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A review by pattydsf
Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles
3.0
I picked this book for my book group without having read it. This is always dangerous, because so much can go wrong. However, the reviews looked good and I got the title from one of Nancy Pearl's bibliographies. I just thought that our group needed to read a book about the Civil War.
One of the book club's rules is that the books we read have to be written by women. I did not want to read Gone with the Wind again. I am afraid I did not know of many books about the Civil War by women writers.
It turns out that this was a great choice for our group. I got to learn about the Civil War in Missouri which was fascinating. Other members got what they wanted: adventure, romance, wonderful writing and a good discussion.
It is obvious that Jiles was a poet before turning to novels. Her writing is beautiful, even when describing the horrors of war. Many of the episodes in this book are hard to read, but Jiles' descriptions made me pause and go reread. I suspect the audiobook is excellent.
If you are like me and think that the Midwest was immune from the Civil War, pick this up. You will learn a lot. If you are interested in "The War" as it is referred to in Virginia, you may also find that Jiles tells you about aspects that are not common knowledge. Or you could just read this for the heroine who got the book she deserved.
One of the book club's rules is that the books we read have to be written by women. I did not want to read Gone with the Wind again. I am afraid I did not know of many books about the Civil War by women writers.
It turns out that this was a great choice for our group. I got to learn about the Civil War in Missouri which was fascinating. Other members got what they wanted: adventure, romance, wonderful writing and a good discussion.
It is obvious that Jiles was a poet before turning to novels. Her writing is beautiful, even when describing the horrors of war. Many of the episodes in this book are hard to read, but Jiles' descriptions made me pause and go reread. I suspect the audiobook is excellent.
If you are like me and think that the Midwest was immune from the Civil War, pick this up. You will learn a lot. If you are interested in "The War" as it is referred to in Virginia, you may also find that Jiles tells you about aspects that are not common knowledge. Or you could just read this for the heroine who got the book she deserved.