Scan barcode
nderiley's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting tale - the intertwining of stories and varying sympathies kept the book fresh for me and the thorough research into the subjects helped make them all relate-able.
noranne's review against another edition
This was a fine book, but I never finished it. Never felt compelled to read more than a bit at a time, and by the time the library loan was up I didn't bother to renew it. Interesting enough but not compelling.
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
2.0
This would have been much more compelling at 200 pages.
dale_kooyenga's review against another edition
3.0
Extremely well researched book and a reminder of the tremendous value women have on, and in support of, the battlefield despite ignorant assumptions to the contrary. The book follows 2 union sympathizers and 2 sympathizers, found myself naturally cheering for the former and cursing the later.
I would have preferred the book to be a bit more concise. The middle of the book was a little work to get through, but never thought of not finishing it off. The final chapters and the epilogue are worth it.
I would have preferred the book to be a bit more concise. The middle of the book was a little work to get through, but never thought of not finishing it off. The final chapters and the epilogue are worth it.
cozmyer's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Racism
swiveller's review against another edition
Don’t care for deadnaming people. Frank had been living as a man long before the Civil War. Wasn’t sympathetic to white southern ladies supporting the war effort, and didn’t want to read about them either.
lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition
I could not get past the deadnaming of Frank, who was born Emma, but living as a man BEFORE the war broke out, and frankly, I don't need to read about Southern white ladies supporting the war, if there is not critical thought analyzing their actions or reasons. I am simply not going to be rooting for them as people or care about what happens to them. There are many other women she could have followed for this story, maybe someone not white? I am sure there were black women who worked as spies and would fit the theme.
As others have mentioned, the book reads a bit too much like fiction, and Abbot seems to just take what the women said/wrote at face value, without any objective authorial analysis. Such a pity, as I have long looked forward to this book. The only plus I will mention is that I didn't have problems with the author switching between the women's stories, as she was following them chronologically (other readers did, so YMMV.). I have not read other Abbot books, but if this is her as a "popular historian" I won't be reading any more.
As others have mentioned, the book reads a bit too much like fiction, and Abbot seems to just take what the women said/wrote at face value, without any objective authorial analysis. Such a pity, as I have long looked forward to this book. The only plus I will mention is that I didn't have problems with the author switching between the women's stories, as she was following them chronologically (other readers did, so YMMV.). I have not read other Abbot books, but if this is her as a "popular historian" I won't be reading any more.
debs4jc's review against another edition
3.0
The stories of four women who were involved in spying or soldiering during the US Civil War are told - in a narrative non-fiction format. The book switches from woman to woman as it follows their stories chronologically. At first this made it a bi hard for me to follow and I would think "now which one is this?" when it switched to someone new. But after a while I got to know them pretty well and had no problems telling them apart. Abbott's style of narrating their actions and words (often direct quotations from journals and diaries) as if she's writing a story instead of dry history made the story very interesting and the women seem like people I could relate to, not far off figures in history. The bravery of keeping secrets and trying to aid "the enemy" while your neighbors are watching your every move really came to life for me. The pathos of having to care for a child while in prison, the desperate circumstances that would cause you to don men's clothing and join the army, and the desire to make your name known by boldly defying the enemy all came across quite vividly.
Parts of the book I read in print, and parts I listened to on audio. The book is quite lengthy, and after an hour or so of reading the print version I would get a bit tired of it. But the audiobook narrator (Karen White) did an remarkable job of dramatizing the dialog and I found it very enjoyable to listen to her performance. Aside from it's length, I found this an intriguing look at the lengths women went to in serving their countries, the cause, or their own ends during a brutal war. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in history, especially from the female point of view.
Parts of the book I read in print, and parts I listened to on audio. The book is quite lengthy, and after an hour or so of reading the print version I would get a bit tired of it. But the audiobook narrator (Karen White) did an remarkable job of dramatizing the dialog and I found it very enjoyable to listen to her performance. Aside from it's length, I found this an intriguing look at the lengths women went to in serving their countries, the cause, or their own ends during a brutal war. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in history, especially from the female point of view.