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tracey_stewart's review against another edition
3.0
I've been a lukewarm fan of the author's Sebastian St. Cyr books for a while now, neither avoiding them nor actively seeking them out, and thought this would be a safe bet, especially with an American Civil War setting.
It was safe, in that it was – as expected – solidly written, with good, well-rounded characters and a deep setting written knowledgeably. Dialogue was natural and believable. But in the end I enjoyed it rather less than the St. Cyr books. It's first person POV thirteen-year-old Amrie, and there were times I just wasn't comfortable with some of the things she comes out with – would she really know that a certain Union general I've never heard of was unpopular with his men?
Near the beginning of the book it comes out that there is a woman in the area who must be a spy, a traitor to the South – and there's suspicion wafting about that she might be Amrie's mother. It's a strange mystery that surfaces and submerges throughout the book until it kind of gets forgotten about. It starts out being one of the most important things in the girl's life – who is it? Could it be her mother? – and then … it stops.
‘Damn this war. Damn Abraham Lincoln and every hotheaded Southerner who pushed for secession and every sanctimonious Northern abolitionist who ever thought that one sin justifies another. Damn them, damn them, damn them.’
I'm almost embarrassed to admit how painful I found the frequent disparagement of Union soldiers, and even more that of Abraham Lincoln. Oh, and Grant and Sherman owned slaves. (Prove it.) Objectively, I get it. There's the wider lens, through which of course anyone in the Confederate States would never have a positive word for Lincoln, and of course their direct experience of the occupying army would be far stronger than any stories of atrocities by the Confederate Army. (And as to those atrocities, I really only need to say two words: "Forrest", and "Andersonville".) But it caused a knee-jerk belligerent reaction every time – "Oh yeah? Come over here and say that"… Know what? The South started it. The South lost. Lincoln did what he had to to preserve as much as he could. I'd drop a microphone if I had it.
I am unendingly tired of people – real or fictional – who are diametrically opposed to a cause and yet lend it their skills. Both of Amrie's parents are adamantly anti-slavery. Amrie says of her mother "nothing riled her more than slavery and war".So do they work to improve slaves' lots in life? Do they abandon the South and go North to work with and fight for the Union, and make some effort to change the attitudes of the abolitionists who apparently had the right idea and the wrong execution? Nope. For obvious reasons, the unrelenting horrors faced by Amrie and her family reminded me of Gone With the Wind, except with no apology for the "peculiar institution", no sympathy, which was good. Even better, there's a sort of an anti-Ashley among the characters; I hated Ashley. Reading another book set in the Reconstruction South, I made a note that when the Doctor asks me when and where I want to go in the TARDIS, I will possibly say "anywhere but then and there." I suppose, depending on how you look at it, war can bring out the best in some people – but in all the rest it exposes nothing but bad. It's hard to read.
What makes it even a little harder to read, and one of the biggest reasons I just could not like this book, was the author's habit of ending nearly every single section – whether chapter or section broken out by skipped lines, or occasionally just paragraphs – with a weighty pronouncement, a one-sentence summation of the events just described or, more often, a single sentence of foreshadowing. "But God had other ideas." "But I was about to learn that bargains don’t work any better than prayers." And so on. And on. AND on. They were everywhere. It got to be somewhere between funny and one-more-and-I'll-scream. This sort of thing is like salt – some is good. More is not better.
I have to say I hated the end. Which will get spoiler-y, so continue reading thus warned in five …
Four…
Three…
Two…
One.
Last warning.
Still here? Here's the spoiler.
In the very last pages, Amrie's father comes home, apparently safe and sound. His family rushes to greet him. The End. And it bothered me, deeply – because there is no way he's safe and sound. He has gone through hell, was if I recall correctly wounded and captured, and is coming back to a place that has been gutted. His home is all but gone; his neighbors have been decimated, or worse; most of his possessions are gone; his wife and daughter are not remotely the same woman and child he left behind. So, yes, it's lovely that they all survived. But that's not the end. And what comes after may in some ways be worse than what has gone before. The book had to end somewhere – but I felt like this was a terrible place to drop the story.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
It was safe, in that it was – as expected – solidly written, with good, well-rounded characters and a deep setting written knowledgeably. Dialogue was natural and believable. But in the end I enjoyed it rather less than the St. Cyr books. It's first person POV thirteen-year-old Amrie, and there were times I just wasn't comfortable with some of the things she comes out with – would she really know that a certain Union general I've never heard of was unpopular with his men?
Near the beginning of the book it comes out that there is a woman in the area who must be a spy, a traitor to the South – and there's suspicion wafting about that she might be Amrie's mother. It's a strange mystery that surfaces and submerges throughout the book until it kind of gets forgotten about. It starts out being one of the most important things in the girl's life – who is it? Could it be her mother? – and then … it stops.
‘Damn this war. Damn Abraham Lincoln and every hotheaded Southerner who pushed for secession and every sanctimonious Northern abolitionist who ever thought that one sin justifies another. Damn them, damn them, damn them.’
I'm almost embarrassed to admit how painful I found the frequent disparagement of Union soldiers, and even more that of Abraham Lincoln. Oh, and Grant and Sherman owned slaves. (Prove it.) Objectively, I get it. There's the wider lens, through which of course anyone in the Confederate States would never have a positive word for Lincoln, and of course their direct experience of the occupying army would be far stronger than any stories of atrocities by the Confederate Army. (And as to those atrocities, I really only need to say two words: "Forrest", and "Andersonville".) But it caused a knee-jerk belligerent reaction every time – "Oh yeah? Come over here and say that"… Know what? The South started it. The South lost. Lincoln did what he had to to preserve as much as he could. I'd drop a microphone if I had it.
I am unendingly tired of people – real or fictional – who are diametrically opposed to a cause and yet lend it their skills. Both of Amrie's parents are adamantly anti-slavery. Amrie says of her mother "nothing riled her more than slavery and war".So do they work to improve slaves' lots in life? Do they abandon the South and go North to work with and fight for the Union, and make some effort to change the attitudes of the abolitionists who apparently had the right idea and the wrong execution? Nope. For obvious reasons, the unrelenting horrors faced by Amrie and her family reminded me of Gone With the Wind, except with no apology for the "peculiar institution", no sympathy, which was good. Even better, there's a sort of an anti-Ashley among the characters; I hated Ashley. Reading another book set in the Reconstruction South, I made a note that when the Doctor asks me when and where I want to go in the TARDIS, I will possibly say "anywhere but then and there." I suppose, depending on how you look at it, war can bring out the best in some people – but in all the rest it exposes nothing but bad. It's hard to read.
What makes it even a little harder to read, and one of the biggest reasons I just could not like this book, was the author's habit of ending nearly every single section – whether chapter or section broken out by skipped lines, or occasionally just paragraphs – with a weighty pronouncement, a one-sentence summation of the events just described or, more often, a single sentence of foreshadowing. "But God had other ideas." "But I was about to learn that bargains don’t work any better than prayers." And so on. And on. AND on. They were everywhere. It got to be somewhere between funny and one-more-and-I'll-scream. This sort of thing is like salt – some is good. More is not better.
I have to say I hated the end. Which will get spoiler-y, so continue reading thus warned in five …
Four…
Three…
Two…
One.
Last warning.
Still here? Here's the spoiler.
In the very last pages, Amrie's father comes home, apparently safe and sound. His family rushes to greet him. The End. And it bothered me, deeply – because there is no way he's safe and sound. He has gone through hell, was if I recall correctly wounded and captured, and is coming back to a place that has been gutted. His home is all but gone; his neighbors have been decimated, or worse; most of his possessions are gone; his wife and daughter are not remotely the same woman and child he left behind. So, yes, it's lovely that they all survived. But that's not the end. And what comes after may in some ways be worse than what has gone before. The book had to end somewhere – but I felt like this was a terrible place to drop the story.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
sigrros's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
terrim21's review
3.0
Could have given this book 4 stars but for the pronouncements at the end of almost every chapter, along the lines of "I wouldn't know until later how important this was," or, "God had other plans." This was done too frequently, and I anticipated a final chapter, some number of years after the events of the book, to reveal how Amrie reflected on her Civil War experience and what it had meant.
taisie22's review against another edition
5.0
Good Time Coming by C.S. Harris is the story of Anne Marie, or Amrie, who lives in St. Francisville, Louisiana on the Mississippi. She is ten years old when the Civil War starts and by the second year of the war, she and her family and friends are directly impacted when the Federals take New Orleans and start moving up the river to Vicksburg. Her parents are mistrusted by their neighbors because they freed all their slaves before the war even started. Her father is a surgeon stationed in Virginia with the Confederate Army and her mother has taken over his work in treating his patients left in their small community.
Things get progressively worse for the town as the Federals periodically shell the town or raid it, burning and looting homes, raping women, and impressing both free men and slaves. Amrie observes this with growing anger and fear. Meanwhile, people are killed, disappear, and are forever changed by the depredations of this war.
I've read all Ms. Harris' St Cyr Regency mysteries and enjoyed them very much. This book is much different in tone, but the author has successfully presented some issues in the Civil War that is often glossed over in our history books. Aside from Sherman's march to the sea and Gone with the Wind, there have not been many stories told of the women and children left behind and what they really went through. The author researched this story for several years, reading journals, diaries, letters, and other original documents to tell this story. While historical fiction, much of the book is based on real events.
This is an important read for history buffs and indeed, for any who want some background on tensions that still exist to this day between sections of our country. I heartily recommend this book.
Things get progressively worse for the town as the Federals periodically shell the town or raid it, burning and looting homes, raping women, and impressing both free men and slaves. Amrie observes this with growing anger and fear. Meanwhile, people are killed, disappear, and are forever changed by the depredations of this war.
I've read all Ms. Harris' St Cyr Regency mysteries and enjoyed them very much. This book is much different in tone, but the author has successfully presented some issues in the Civil War that is often glossed over in our history books. Aside from Sherman's march to the sea and Gone with the Wind, there have not been many stories told of the women and children left behind and what they really went through. The author researched this story for several years, reading journals, diaries, letters, and other original documents to tell this story. While historical fiction, much of the book is based on real events.
This is an important read for history buffs and indeed, for any who want some background on tensions that still exist to this day between sections of our country. I heartily recommend this book.
leener33's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give it a 3.5. I appreciated the unique perspective of the Civil War (women who were left behind in the Confederate South), but the book just took too long to gain momentum. Getting to the halfway point was more an act of determination than interest, but then things got more compelling.
suzze's review against another edition
4.0
A well-researched historical novel, showing the story of both rich & poor, white & black, young & old women in the South persevering through the hardships and cruelty of the Civil War after all the men go off to fight.
tmelting3's review against another edition
4.0
I love C. S. Harris. Great writing, great historical details but this book was a rough, sad topic. Good ending though.
jessreadthis's review against another edition
4.0
This was another outstanding read by C.S. Harris. I have been a fan of the Sebastrian St. Cyr series and was eager to see her work on a different genre, time, and place. She does not disappoint!
My Reactions:
-I found the story to be a slow start initially. I was beginning to feel disappointed because I loved her other books. However, once the story picked up it became apparent to me why the start was slow. Harris was crafting her characters and building them to point where the reader already comes to care for them and their plight from the start. By the end of the book I was completely emotionally invested in Amrie, her mother, and even Grandma Adelaide.
-The atrocities committed by the soldiers during the Civil War were horrific. Harris aptly describes it as scenes right from the dark Middle Ages of raping, pillaging, burning. Each side was claiming to be on the right side of God. Amrie draws the conclusion that God simply doesn't care about any of them towards the end, the loss has been so great.
-I was struck by the strength of people living during the Civil War. When a tragedy strikes now, we have social media, cell phones, internet pages where the survivors post their status so their loved ones don't have to fret. Amrie receives a two month old letter from her father and brings them so much joy to receive word of his survival. The incredible toll of not knowing or rumors of the army wins/losses take a toll on the people, yet they soldier on. I am left feeling so fortunate and also so weak at the same time.
-I didn't realize fully the implications of what rape signified to the South. Harris explains it and also shows the reader the implication of how much history was covered up due to the fortitude of the women deciding they would not bring shame to their fathers, husbands, brothers, and South by admitting what happened to them. It is so awful, so moving, and so sad at the same time. These women were treated abominably and no one will ever know.
-Harris proves that she can write in any time period in multiple voices incredibly well.
Premise:
The Civil War is in its early stages. Amrie and her mother are left on the farm near St Francisville, Louisiana. It is a small river town that is soon besieged with Federal soldiers as they weave a path of destruction down the Mississippi River. Her father is a doctor and serving in the Confederate Army. Her mother should have been a doctor, if it was allowed, and instead serves the community in the capacity that a country doctor would do. Amrie begins her story telling us how the Federals come and it is through a child's eyes. A Federal officer initially steals her treasured gold cross necklace at her first encounter with them. By the end of the book, the Federals have stolen so much more.
There is a traitor in the area sending information to the Federal soldiers and suspicion is cast on Amrie's mother due to her activities and act of freeing her slaves prior to the war. When two Federal soldiers arrive on the farm and begin to ravage not only the buildings... the women are tested on survival and much more.
I highly recommend this book. My many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for graciously allowing me to read this book in exchange for my review.
My Reactions:
-I found the story to be a slow start initially. I was beginning to feel disappointed because I loved her other books. However, once the story picked up it became apparent to me why the start was slow. Harris was crafting her characters and building them to point where the reader already comes to care for them and their plight from the start. By the end of the book I was completely emotionally invested in Amrie, her mother, and even Grandma Adelaide.
-The atrocities committed by the soldiers during the Civil War were horrific. Harris aptly describes it as scenes right from the dark Middle Ages of raping, pillaging, burning. Each side was claiming to be on the right side of God. Amrie draws the conclusion that God simply doesn't care about any of them towards the end, the loss has been so great.
-I was struck by the strength of people living during the Civil War. When a tragedy strikes now, we have social media, cell phones, internet pages where the survivors post their status so their loved ones don't have to fret. Amrie receives a two month old letter from her father and brings them so much joy to receive word of his survival. The incredible toll of not knowing or rumors of the army wins/losses take a toll on the people, yet they soldier on. I am left feeling so fortunate and also so weak at the same time.
-I didn't realize fully the implications of what rape signified to the South. Harris explains it and also shows the reader the implication of how much history was covered up due to the fortitude of the women deciding they would not bring shame to their fathers, husbands, brothers, and South by admitting what happened to them. It is so awful, so moving, and so sad at the same time. These women were treated abominably and no one will ever know.
-Harris proves that she can write in any time period in multiple voices incredibly well.
Premise:
The Civil War is in its early stages. Amrie and her mother are left on the farm near St Francisville, Louisiana. It is a small river town that is soon besieged with Federal soldiers as they weave a path of destruction down the Mississippi River. Her father is a doctor and serving in the Confederate Army. Her mother should have been a doctor, if it was allowed, and instead serves the community in the capacity that a country doctor would do. Amrie begins her story telling us how the Federals come and it is through a child's eyes. A Federal officer initially steals her treasured gold cross necklace at her first encounter with them. By the end of the book, the Federals have stolen so much more.
There is a traitor in the area sending information to the Federal soldiers and suspicion is cast on Amrie's mother due to her activities and act of freeing her slaves prior to the war. When two Federal soldiers arrive on the farm and begin to ravage not only the buildings... the women are tested on survival and much more.
I highly recommend this book. My many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for graciously allowing me to read this book in exchange for my review.
jodiemolzahnbrunner's review against another edition
5.0
An interesting novel set in Louisiana during the Civil War from the perspective of an adolescent girl.