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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I mostly liked the book because of the true story behind the fiction. I'm not too sure about the characters as portrayed in the book.
Too short, but I loved it. The characters were filled out nicely, but I wish I was able to know more before and after this book. It did urge me me to research this cemetery further. Good for history Buffs.
This story centers on Carrie McGavock, a woman whose home is taken over as a hospital for Confederate soldiers after the battle of Franklin. Carrie is portrayed in this novel as quite grim, fairly selfish, and taken to fits of violence, it seems. I think this characterization does a disservice to the real Carrie McGavock, and I would have preferred to just read a nonfiction book about her. I could attribute my dislike for this novel to this or several other factors. For one, I've rarely been a huge fan of novels or nonfiction books set during war time. I picked this one up because it's set in Franklin, TN, and as a native Tennessean, I've been through there before. However, the setting wasn't much of a factor, other than being the place where the real-life story behind this novel took place. The romance in this book was super weird and felt forced. And, it's told from a white, Confederate/indifferent perspective, with the only Black voice in the book being somewhat of the "loyal slave" archetype. The novel seemed to be really pushing the futility and meaningless of war, portraying both sides as the same, and I just couldn't sit with that. I can still say I'm happy I finally read this, as it was the oldest book on my to-read shelf, added in 2010!!
This just didn't hold my interest. I guess I could understand why Carrie and Zachariah were fascinated by each other, but I didn't believe their love. Blah.
This book takes a while to get into, but it's got quite a story. Because of the way the chapters are set up, it takes a looooong time to get to know Carrie McGavock, but it's worth it.
With beautiful character development and a war story that doesn't quite take the stereotypical war story path, this novel packs a subtle punch that doesn't quite hit you until the very end.
With beautiful character development and a war story that doesn't quite take the stereotypical war story path, this novel packs a subtle punch that doesn't quite hit you until the very end.
Very good read and I learned a lot about of the history of Franklin as well. Can't wait to tour the plantation next year.
Very enjoyable. Headed to Carnton in a couple weeks with my book club friends. Can't wait to see what I have been reading about.
I am glad I finally got around to reading this book, which I picked up almost 2 years ago. It is a great novel of the civil war, honest in the horror and brutality of the war itself, but where this book shines is in the depiction of the effects of the war on an entire town, not just a couple of characters.
There could have been a little less navel-gazing going on between Carrie and Zachariah, and I would have liked John's and Mariah's characters to have been a little more full. Carrie's journey out of her grief might have been a bit belabored, but overall it was a satisfying look at the entire period.
There could have been a little less navel-gazing going on between Carrie and Zachariah, and I would have liked John's and Mariah's characters to have been a little more full. Carrie's journey out of her grief might have been a bit belabored, but overall it was a satisfying look at the entire period.
I was so excited to read this book (being a history nerd and all), and was sorely disappointed. I disliked the majority of the characters, thought the "love story" was totally inconceivable, and the writing seemed off throughout the book (started off with chapters in many points of view which randomly stopped even when characters lived; the voice of characters changed constantly; random plot lines were started and dropped; etc.). I'm giving this book one star because I appreciated the overall concept of the book (even if it took 300 pages to get to), how Carrie created a cemetery for the Battle of Franklin.