Search - The Widow of the South

The Widow of the South
Larger
The Widow of the South
Author: Robert Hicks

Book Information
Publisher: Warner Books
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780446697439 - ISBN-10: 0446697435
Publication Date: 9/26/2006
Pages: 448

Book Description:
In 1894 Carrie McGavock is an old woman, an old woman who has only her former slave to keep her companyalong with the almost 1,500 soldiers buried in her backyard. Years ago, rather than let someone plow over the field where these young men had been buried, Carrie dug them up and buried them in her own personal cemetery. Now, as she walks the rows of the dead, an old soldier appears. It is the man she met that day of the battle that changed everything. The man who came to her house as a wounded soldier and left with her heart. He asks if the cemetery has room for one more. Flash back 30 years to the morning of the Battle of Franklin, a battle that was the bloodiest five hours of the Civil War, with 9,200 casualties that fateful day. Carries home Carnton Plantation was taken over by the Confederate army and turned into a hospital; four generals died on her porch, and the pile of amputated limbs reached the second story window. And one soldier came to her house and reawakened in Carrie feelings she thought long dead. Zacharaiah Cashwell was a 32-year-old soldier who had lived a hardscrabble life. When Cashwell, wounded, was brought to her home, Carrie found herself inexplicably drawn to him despite boundaries of class and decorum. The story that ensues between Carrie and Cashwell is just as unforgettable as the battle from which it is drawn. "...This is a sensitive account of an era that seems to fascinate readers ceaselessly." -- Entertainment Weekly

Members who requested this book also requested:

Similar books to this author and title:
Sweetwater CreekThe Year of Jubilo : A Novel of the Civil WarThe MarchThe City of Falling Angels


Genres:

Top Member Book Reviews

DENISE F. (deniseann) reviewed 9/3/2007...
+ read 12 more book reviews by this member

10 member(s) found this review helpful.

Absolutely great read about a little known battle of the Civil War. The description of the battle and the aftermath -- the realization that this battle was absolute suicide on the confederate's part; the house and family was comandeered and turned into a field hospital/morgue fascinated me. The romantic aspect as well as Carrie's "depression" over her dead child was conjecture by the author and not quite believeable, but it does help bring the characters to life. What this woman went through and what she accmplished in her lifetime is truly inspiring

5 member(s) found this review helpful.

This is a great book if you are interested in Civil War history mingled with an unusual love story. Most of the book is based on fact so history buffs will love it. One reviewer wrote; "wonderfully imagined and beautifully written. RObert Hicks not only immerses us in history but also in age-old human truths that are the grist of lasting literature. One of the finest books I've read in years."-James Webb, author of "Born Fighting" and "Fields of Fire." This book wasa New York Times best seller and a nominee for the Michael shaara Award For Ecellence in Civil War Fiction.

Rebecca W. (vizslalady) reviewed 5/21/2009...
+ read 114 more book reviews by this member

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

I found this book fascinating because it is based on a true story. However, the author's account of Carrie McGavock's unusual love for Zachariah Cashwell is entirely fiction, and is a very strange tale indeed. The author says that he spent 7 years reading Russian novels to help prepare him to write this book, and the influence in character analysis is noticeable. It is this depth of character that makes the book move slowly in some parts, but also adds the surreal aspect to it. I am interested in learning a bit more about the Battle of Franklin and would like to see Carrie McGavock's cemetery now that I've read this book.

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I didn't really like this book. In fact, I couldn't even finish it. I love historical fiction, but this was so boring.

Stacey M. (sierra109) reviewed 6/8/2007...
+ read 17 more book reviews by this member

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

This book was pretty good. Slow going in spots. I think I expected more of a love story, that's my fault. Several chapters dealt only with the battle. I would recommend it if you are very interested in the Civil War.

Jennifer V. (busygram07) reviewed 4/4/2008...
+ read 5 more book reviews by this member

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

I loved this book. It had history, a little romance, hope, and what people went through in a time with little money. I like to read about how people
lived in the past and how they survived. This book was good at telling me
about the war in Franklin and what hell those poor souls went through.
I am keeping this book and have been telling others about it.


Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews


This a spellbounding novel. A very unusual love story.

Rose P. (capereader) - MA reviewed 1/20/2007...
+ read 52 more book reviews by this member


I loved, loved, loved this story- more so because it is based on fact. If you love Civil War books you'll love this.


--an interesting book for lovers of historical fiction, especially Civil War buffs. Hicks takes a historical figure (Carrie McGavock, who maintained a graveyard for Civil War soldiers who died near her house in the Battle of Franklin) and imagines her life, including the stories of a veteran who was carried to her house after the war and a poor boy caught up in the aftermath of the battle


Book Wiki
Common Title
Series
Original Publication Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
People/Characters
Real Places
Fictional Places
Important Events
Awards and Honors