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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Thomas Mallon's Henry and Clara:
“Amazing . . . one of the most interesting American novelists at work.”
—John Updike, The New Yorker
“The powerful story is superbly told. . . . You can’t ask for much more from historical fiction.”
—The Washington Post Book World
“Ambitious in scope and depth . . . Mallon makes good use of sharp, disturbing twists on familiar themes.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“A transporting, beautifully written novel as authentic in its period detail as it is in its rich characterizations.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Riveting . . . Mallon’s most polished gem to date.”
—Chicago Tribune
“A pitch-perfect rendering . . . Mesmerizing and assiduously researched.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A powerful reconstruction of actual events.”
—New Orleans Times-Picayune
“From the footnotes of American history, Mallon has pulled authentic figures and embroidered a compelling novel.”
—Booklist
“A masterly blend of fact and fiction.”
—Albany Times Union
“Mallon . . . outdoes himself in this re-creation, which raises the private consequences of history to what seems their deserved status—legend.”
—Publishers Weekly
“All written history is a work of imagination, but seldom is it rendered as skillfully as in Henry and Clara.”
—Raleigh News and Observer
“Beautifully written, Henry and Clara is marked by tender passion, and its characters are, for all their faults, endearing.”
—National Review
“A stately and elegant historical novel of classic proportions. . . . Mallon’s book is smart and engaging, and he manages to bring his characters fully alive while never allowing us to forget that they are truly creatures of another era.”
—Los Angeles Times
“An imaginative alteration of events, a provocative might-have-been. . . . Some of Mallon’s finest writing goes into Henry’s letters home. . . . Triumphantly successful as a suspenseful and satisfying work of art.”
—The New Criterion
“Amazing . . . one of the most interesting American novelists at work.”
—John Updike, The New Yorker
“The powerful story is superbly told. . . . You can’t ask for much more from historical fiction.”
—The Washington Post Book World
“Ambitious in scope and depth . . . Mallon makes good use of sharp, disturbing twists on familiar themes.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“A transporting, beautifully written novel as authentic in its period detail as it is in its rich characterizations.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Riveting . . . Mallon’s most polished gem to date.”
—Chicago Tribune
“A pitch-perfect rendering . . . Mesmerizing and assiduously researched.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A powerful reconstruction of actual events.”
—New Orleans Times-Picayune
“From the footnotes of American history, Mallon has pulled authentic figures and embroidered a compelling novel.”
—Booklist
“A masterly blend of fact and fiction.”
—Albany Times Union
“Mallon . . . outdoes himself in this re-creation, which raises the private consequences of history to what seems their deserved status—legend.”
—Publishers Weekly
“All written history is a work of imagination, but seldom is it rendered as skillfully as in Henry and Clara.”
—Raleigh News and Observer
“Beautifully written, Henry and Clara is marked by tender passion, and its characters are, for all their faults, endearing.”
—National Review
“A stately and elegant historical novel of classic proportions. . . . Mallon’s book is smart and engaging, and he manages to bring his characters fully alive while never allowing us to forget that they are truly creatures of another era.”
—Los Angeles Times
“An imaginative alteration of events, a provocative might-have-been. . . . Some of Mallon’s finest writing goes into Henry’s letters home. . . . Triumphantly successful as a suspenseful and satisfying work of art.”
—The New Criterion
About the Author
Thomas Mallon is the author of eight novels, including Dewey Defeats Truman, Fellow Travelers, and Watergate. He is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review and other publications.
Review:
4.2 out of 5
84.00% of customers are satisfied
4.0 out of 5 stars A Little Known and Tragic Story
Henry and Clara by Thomas Mallon is a well written historical fiction about a little known but heart-breakingly tragic couple. Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris would forever be known for sharing the theatre box with the Lincolns at Ford Theatre on the night of the President's assassination. Their backstory and woeful end is intriguing.They were raised as step-siblings when Clara's father, Judge Harris, married Henry's mother, Pauline, widow of a Senator. Their combined families never melded well, but Clara, who was three years older, and Henry fell in love. Pauline Rathbone Harris, and Clara herself were very forwarding thinking and ambitious women who both enjoyed the political and social spotlight. They each tried to steer the careers of their husbands.The author does a very good job of capturing the pre and post Civil years, the abolitionists, and the election of Lincoln. Overall, I felt Mallon excelled at providing just the right amount of background information on the war and politics of the era while building the story of the two intertwined families and lovers.Neither protagonist is very sympathetic. Both have faults, but Clara is more in touch with herself than Henry who, early on, shows signs of a manic personality. His health is compromised and he is traumatized by his Civil War experiences.Clara's friendship with Mrs. Lincoln allows us glimpses into their private lives, especially Mrs. Lincoln's mental fragility.They each suffer from the horrific aftermath and mental strain of the assassination and escape by spending much of their time in Europe. Henry is a somewhat distant and feared parent to their three children and develops an unreasonable fear that Clara is unfaithful and will take the children and leave him.The family wealth sustains them, although Henry makes bad investments and has no success finding meaningful employment. His increasingly odd and violent behaviour isolates the couple and Clara seeks out medical advice to no avail.Finally, the tragedy comes to its violent conclusion in Germany when Henry murders Clara as she fears for her children's lives. Henry lives out his life in an asylum and his mental state continues to deteriorate until his death in 1911.A strange and disturbing tale that adds depth and dimension to any Civil War or Lincoln enthusiast. I highly recommend this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars John Wilkes Booth's Other Victims
On April 14, 1865, an engaged couple, Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris, accepted the Lincolns' last-minute invitation to join them in their box at Ford's Theatre. For the nation, the impact of that night's tragedy would be felt at once; for Henry and Clara, the denouement of their own private tragedy occurred years later."Henry and Clara" follows the titular couple from their childhood in Albany, New York, where Henry's widowed, ambitious mother sets her cap at Clara's widowed father, Ira Harris, whom Pauline Rathbone sees as a promising politician. A marriage soon follows, and young Henry and Clara find themselves stepbrother and stepsister. Though neither child cares much for the other's parent, Henry and Clara soon gravitate toward each other, and as they mature their feelings grow into romantic love. Before they can marry, though, they must overcome the opposition of their parents, and the outbreak of the Civil War throws yet another obstacle into their path.There is another difficulty, one the determined and devoted Clara doesn't much want to acknowledge: Henry. For Clara, the mercurial Henry is Byronic, but the horrors of war soon disclose how fragile Henry's psyche truly is. Nonetheless, Clara, deeply in love and not willing to give up easily, presses on with her marriage plans, even after the Lincoln assassination strips yet another layer of sanity from Henry.Though the story "Henry and Clara" tells is a tragic one, Mallon's wry narrative voice and his sharp eye prevent it from being a gloomy one. His characterizations are superb, with Clara, the main viewpoint character, being a particular success. Even as Clara becomes more isolated and her situation more grim, she never turns into the pathetic victim she might have become with a less skilled author.If there's a rough patch in the novel, it's at the beginning, where the immersion into Albany politics may be too much for some readers. Persevere, though, and you'll be well rewarded. This was one of the best historical novels I've read.
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Interesting but not a book I will recommend to my friends. I've read several books on Lincoln. Never heard of Henry till this one.
4.0 out of 5 stars Glad I learned about this bit of history
It is a fascinating bit of history to learn so much about a couple who were at the Ford Theater with the Lincoln’s when Booth assassinated the president. What is interest me is the connections between the families, the war, the assassination and the life of Clara and Henry after the assassination. In all history there are interwoven threads that connect us but the fiction comes in interpreting how the threads are interwoven. In this case, I wonder if Henry didn’t have mental problems that were from birth. We understand so little about brain chemistry and then when face with a parents death, and a remarriage that alone can have a big effect on one’s mental health. Add on top of that the families involvement in politics and the effects Civil War, especially for the soldiers in it and I believe there is room for multiple psychological diagnoses. The fictional parts of the correspondences giving a glimpse into the psychological aspects of this story are interesting, but I can’t help but wonder if the idea of breaking up a family much less the idea of divorce kept Clara in the relationship more than an overwhelming love for Henry.Well enough of my thoughts on the subject. Pick up the book and see how it effects you based on your life experience.
I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it
Extremely well written and descriptive. It put you right back into the era of before, during and after the Civil War and gave insights into people and their mind sets. I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it.
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Henry and Clara
BHD9903
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Product origin: United States
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