time period as evidenced by 3 recent books:

• New Men: Reconstructing the Image of the Veteran in Late Nineteenth Century American Literature and Culture by John A. Casey, Jr. 
• Gettysburg Replies by Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
• Mourning Lincoln by Martha Hodes   

In New Men, Casey argues that the concept of being a veteran was totally new after this war: “the mere fact of survival in a struggle where life and death seemed impersonal and random made them view themselves and their purpose in a radically different way…. Civil War veterans came to see their war service as a defining ‘experience’ rather than as simply an ‘event.’”   Casey explores three post-war periods of 1865-1877 (demobilization and search for employment), 1877-1890 (a growing sense of apartness), and 1890-1900 (society begins to see veterans as distinct), plus devotes a chapter to the unique circumstances for African American Civil War soldiers after the war.  In his epilogue, Casey quotes Tim O’Brien and offers parallels to today.  While the entire book contains numerous references to 19th century literature and was very well-researched (about one-fourth is an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources), I especially liked the last section and comments about contemporary literature and films (Hurt Locker, etc.) which deal with veterans’ issues. Our high school students read O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, watch films like American Sniper and struggle to understand the impact of war, especially its emotional cost. This Fordham University Press scholarly work will, as Casey would wish, add to that discussion and promote better understanding for soldiers returning home. 

New Men includes numerous photos and it is worth mentioning another new collection just announced by the Library of Congress which includes approximately 500 images, many taken by Confederate soldiers during the war. Our US History students have a project wherein they “become” a character at the time of the war and describe that life through letters.  Gilder Lehrman also provides numerous primary sources and recently sent us a class set of I Take Up My Pen: Letters from the Civil War. 


Gettysburg Replies is a project of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. It, too, includes writing from many sources, but the perspectives are supplied by guest essayists who are alive today. They are all responding to the Gettysburg Address and comment on some facet such as Julian Bond reflecting on his grandfather born into slavery and Chicago Alderman Edward Burke commenting on the 1860 political convention and Lincoln’s nomination.  The varied sentiments made me think of how my mother and countless others have memorized that famous speech. See The Address Project promoted by PBS and filmmaker Ken Burns (one of the essayists in the book) for some recent examples. Other contributors to Gettysburg Replies include poet Billy Collins, politicians, military members, and Lincoln scholars.  In his published reply, Bill Clinton says, “Lincoln’s genius lay in his ability to explain policy clearly and argue for it convincingly…. He understood his fellow citizens, how they felt and thought, hoped and feared.”
 

Mourning Lincoln by Martha Hodes shares the thoughts and feeling of those mid-19th century citizens by focusing on their diverse reactions to Lincoln’s assassination.  Hodes uses diaries and letters to explore the range of emotions … grief, sadness, fear, ambivalence, and sometimes joy. Lincoln certainly stirred his countrymen and it is estimated that as many as 12 million (one-third of the total US population) viewed his funeral train during its almost two-week and 1,700 mile journey.  That event will be commemorated in 2015 when a replica train departs Washington, DC on April 21st and follows the same route, arriving in Chicago on May 1st.  More details are available here.