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qjbrown96's review
3.0
I thought the soap opera drama of this book was very interesting and a lot of the historical facts and I believe gathers the tension in the country before the war but this book is so one sided. It pushes the narrative of “Good Guys North wants to end slavery and Bad Guys South want slavery and want the North out of their business and are willing to fight to make it happen.” The Civil War and the reasons people fought was so much more complex than just about slavery. That being said this book was entertaining enough with the fictional characters to make me want to read book 2, hopefully the rhetoric of the next book will be more bipartisan.
halynah's review
5.0
Monumental, epic book, but requires a patient reader. A real treasure for fans of historical fiction!
dana_w71's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
ella1801's review
2.0
Not great-- soap opera and badly written women, gross sex descriptions and predictable for even the casual historian. Still. There is merit in the entertainment. Guess I'll read the rest of the trilogy...
bethsponz's review
5.0
This novel takes places before the Civil War, and ends right when it begins. There are 2 more in this series. Like all American south books centered on abolition, slavery, plantations, this one really encompasses all that and the building tensions of the upcoming war. It follows two families, one from the south and one from the north thru about 20 years. Their lives are connected through many obstacles, romances, friendships, rivals, ...A big read, but really well written and researched.
freckleduck's review
2.0
I found this book to be interesting, but I felt that it was almost repetitive in plot lines. Additionally it did not feel succinct or as though it would work as a stand alone novel, I found it to be dull at times and although there were moments of drama and suspense I did not love this book and was glad when it ended.
jhallresults's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
lawren83's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
carlacbarroso's review against another edition
3.0
I learned about this book, and the other two that compose this series, by chance. I was watching TV when I came across its adaptation, which my parents remembered of seeing it and, tried to portray the American Civil War. Since I know little about it, I thought it would be interesting reading it.
The story of this volume revolves around the years before the civil war, giving the reader a chance to know two families, the Hazards and the Mains, which came from two distinct backgrounds. The first family is from the north, with their wealth based on industrialization and the work of emigrants, while the other comes from the south, having their wealth based on agriculture and slave work. In a period in which social tension is huge, due to the discussion of abolitionism of slavery work, the friendship between these two families is tested.
It's an interesting book, for those who like History, since it tries to show both sides of the question, from the moderate to the radical point of view, which allows the reader to listen to the arguments, even if he doesn't agree with the ideas or actions of some characters. However, the discussion of these subjects becomes somewhat repetitive and tires on a book of this size. The characters, in my opinion, could have more depth to them, but their characterization is enough to let us know the different sections of the movements.
I was hoping for a bit more but it's clear it wasn't thought to be a stand alone, which leads me to hope for a better work on some of the characters.
Since I spoke of the seres, I would recommend it over the book. Of course it isn't a 100% truthful to the book, but it shows in a nice manner the most important bits of the book. A nice option for those who are curious but don't have patience to read it or access to the books, which might happen if you are in Portugal like me.
The story of this volume revolves around the years before the civil war, giving the reader a chance to know two families, the Hazards and the Mains, which came from two distinct backgrounds. The first family is from the north, with their wealth based on industrialization and the work of emigrants, while the other comes from the south, having their wealth based on agriculture and slave work. In a period in which social tension is huge, due to the discussion of abolitionism of slavery work, the friendship between these two families is tested.
It's an interesting book, for those who like History, since it tries to show both sides of the question, from the moderate to the radical point of view, which allows the reader to listen to the arguments, even if he doesn't agree with the ideas or actions of some characters. However, the discussion of these subjects becomes somewhat repetitive and tires on a book of this size. The characters, in my opinion, could have more depth to them, but their characterization is enough to let us know the different sections of the movements.
I was hoping for a bit more but it's clear it wasn't thought to be a stand alone, which leads me to hope for a better work on some of the characters.
Since I spoke of the seres, I would recommend it over the book. Of course it isn't a 100% truthful to the book, but it shows in a nice manner the most important bits of the book. A nice option for those who are curious but don't have patience to read it or access to the books, which might happen if you are in Portugal like me.