April 8, 2025
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson
An examination of the five months between Abraham Lincoln's election and the start of the Civil War. I have enjoyed Larson's other books a great deal, but for me, this one didn't measure up to his earlier works. I think the sheer volume of research and the number of characters causes the narrative to bog down. Normally Larson's books are gripping page turners, but I had to work to finish this one.
July 15, 2023
Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke
It's really hard to write a description of this book since there is so much going on. Set in 1863 in the Louisiana bayou country outside New Orleans, on the surface, this is a story about a group of people in the middle of the American Civil War and how they are affected by the war. Wade Lufkin is recuperating from his war wounds at his uncle's plantation; Hannah is one of his uncle's slaves, accused of murdering another plantation owner, but her only goal is to find her son, separated from her at the battle of Shiloh; Pierre is the local sheriff, drawn to a free woman of color named Darla; Darla wants to locate the treasure hidden by the murdered plantation owner so that she can escape to another country; Florence is a New England abolitionist determined to do whatever it takes to free slaves; the colonel is the head of a renegade Confederate unit, interested only in protecting his own people and land.
OMG, this is a fabulous book! This is a stand-alone historical novel by the author of the Dave Robicheaux mystery series. JLB considers it to be the best book he ever wrote and I agree. I read it in two days - my head hurt when I finished because there was so much to think about. Great characters, especially the three women in the story. Wonderful writing, beautiful language - I found myself going back to re-read certain passages because of the beauty of the words. A number of the characters are seeking redemption for past offenses. Although it's set during the American Civil War, the themes are as old as history: good vs. evil, greed, jealousy, revenge, honor, guilt, redemption. There is even some dark humor. Loved the ending. Highly recommended - I will remember this book for a long time - if you are a fan of historical or literary fiction, read this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.
September 12, 2022
In the Houses of Their Dead: the Lincolns, the Booths, and the Spirits by Terry Alford
Two of the most famous families in the 19th century, the Lincolns and the Booths, were both fascinated by spiritualism. Although Abraham Lincoln saw John Wilkes Booth act on a number of occasions, the two men never met personally, although John Wilkes and his brother Edwin both came in contact with Lincoln's sons. Ironically, the two men had much in common: both adored their mothers but had difficult relationships with their fathers; they loved children; they got along well with other men but were uncomfortable with women; they enjoyed poetry and theater, particularly Shakespeare; neither had much formal education and were largely self-educated; and both were ambitious in their chosen professions. For a time, their families even consulted the same medium.
Mary Todd Lincoln had always been drawn to the spirit world and tended to surround herself with like-minded individuals. After the death of her son Willie, she spent most of her time with mediums, spirit photographers, and clairvoyants. Abraham was more skeptical but went along with Mary's visitors, since she could be very difficult to live with. Many who held government posts were firm believers, and Lincoln even helped several spiritualists obtain government jobs. John Wilkes' brother Edwin frequently consulted mediums to contact the spirit of his beloved first wife, Mary Devlin.
Lately I've had a lot of fantasy, sci fi, and dystopian books come in, so I needed something different as a kind of mental sorbet. I decided to try Terry Alford's study of the Lincoln and Booth families' fascination with spiritualism. This was exactly what I needed. I knew something about the practice of spiritualism (mostly that they were all charlatans) but I had no idea that the practice was so widespread. The author discusses how the practitioners carried out their effects and fooled so many people. Very readable and entertaining.
Seances in the 19th century were often a family affair
September 7, 2022
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
George and Isabelle Walker and their son Caleb live a quiet secluded life on the outskirts of Old Ox, Georgia. George has always been an eccentric man: he inherited a large tract of land from his father and he preferred to sell off the land piece by piece rather than work. He spends his time reading and taking long hikes in the forest that he owns. Isabelle loves her husband but has never understood him. Caleb enlisted in the Confederate Army, just like all the other young men in Old Ox. Near the end of the war, Caleb's best friend August brings them word that Caleb has been killed in the war. Following General Lee's surrenders, Old Ox is living under military rule. A short time later, Caleb comes home but by that time, August's father has spread word throughout the town that Caleb is a coward and a deserter. His face is damaged but he is otherwise unharmed. But Caleb and August have a secret - they have been lovers since before the war.
George suddenly decides that rather than sell off more of his land, he will begin to farm peanuts. He hires two former slaves, Prentiss and Landry. His neighbors reset that the two ex-slaves are working for George for wages while so many returning soldiers are unemployed (not that many of them would have worked as farmhands), feeling that it goes against the centuries-old social order. Even though it doesn't affect anyone except the Walkers, all the whites in the community have an opinion. But when Landry stumbles on Caleb and August having a tryst in the forest, disaster follows.
An exceptional book, one of the best books that I've read this year. This title was chosen for Oprah's Book Club, President Obama's reading list and was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. How does a community make peace in the wake of civil war and emancipation? Why do so many people feel it's their place to judge others and decide what's right for them? Until God gives me the administrator's passcode, I'll leave that up to Him/Her/Them.
July 15, 2021
Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
A girl from a wealthy Northern family isn't content to sit home and knit socks for the Union soldiers, so she finagles her way into a nursing program. She finds out that nurses are treated like shit by the doctors and orderlies at the Army hospitals. She ends up starting her own nursing program. Meanwhile, a slave escapes from a brutally cruel owner and winds up hiding out at the rich girl's fmily's house up north. The owner sends a bounty hunter to recapture the slave while the rich family does their best to help.
The story is told from three POV's: the plantation owner, the slave, and the nurse.
Nothing new here - inhumanly cruel plantation owner with absolutely NO redeeming qualities whips and tortures her slaves. Female slave is brutally abused and escapes when she gets the chance. Plantation owner will stop at nothing to find the slave and drag her back to the plantation. Pretty typical depictions of both slave and plantation owner.
The stark descriptions of Army hospitals and the way nurses were treated were more interesting than the rest of the book. This is the third book in the author's Woolsey-Ferriday series, following the women from an actual family. It was WAY too long - at over 500 pages, it needed a good editor to chop out about 200 pages. Not nearly as good as the previous two books.
