Book Log 2016 #46: A Friend of Mr. Lincoln by Stephen Harrigan

This historical novel follows Abraham Lincoln during his years in Springfield, Illinois, where as a lawyer and state legislator he honed his political instincts and rhetorical skills in the hopes of matching his ambition. The narrator is a poet (fictional) who is part of Lincoln's circle in Springfield, and we see Lincoln in all phases, from his political and courtroom successes to his bouts of depression to his dicey love life (which includes a shared mistress with the narrator and the unorthodox courtship of Mary Todd).

I really enjoyed this book, mostly because as someone who doesn't really have a good grasp on Lincoln pre-Presidency it filled a lot of gaps as to how Lincoln got to be the man who saved the Union (I know it's fiction, but the story isn't completely made from whole cloth, and Harrigan's writing gives things a sense of fact). This probably comes from Harrigan's multiple historical novels, none of which I've managed to read (though I'm surprised I never picked up The Gates of the Alamo, something I should probably remedy).