3 1/2 stars.

When you grow up loving to read because of epic books like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, generations after Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens lived, he remains legendary. In Twain's End, I learned of the complexities of Mark Twain's personality and personal life through the eyes of Isabel Lyons, his devoted secretary. I especially enjoyed when Helen Keller visited Mark Twain; their relationship was fascinating. The characters were interesting, the story line dramatic, the pacing perfect, and overall, the book was well-researched and well-written. Historical fiction fans and fans of Mark Twain will definitely want to read this book! I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from a library summer reading giveaway. I know very little about Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens other than the readily available info. I did not particularly like his writing until I read Tom Sawyer with my son last year and could begin to see the appeal. This book was intriguing in the excerpt but was a little long and oddly structured. Mark/Sam does not come out smelling like a rose in this one, but it doesn't seem to matter much to those he loves and hurts the most. The main story line is that of his secretary and possible mistress Isabel Lyons and their years long love affair ending in a sudden and shocking turn. The book proposes an explanation for this mystery of history, but I suppose we will just have to live with unanswered questions on this one. Although she did meet with Hal Holbrook when he was planning his one-man show so he may know the "real" story.

The subplot with a Helen Keller love triangle was superfluous and while intriguing did little to enhance the story in my opinion. As I was reading the story I told my husband I wasn't sure if the story would end with a bang or a whimper. It turned out to be a little of both.

Really enjoyed this book, although I was having trouble telling my friends if it was fiction or non-fiction! The entire story of Sam and Isabel was really intriguing and I couldn't help but change my opinion on every character with each new page. My only critique is that the story was slow at times; however, I still found myself engaged throughout. I'll definitely check out more books by Lynn Cullen!

4 Stars

I received a copy of Twain's End as an ARC from NetGalley. This review is my own and was in no way influenced by the fact that it's an ARC.

As you may have guessed, Twain's End has something to do with the famous Mark Twain. But this isn't your typical tale about Samuel Clemens and his alter ego, Mark Twain. This story focuses on his secretary, Isabel Lyons. She was with him for 6 years and did practically everything for him and his family from taking his dictation, to being their bookkeeper, to taking care of his grown children. The woman he fired one week after her wedding to his accountant, a wedding that he gave his blessing to. The woman he decried and defamed with a nearly 500 page manifest going over everything she ever did to him and where he called her every name in the book.

The people in the book are real and many of the relationships are also real and can be historically proven, or at least there was enough speculation that the questions showed up in newspapers and magazines at the time. Twain's End is a work of fiction, but it's a very well researched piece of fiction. There was still a lot of speculation in the book and the author decided to expand on two of the main rumors that were going around the country and even the world at the time. That Mark Twain and Isabel Lyons were romantically involved and he was going to marry her. And also that Clara Clemens, his daughter, was having an affair with Will Wark, her accompanist. These two stories intertwine through much of the book and each one seems to explain the animosity that they feel for one another later in life.

Those who see Mark Twain as a beloved author and place him up on a pedestal, may have some issues with this book. He isn't always the nice guy and in some ways, it's almost as though he is the true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mark is funny and warm and engaging. Sam is a bit of a grumpy old man who tends to lash out at those who love him the most.

Isabel Lyons becomes the personal secretary to Mark Twain, but she never calls him that. He's always Mr. Clemens or the King or even just Sam. But never Mark. She causes a sensation because she begins living under the same roof as him and his family. Rumors begin to fly. Will Isabel become the next Mrs. Clemens? The first Mrs. Clemens isn't even dead yet!

It was easy to identify Mark Twain, mostly because he's such a well known icon. But the author does a very good job of giving you a picture of what he looked like and even what he probably smelled like. The descriptions were rich and you always had a sense of who the characters were and each one had a depth to them, even Mrs. Lyons, Isabel's mother. You want to write her off as the overbearing mother worried about her spinster daughter, but she comes across as so hilariously lost that you can't help but like her. You go from like to dislike of a single character very quickly. Each one of them has their own flaws and the more they begin to show their true colors, the more your skin crawls anytime they enter the scene.

The one person I didn't like was Isabel. I wished she had been given more of a backbone. I wish she had stood up for herself more. There are times where you just want to slap her silly. In one scene she's standing up to her King and telling him like it is, and in the next, she's wilted like a cut flower. I guess I just wanted more from her...not unlike Sam.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book and I think anyone who is interested in a good story with just enough truth to make it even more interesting. I always like seeing historical figures in a different light, especially when it's done outside of stuffy biographies and historical texts. I really enjoy it when an author breathes new life into an old subject.

Loved this, could not put it down. Similar to Tracy Chevalier, Lynn Cullen has the ability to spin an engaging story based on a little know historical figure.

Eh. I found that I really didn't like a single character. And when that's the case, it's hard to enjoy a book.
I do appreciate the history that was woven into the book. Sparked my interest a bit in Mark Twain. That's about it.

About the infatuation between Mark twain and his secretary.

I fall into the category of those interested but not terribly well-versed in history. I tend to lose patience quickly with books that are too nostalgic and non-critical of history, but, despite wanting to be told a new story about something old, I want the whole adventure to be firmly grounded in a trail of facts. A borderline ridiculous set of standards, and yet TWAIN'S END managed to delight and surprise me by meeting them all. Lynn Cullen captures the mystery and magic of Mark Twain while showing the high price Samuel Clemens paid to create him. She creates a believable basis for Isabel's Lyon's loyalty as well as Clara Clemens' heightened fear of betrayal. TWAIN"S END creates a world of complex characters, decorated with the hats, horses, steam engines, and architecture of the time period. I feared at first that I wouldn't enjoy this book without knowing much about Mark Twain or the Clemens family (beyond my obligatory American student's reading of HUCK FINN), but by the end of the book I felt simultaneously that I'd learned a lot and that I'd merely scratched the surface. A great read for anyone looking to escape to another time (without fussy attempts at old timey language).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery for allowing me to read Ms. Cullen's work (MRS. POE will now be added to the long to-read pile) in exchange for an honest review.

Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain was not only an amazing author, but quite the character. Throughout his life he amassed quite a number of admirers, none more than those who were close to him- including many of his female staff. In his later years, Samuel Clemens employed Isabel Lyon as a secretary for his ailing wife. Soon, Isabel became Samuel’s constant companion and his own personal secretary. It does not take much to see that the relationship between the two has grown. However, a year before Samuel’s death, he blesses the marriage of Isabel and Ralph Ashcroft, his business manager only to besmirch their reputations one month later in an elongated written rant.
I love learning more about the lives of authors that I admire. I really didn’t know much about the man behind Mark Twain other than the fact that he piloted a riverboat and that he came in and went out along with Hailey’s comet. Lynn Cullen has taken much of her account for Twain’s End from the diary of Isabel Lyon. The writing creates a tense back and forth, cat and mouse game between Samuel and Isabel. The overall feeling that is created is tense and a little uncomfortable, especially if you would prefer to keep Mark Twain in a positive light. Isabel was quite intriguing, especially as she tried to do her best to keep herself distant from the man she knew she should not get involved with. As she became more and more entwined with the family, this became more and more difficult and eventually led Samuel to believe different about her. One of the things I found most interesting was Samuel’s relationship with his wife and daughters; I really knew nothing about Olivia, Jean, Clara and Susie. Olivia is still a little of a mystery to me, she was ailing through most of her time throughout the book, but no one seemed to know why. However, the mutual love between Samuel and Olivia was still evident even through his indiscretions. One of the most colorful characters for me was Isabel’s mother, always scheming, always putting her nose in other’s business and terribly worried about Isabel’s marriage prospects, a perfect busybody. Overall, a suspenseful, surprising and insightful tale about a different view of one of America’s greatest authors.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.