Mrs. Lee & Mrs. Gray by Dorothy Love is the story of Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee and her servant Selina Norris Gray, their lives and their enduring friendship. The story dates between 1827 and 1873, with chapters either told from Mary or Selina’s perspective.
This book sheds light on subjects not much discussed about General Robert E. Lee’s life from his wife and their family to their home in Arlington. The book is more of a love affair between Mary and Arlington than Mary and her husband. Both Mary and Selina go into great detail describing the beauty and glory of the pre-Civil War Arlington Plantation. Readers learn the story behind the Arlington House before the Union Army decided to make it a base and later a cemetery.
Additionally, this novel dives deep into the character of Mrs. Lee. For example, the reader learns that Mrs. Lee was pro gradual freedom for slaves as an active member of the American Colonization Society, which provided passage for freed slaves to Africa. Mrs. Lee and her mother taught many of their slaves how to read and write, believing in giving their slaves skills for their eventual free life. Beyond that, there is not much new information in terms of pre-Civil War Southern life and slavery.
It is obvious that author, Dorothy Love, put immense time into researching and writing this book. The details are precise and the writing is articulate. After reading this novel and learning the history of Arlington and the Lee family, I want to revisit Arlington to further appreciate its history and beauty.
However, as well written and presented this book was, it was a slow read. The first half of the book was very slow going. The book didn’t start to pick up until the Civil War, which is only about the last 100 pages of the 370-page novel. Even though the book was written in active voice, the story feels passive. The story is based on letters that Mary wrote to General Lee and Selina, which might be why it feels like the story is reiterated letters or flashbacks. This book had the potential to be as grand as Gone With The Wind, but instead it missed the mark.