Publication
Thorndike, Maine : Center Point Large Print, 2015.
Collection
Call number
Large Print Fiction G
Physical description
528 p.; 23 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
"The farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is confiscated and converted into a Confederate field hospital, bringing Liberty face-to-face with unspeakable suffering. In the wake of shattered homes and broken bodies, Liberty and Bella, her hired help and a former slave, struggle to pick up the fragments the battle has left behind"--
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
The Widow of Gettysburg is historical fiction at its best. Jocelyn Green manages to bring the reader right into the action in this novel set just prior to the battle of Gettysburg through the horrific battle and into the days following the battle that changed the course of the war and the civilians
Liberty Holloway is a young woman who never felt she was worth anything. Those feelings were instilled in her from a young age by the aunt who raised her. Now widowed and without family of any kind and faced with an imminent battle and difficult choice, Liberty must decide just who she is — a woman with her own convictions and passions or the iconic figure dubbed by the townspeople as the Widow of Gettysburg.
The Widow of Gettysburg‘s core strength is its characterization. Green manages to make all of the characters — Liberty, former slave Bella, Confederate conscript Silas and reporter Harrison Caldwell — real in their motivations, fears, and hopes and dreams. I became very invested in each of their stores. The real women of Gettysburg are also integral to this story. As stated on page 113, “The women the men had been fighting to protect were the ones picking up the pieces in the aftermath of battle.” Green also brings to life the horrors of battle, especially the aftermath of critically injured soldiers. Much of the novel is set in Liberty’s home which quickly becomes a field hospital for the Rebels. The amputation scenes are very real, but never feel overly graphic. The overarching themes of freedom and truth of who one is in God are naturally presented. The spiritual truths speak without being preachy in any way.
If you enjoy historical fiction and want a novel that is well-writen and authentic in its portrayal of events, then pick up The Widow of Gettysburg. Great companion reading for Killer Angels.
Highly Recommended.
(Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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and the military that lived through it. The first person accounts by women of the town of Gettysburg (many of the letters and diary entries introduce chapters) give the novel authenticity. Although it is the second book in a series set during the American Civil War, it is easily read as a standalone novel.Liberty Holloway is a young woman who never felt she was worth anything. Those feelings were instilled in her from a young age by the aunt who raised her. Now widowed and without family of any kind and faced with an imminent battle and difficult choice, Liberty must decide just who she is — a woman with her own convictions and passions or the iconic figure dubbed by the townspeople as the Widow of Gettysburg.
The Widow of Gettysburg‘s core strength is its characterization. Green manages to make all of the characters — Liberty, former slave Bella, Confederate conscript Silas and reporter Harrison Caldwell — real in their motivations, fears, and hopes and dreams. I became very invested in each of their stores. The real women of Gettysburg are also integral to this story. As stated on page 113, “The women the men had been fighting to protect were the ones picking up the pieces in the aftermath of battle.” Green also brings to life the horrors of battle, especially the aftermath of critically injured soldiers. Much of the novel is set in Liberty’s home which quickly becomes a field hospital for the Rebels. The amputation scenes are very real, but never feel overly graphic. The overarching themes of freedom and truth of who one is in God are naturally presented. The spiritual truths speak without being preachy in any way.
If you enjoy historical fiction and want a novel that is well-writen and authentic in its portrayal of events, then pick up The Widow of Gettysburg. Great companion reading for Killer Angels.
Highly Recommended.
(Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
This book was so much better than the first novel! When I wrote my review for "Wedded to War", I said that the storyline was disrupted with too much factual detail but, at the same time, there wasn't enough passages about Charlotte's nursing endeavours. The opposite could be said about "Widow of
Although, just as well researched, the plot flowed from page one and I was invested in Lottie's circumstances from the start. When her farm was turned into a makeshift Confederate field hospital after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lottie was definitely thrown in the deep-end as the reader followed her journey as she struggled to help the hundreds of wounded enemy soldiers that were in her house. The conditions that she, the doctors and the soldiers faced were horrifying. Through Lottie's eyes the reader witnesses the devastation of dwindling medical supplies and food, the fatigue, the heat and the cold, the mud, the putrid smells and the rising death toll in the aftermath of war.
Full of interesting characters, a strong plot and seeped in historical detail, "Widow of Gettysburg" was a compelling read.
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Gettysburg".Although, just as well researched, the plot flowed from page one and I was invested in Lottie's circumstances from the start. When her farm was turned into a makeshift Confederate field hospital after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lottie was definitely thrown in the deep-end as the reader followed her journey as she struggled to help the hundreds of wounded enemy soldiers that were in her house. The conditions that she, the doctors and the soldiers faced were horrifying. Through Lottie's eyes the reader witnesses the devastation of dwindling medical supplies and food, the fatigue, the heat and the cold, the mud, the putrid smells and the rising death toll in the aftermath of war.
Full of interesting characters, a strong plot and seeped in historical detail, "Widow of Gettysburg" was a compelling read.
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Awards
Military Writers Society of America Medal (Finalist — Historical Fiction — Silver Medal — 2014)
Language
ISBN
9781628996883