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Feb 22, 2019SFBookAddict rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I read this book as I was interested in what life was like for southerners during the Civil War, in particular, women and those who did not fight in the war. I've been very curious to know how that war affected southerners as the majority of battles were fought in the south on their land. This book succeeded in painting a picture of a chapter of that war, however grim, devastating and sad. The author takes the reader on a journey of the Battle of Franklin and its effects on the soldiers and locals. The aftermath of the Battle of Franklin comes to main character Carrie McGavock's home, a battle which had more casualties in 5 hours than in the 19 hours of World War II's D-Day and more than twice as many casualties as at Pearl Harbor. Scenes of her tending to the wounded and dying in her house are haunting. This book took me to that time and place, and the story moved me and was very thought provoking. What I like was reading a woman's perspective of this war, not just a soldier's. The characters' thoughts and reflections about the war and the aftermath are deep and poignant. It made me think about survival, life and death, honoring the dead, moving on after the war, and how the war forever changed the south and its people. Author Robert Hicks did a excellent job in researching the Battle of Franklin and showing the horrors of that war and its lifelong effects. His words flowed on the pages and captured me. I am so glad I found this book. I had never heard of Carrie McGavock and her quest to ensure those who died in the Battle of Franklin had an eternal resting place. Luckily, humanity, compassion and decency were not completely destroyed by the Civil War. If anything, these values prevailed and raised up those who were brought to their knees by this war.