Jennifer
Chiaverini kicked off her book tour for her new historical novel, Mrs. Lincoln's
Dressmaker, here in Madison this week.
Jennifer is best known for her Elm Creek Quilts series of books. If you
are a quilter you probably already know of her.
While she was
researching The Lost Quilter, Jennifer came across a post-Civil War era
patriotic "crazy" quilt that was attributed to Elizabeth Keckley, a
former slave and eventual dressmaker for and close confidant of Mary Todd
Lincoln.
Then when she was researching The Union Quilters, she came across a memoir written by Mrs. Keckley. Thus was born the idea for this particular historical novel, which is based on the relationship between Mrs. Keckley and Mrs. Lincoln.
Then when she was researching The Union Quilters, she came across a memoir written by Mrs. Keckley. Thus was born the idea for this particular historical novel, which is based on the relationship between Mrs. Keckley and Mrs. Lincoln.
If the crowd
at Barnes and Noble is any indication, Jennifer's usual following, made up
largely though not exclusively of quilters who love to read, or readers who
love to quilt -- has just swelled to include Lincolnphiles, history buffs, and
anyone who recently saw Sally Fields and Gloria Reuben in the new Stephen
Spielberg movie, Lincoln. Oh, yeah, and
Daniel Day Lewis was in it, too.

Mrs. Keckley
was also a political activist, working to raise funds for an organization that provided
basic necessities as well as emotional support to recently freed slaves and sick and
wounded soldiers.
She was a mother who made sure her son was well education, but suffered his death as a soldier in the Union Army. And she was a writer whose published autobiography, Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House, revealed much about the private life of the enigmatic Mrs. Lincoln and provided much of the grist for Chiaverini's novel.
She was a mother who made sure her son was well education, but suffered his death as a soldier in the Union Army. And she was a writer whose published autobiography, Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House, revealed much about the private life of the enigmatic Mrs. Lincoln and provided much of the grist for Chiaverini's novel.
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Jennifer Chiaverini |
Jennifer Chiaverini has just begun her nine city book tour. But with an early book release, coinciding (not
accidently) with the Lincoln movie hitting theaters and with awards season, you can
bet that book tour will expand quickly.
Watch for Jennifer to come to your city.
She's passionate about her book, and just as entertaining in person as
she is on the page.