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bibliolindsey's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was an interesting read. It was written barely 30 years after the Civil War, so many soldiers - both Yankee and Rebel - were still alive to read it. The main character is from the mountains of Kentucky, orphaned and destitute until circumstances compel him to strike out on his own as a young boy. His simple honesty and his dog make him friends quickly and build a new family of sorts for himself.
His new life is shattered when the Civil War breaks out. Chad’s loyalties are at odds with his new family. Some homes have brothers on each side of the war. Friends are pitted against each other. Kentucky is all but destroyed by the years of being captured by opposing sides.
I took off a star on the rating simply because the book was more descriptive than captivating in many places. I understand this was the author’s intent and I do not mean to claim he did a bad job. However, as a reader 120+ years later, I did not fully understand the conflicted feelings and emotions surrounding the events because I did not live them and I’m so far removed as to not even have second or third hand knowledge outside of history books. In many places, I wished the author would have more overtly stated the characters’ feelings since I’m lacking the first hand experience to understand the nuance. Knowing his audience was veterans of the war, I can only imagine the nostalgia and emotions this book stirred in the author’s intended audience. My interest has been piqued enough that I do plan to read more books that humanize the war rather than repeat rote facts.
I was unfamiliar with some of the outdated military vocabulary, but even when I chose not to look up words, that did not ruin the story for me and there was enough context to understand what was happening.
Kentucky was a slave state prior to the war and slaves have several storylines. Descriptive words are also used towards and by the slaves which were acceptable at the time, but we now consider slurs. The use of these words is not gratuitous and the reader will recognize the author’s intent. After the war, there is also mention of the slaves who chose to stay with their slaveholders rather than pursue freedom. While I’m learning this is an often overlooked reality at that time, it should be a content warning for those sensitive to slavery situations. In all, slavery is presented as a reality, not glorified nor strongly condemned.
His new life is shattered when the Civil War breaks out. Chad’s loyalties are at odds with his new family. Some homes have brothers on each side of the war. Friends are pitted against each other. Kentucky is all but destroyed by the years of being captured by opposing sides.
I took off a star on the rating simply because the book was more descriptive than captivating in many places. I understand this was the author’s intent and I do not mean to claim he did a bad job. However, as a reader 120+ years later, I did not fully understand the conflicted feelings and emotions surrounding the events because I did not live them and I’m so far removed as to not even have second or third hand knowledge outside of history books. In many places, I wished the author would have more overtly stated the characters’ feelings since I’m lacking the first hand experience to understand the nuance. Knowing his audience was veterans of the war, I can only imagine the nostalgia and emotions this book stirred in the author’s intended audience. My interest has been piqued enough that I do plan to read more books that humanize the war rather than repeat rote facts.
I was unfamiliar with some of the outdated military vocabulary, but even when I chose not to look up words, that did not ruin the story for me and there was enough context to understand what was happening.
Kentucky was a slave state prior to the war and slaves have several storylines. Descriptive words are also used towards and by the slaves which were acceptable at the time, but we now consider slurs. The use of these words is not gratuitous and the reader will recognize the author’s intent. After the war, there is also mention of the slaves who chose to stay with their slaveholders rather than pursue freedom. While I’m learning this is an often overlooked reality at that time, it should be a content warning for those sensitive to slavery situations. In all, slavery is presented as a reality, not glorified nor strongly condemned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Violence
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