A good civil war fictional story
352619
Cornwell's 2nd installment in the Starbuck Chronicles builds on the first novel.  Nate Starbuck is the hero with similar characteristics as found in Cornwell's other novels.

While some reviewers find this formula tired, I find it very entertaining.  With every successful novel, I grow a little fonder of Cornwell's characters.

I also enjoy the way Cornwell interposes true to life characters from the Civil war into the story.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, I recommend this series.
490547
The writer does a good job recreating the terrain and troop movements in the Civil War. Most importantly, he allows the reader to understand the personalities of the Civil War generals.
3531370
A very interesting story about an area which was very divide during the civil war.
2678737
Good historical fiction needs one thing to be,in fact good. It needs to put you into the mindset of whatever period the fiction is about. This can be rather hard when we are dealing with Hannibal Barca, Montezuma or some other half-understood culture. But it should not be difficult when dealing with the antebellum South. Unfortunately "Wake not the hangman" fails in this.

Do not get me wrong. The book has many string points. The story is good. The action is good and though largely predictable, there are quite a few small surprises.  The beginning of the book is very good in providing a good picture of a boy oppressed by his father.

Where the book gets into trouble is when it gets into the thoughts of the characters about slavery. It is like reading 21st century political correctness in the early 1800s. We know from the literature of the time that people thought nothing like the characters in the book. Racial inferiority of blacks was considered a "scientific fact" and even abolitionists subscribed to racial inferiority theories. A pity because the story is quite good.
2818155
A very good story about the civil war,and a romance of.a.young girl and her love for her family especially her twin brother
4831961
When James M. McPherson praises any book about the Civil War, I pay close attention, even if it is fiction. His praise of Turtledove's Guns of the South is wholly justified, but as a work of counter-factual history, it falls short of what it could have been. HT knows history well, which he amply demonstrates here, but his point of departure from what actually happened requires too much willing suspension. There are many points in the war when history could have tipped the other way, providing very plausible scenarios for Confederate victory. Lee's Lost Order is one, Stonewall Jackson's death before Gettysburg is another, the 1864 election is yet another. But here HT pulls an historical turning point from science fiction when it really wasn't necessary, and this weakens his plot structure in my view. (I took off one point for that.) Otherwise, I found his depiction of well-known figures intriguing and well-considered. (Too bad he couldn't have found a bigger role for Grant, and Sherman was nowhere to be found - pity.) Nevertheless, this is enjoyable and well worth the reader's time, especially if one has at least a basic understanding of the war.
1124033
Leigh Ann Conners was eleven years old in the spring of 1861, when the Civil War began. Living in Georgia where her family operated a cotton mill, Leigh Ann had an unusual family life. Her father was unwell and her mother had left the family, leaving her to mainly be raised by her older brothers. This led to the headstrong young girl often having conflicts with her strict older brothers. The war changes everything, however, as over the next three years Leigh Ann must cope with her brothers fighting in a war that is increasingly creeping closer to home.

Three years later, in 1864, the Union Army led by General Sherman arrives in Georgia. Because the family uses the mill to produce cloth for the Confederate army, they are considered enemies of the Union. Leigh Ann's attempts to help only cause further disaster. The mill is burned, and Leigh Ann, her sister, and the other female mill workers are captured and sent north. Because the family uses the mill to produce cloth for the Confederate army, they are considered enemies by the Union army when it arrives in Georgia in 1864. Leigh Ann's attempts to help only cause further disaster. The mill is burned, and Leigh Ann, her sister, and the other female mill workers are captured and sent north. These events force Leigh Ann to grow up and mature as she faces danger and hardship.

Leigh Ann's Civil War was overall an enjoyable historical fiction read. Ann Rinaldi, as she always does in her historical novels, has taken an event from history and brought it to life. The novel is based on the true story of the female mill workers captured by the Union army, a little-known event from the Civil War that I hadn't known about before reading this book. There were a couple of things I found a bit problematic, however - Leigh Ann's dysfunctional family history was a bit of a distraction at time from the main story of her experiences during the war, and there were some magical elements thrown in that didn't really make a lot of sense. While it was not my favorite book by Ann Rinaldi, I would still recommend Leigh Ann's Civil War to young adult readers who enjoyed other books by Ann Rinaldi or who like historical fiction set during the Civil War.
2492972
"Southern Cross: Annuit Coeptis" is a fun spin on history that posits a Confederate victory in the Battle of Gettysburg, which leads to the downfall of constitutional government in the United States.  The story begins with Robert E. Lee listening to General Longstreet's advice and deciding against Pickett's charge.  Instead, Longstreet makes a broad flanking maneuver that pays off for the Confederacy.  The Rebels are able to smash the Union line and soon move on toward Washington.

There are several different stories that we follow from this starting point, including the ambitions of  Nathan Bedford Forrest, the plight of African-American Union troops being taken to the deep south and sold into slavery, a coup against the Lincoln government, and more.  I'm not much of a graphic novel or comic book reader, but this volume was very engaging and enjoyed it very much.  It's always fun to see where imaginative minds can take history in alternate history scenarios.  Newt Gingrich termed this kind of story telling "Active History," and this is most definitely an active, and fun, history.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I believe, in order to tell the story, certain characters acted quite a-historically given the situation, and I have a hard time believing some of the events would have played out as they did.  Arguing "what ifs" is never profitable, and for every view I'd put out there I'm sure several dozen people would comment, telling me how wrong I was.  Yet, as a history professor myself, some of the assumptions didn't ring entirely true.  Still, it was a very fun story with good artwork that fans of alternate history, or real history for that matter, will enjoy very much.
1013122
I enjoyed the this book, but not as much as other books on the Civil War which I have read.  Maybe it wasn't as interesting a battle.
3555551
Good story that kept my interest.  I have read many stories about the Pre-Civil War South and this book held it's own among them.
1673070
A nice detailed piece about a seldom-covered Civil War hero. Worth reading.
2233237
Reading about the daily life of a civil war soldier is interesting to a point, but becomes less so while reading about the troop movements from place to place.  Anecdotes about food gathering etc. are also worthy of note.  There is very little description of actual combat as might be expected. Worthy of a one-time read.
1913497
A very good story. A young boy's experiences leading up to and into the Civil War.  I just wish I had realized from the beginning it was part of a series and I will probably never find the sequels.
1007331
In his first novel, "Asunder", Curt Locklear gives us a good deal of Civil War history, plus a cast of entertaining characters of that time.  There are insights to the conflict that are true and surprising.  The personalities of the people of that time, both military and civilian, are believable  in both the compassion of some and the cruelty of others.  Locklear has done his war research and has created characters that we find interesting enough that we would like to meet them again.
3378606
I probably like the book a little more than my rating as I did find myself wanting to finish the book as I was drawn into the character plot and history.  This is not your traditional Civil War book as the characters are more pulled into the war or playing out war games. I have to admit I am from the South and have read quite a few Civil War novels and I appreciated the different perspective.
4639889
very interesting  It seems to me that the civil war was not necessary. what a waste of lives. I don't think the leaders of the both armies were necessarily good in their capacities as military leaders . but I enjoyed reading the story and the history
3704401
This book brings the Civil War to a very personal level. Charlotte and Brice are initially on opposing sides in the conflict despite their love for each other. As the war carries on with incredible losses for everyone, many of the firm beliefs of pre-war are called into question. Brice and  Charlotte both grow up quickly and try to find their happiness and futures in the new reality. There are quite a few spankings in the book, all of which are consistent with the time period. The author does a great job with making the reader feel part of the time period; however, that this is a work of fiction should be remembered as the author takes creative license with some historic figures to include them in the story.