Search This Blog
April Reviews Link-Up
May Reviews Link-Up
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (7)
- France (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Wednesday, February 06, 2019
Female Civil War Soldiers Novel a Good (Enough) Read
6:51 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When her young husband joins the Confederate Army, Libby Beale Tanner knows he may never come home. Still, she's not at all prepared to be a widow almost before she's had a chance to be a bride. Haunted by the loss, Libby's overwhelming grief takes on a disturbing singlemindedness. Obsessed with avenging her husband by killing one Union soldier to represent each of the dead man's twenty years of life, she disguises herself as a man and joins the Army herself.
Although Josephine Beale never liked her sister's cocky husband, she's devastated to see her beloved Libby so overtaken by sadness. When she discovers Libby's cockamamie plan to enlist, Josephine begs her sister not to be so foolhardy. When Libby refuses to back down, Josephine does the only thing she can to protect her—she enlists, too.
Rechristened Thomas and Joseph Holden, the women join a big, bloody war that will rock them to their cores in ways they could never have predicted. Tormented nightly by her husband's angry ghost, Libby slowly descends into madness. Struck by Cupid's arrow, Josephine is going crazy in a different way. Desperate to keep their identities both concealed and intact, the sisters struggle to remain sane in a world gone utterly mad.
I find the subject of women disguising themselves as men to serve in the Civil War endlessly fascinating. These based-on-a-true-story accounts showcase the courage and devotion that drove real women to join the cause, whether it was in an effort to stay close to a loved one, earn money for their families, or simply to prove themselves in a time when they were limited by the constraints of being a "lady". Sisters of Shiloh, penned by sisters Kathy and Becky Hepinstall, is an interesting depiction of what two Southern women may have experienced while serving as Confederate soldiers. Although the characters are not well developed, the sisters are both sympathetic story people. Their tale is one of survival; as such, it's episodic, meandering, and even a little dull at times. Despite this, a plodding pace, and some overdone prose, though, I liked Sisters of Shiloh well enough to finish it.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe and Women of the Blue and Gray by Marianne Monson)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Sisters of Shiloh with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
3 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
Audiobook: The Mango Tree2 hours ago
-
FO Friday: SaltPixie Studio Rolags2 hours ago
-
-
Book Blogger Hop – TV or Book3 hours ago
-
The Lady of Larkspur Vale7 hours ago
-
Need a laugh?8 hours ago
-
-
Long Time Dead by T M Payne9 hours ago
-
First Lines Fridays: April 26, 202412 hours ago
-
Daily Prompt 25 April Thursday14 hours ago
-
-
A Heart Full of Headstones - Ian Rankin18 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Final Cut by Marjorie McCown2 days ago
-
-
-
-
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth3 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Sunday Post6 days ago
-
Reading as a retreat from reality1 week ago
-
Reading Recap March 20242 weeks ago
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up3 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?6 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra10 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ▼ 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
I agree that this is a fascinating topic, especially because I cannot fathom doing it myself. I love that the story is based on real people, it's just too bad the author didn't develop the characters enough.
ReplyDeleteThe women in this novel weren't based on anyone specifically -- they were just inspired by the real women who fought in the Civil War disguised as men. And, yeah, I wish the characters had been better developed.
DeleteI do like the premise, but a plodding pace and overdone prose? I'm not sure I'd make it through this one.
ReplyDelete