Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Bethany House Publishers (2002), 432 pages
Original publication date
2002-10-18
Description
Fiction. Christian Fiction. Historical Fiction. In this Christy-award-winning novel, now beautifully repackaged, a timid southern belle must find her voice�??and her courage�??when she joins the Abolitionist
Subjects
Awards
Christy Awards (Nominee — 2003)
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1556614365 / 9781556614361
User reviews
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
As I write this by candlelight, Union troops have my beloved city of Richmond under siege. The hall clock tells me that it is well past midnight, but I am unable to sleep. I no longer know what tomorrow will bring, nor do I know when my arrest will come--but I'm now quite certain that it will come.
I was moved to tears at several points in the book, yet I couldn't shake the impression that the characters weren't realistic. They seem more the product of wishful thinking than drawn from history. Caroline was too good to be true. Her thoughts and actions seem to reflect how we would all like to think we would have felt and acted had we lived in that era. The moral issues Caroline faced were clear-cut when they should have been ambiguous. Like a lot of Christian fiction, it appeals to the emotions rather than to the mind. It was engrossing while I read it, but I don't think it will leave a lasting impression.
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In order to explain her actions during the war, Caroline Fletcher, the abolitionist daughter of a Richmond slave owner, reflects on the years preceding the war and the events and people who influenced the development of her abolitionist convictions.I was moved to tears at several points in the book, yet I couldn't shake the impression that the characters weren't realistic. They seem more the product of wishful thinking than drawn from history. Caroline was too good to be true. Her thoughts and actions seem to reflect how we would all like to think we would have felt and acted had we lived in that era. The moral issues Caroline faced were clear-cut when they should have been ambiguous. Like a lot of Christian fiction, it appeals to the emotions rather than to the mind. It was engrossing while I read it, but I don't think it will leave a lasting impression.
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LibraryThing member scarpettajunkie
This book starts in Virgina in 1853 and ends shortly after the Civil War concludes. It is the story of Caroline Fletcher and how she experiences slavery and how it impacts her life. She is facing prison or exile for aiding the Union army during the Civil War.
Caroline has some tough choices to
This book also gives insight as to how slaves deal with being owned and not in control of their own lives.
One of the neat things about this story is that it is as if we are reading it from the wallpaper in her father's mansion that she has used as regular paper has become to dear.
Because of the way this book will make you feel you are right in the middle of the Civil war with all its heartache and even celebration this book gets all its stars. It is well worth reading and will easily be remembered long after it is home on the shelf.
Caroline has some tough choices to
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make, and all along her father's slaves give good advice straight from the Bible. We see how the right choice can end up having good consequences and how poor choices end up in heartache.This book also gives insight as to how slaves deal with being owned and not in control of their own lives.
One of the neat things about this story is that it is as if we are reading it from the wallpaper in her father's mansion that she has used as regular paper has become to dear.
Because of the way this book will make you feel you are right in the middle of the Civil war with all its heartache and even celebration this book gets all its stars. It is well worth reading and will easily be remembered long after it is home on the shelf.
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LibraryThing member thomasandmary
Excellent Christian fiction, a powerful story told with very memorable characters. Caroline's abolitionist convictions and love for God were were quite moving. I truly held my breath, living through the drama that Ms Austin created.
LibraryThing member SLamkin
Wondeful and up lifting. I did enjoy reading this book. I feel Lynn Austin really tried to capture the time and essence of the South at the time of the American Civil War.
LibraryThing member wareagle78
This is a Civil War romance, but much more. Caroline grows up in Virginia, but when sent to live in Philadelphia after her mother's death, her tenderness towards her family slaves blooms into abolishonism. When she returns to Richmond shortly before war breaks out, she struggles with how to follow
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God and do His will when her views are so counter to her family and friends. Nicely done, enjoyed the characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member cameling
The Civil War forced some Southerners eventually to analyze what they were fighting for. Were they fighting to retain their right to govern themselves by seceding from the Union, or were they fighting for slavery.
In this faith-themed historical fiction, Caroline, our protagonist has been brought
It wasn't long before Caroline's eyes were open to the horrific conditions that most Southern slaves lived in and the often inhumane treatment of some slave-owners, a contrast to the relative kindness her family showed towards the slaves they owned, save for her long-held refusal to believe in her father's affection for one of their slaves.
But will her convictions be strong enough to lead her to stand up for what she truly believes in? To set in motion that which could betray the South and those she loves who fight for the South, while helping free the slaves? Woven throughout the story is the question of faith... how passages in the Bible were misrepresented or ignored to serve the slave-owners and how a slave who secretly learned to read taught other slaves that God would not abandon them and that if they had faith, they would be freed.
My favorite line in the book .... [Slaves] are not a cause, they are people!
In this faith-themed historical fiction, Caroline, our protagonist has been brought
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up in the lap of luxury, her family's slaves at the ready to do her bidding. When her mother dies, she is sent to Philadephia to live with her aunt and uncle for a couple of years. Her stay in the North brings her into contact with an abolitionist who helps strengthen her own views against slavery. She returns to Richmond, with the intention of persuading Southerners to free their slaves. Her views are, of course, unpopular among even her own relatives, and dangerous when war breaks out and Richmond leaves the Union.It wasn't long before Caroline's eyes were open to the horrific conditions that most Southern slaves lived in and the often inhumane treatment of some slave-owners, a contrast to the relative kindness her family showed towards the slaves they owned, save for her long-held refusal to believe in her father's affection for one of their slaves.
But will her convictions be strong enough to lead her to stand up for what she truly believes in? To set in motion that which could betray the South and those she loves who fight for the South, while helping free the slaves? Woven throughout the story is the question of faith... how passages in the Bible were misrepresented or ignored to serve the slave-owners and how a slave who secretly learned to read taught other slaves that God would not abandon them and that if they had faith, they would be freed.
My favorite line in the book .... [Slaves] are not a cause, they are people!
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LibraryThing member mom2acat
Caroline Fletcher is the daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, and she has been raised to believe that slavery is ordained by God and acceptable. However, an incident involving one of the family's slaves when she is 12 years old causes her to start questioning those
Upon returning home to Richmond, she wants to do her part to see slavery ended, especially for the men and woman who have lovingly cared for her and her family. She is willing to risk her future, even her life, to make things right, but at the same time, her father, cousins, and fiance are all fighting for the Confederacy to preserve their way of life. Caroline is torn between doing what she believes is right, and loyalty to her family.
This was a long story, but well told and very gripping. The last few chapters had me almost holding my breath wondering what would become of Caroline. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy historical fiction from the Civil War era.
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beliefs. When she is sent to Philadelphia for a few years at the age of 16 to stay with her Northern relatives to attend school, she gets caught up in the abolitionists movement, and her eyes are fully opened to the cruelty and injustice of slavery.Upon returning home to Richmond, she wants to do her part to see slavery ended, especially for the men and woman who have lovingly cared for her and her family. She is willing to risk her future, even her life, to make things right, but at the same time, her father, cousins, and fiance are all fighting for the Confederacy to preserve their way of life. Caroline is torn between doing what she believes is right, and loyalty to her family.
This was a long story, but well told and very gripping. The last few chapters had me almost holding my breath wondering what would become of Caroline. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy historical fiction from the Civil War era.
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LibraryThing member angelachuck1
Good historical read
I loved reading this historical fiction. I haven't read many books set in the civil war time period but I really enjoyed this.
I loved reading this historical fiction. I haven't read many books set in the civil war time period but I really enjoyed this.
LibraryThing member DonnaCallea
Enthralling historical fiction. Hard to put down.