Review: Sunflower Sisters

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly


Sunflower Sisters is the third book in a trilogy by Martha Hall Kelly which includes Lilac Girls and Lost Roses. But it is not a sequel to these books and is only loosely related. It is a stand-alone novel that takes place decades before the others, during the time of the Civil War. The connection is very loose—the main character, Georgy Woolsey, is an ancestor to the main characters of the other books. You can read these in any order, or even read only this one.

This book got off to a slow start for me. There were three storylines going, from three points of view, and I think I expected the storylines to merge much sooner than they actually did. While I enjoyed all the storylines, I felt like I was in a tv series where every time a story got going, the commercial came and we switched gears. I did like many of the characters. Georgy was a woman with a sense of purpose who has the strength to stand up to the norms of the time, insisting on a place for women in nursing. Jemma was also a strong, brave woman who survived cruelty and oppression, and took great risks to help others. Anne-Mae, on the other hand, was not a likable character. Not only was she cruel and demeaning, but she was also a spoiled brat, and a ditz, who was led into a spying scheme by a man who knew how to flatter her. The men in the story were really secondary characters, some good and some bad, and some stereotypical (Lebaron Carothers, the plantation overseer). For all her strengths, Georgy was a frustrating character at times, particularly in her relationship to Dr. Frank Bacon. There were times I just wanted to give her a shove, and yell “Tell him, already!” (as did her sisters!)

While the book started slow, and it is my least favorite of the three, I did enjoy the book. Though it took about at third of the book to get going, it did read the point that I didn’t want to put it down. However, it wasn’t a historical fiction book that inspired me to read more, one of my criteria for good historical fiction. I think a book club would enjoy discussing this, with the discussions of the obvious—slavery and the laws regarding runaways, women’s place in nursing and society in general, etc.—but also specific discussions about the characters—Georgy’s treatment of Frank, decisions Anne-Mae made, risks Jemma took. There is a book club kit available on the author’s website, which includes discussion questions, recipes, a family tree, and more.

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
My rating: ✭✭✭½


View all my reviews

Review: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

by Karen Abbott

Why did you choose this book? women in the Civil War

When did you read this book? September 2015

Who should read this book? readers of history, particular Civil War era

Source: TLC Book Tours

Here is a synopsis of Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy from Goodreads

Karen Abbott, the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and “pioneer of sizzle history” (USA Today), tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War.

Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous women—a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow—who were spies.

After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose O’Neale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.

Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies’ descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it.

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy contains 39 black & white photos and 3 maps.

My Review

This is the story of four women who acted in untraditional roles during the Civil War. Interestingly, two of the women in this book worked for the Confederate cause and two worked to preserve the Union. I have been wanting to read this one for a long time. I’ve read several fictional accounts of Elizabeth Van Lew (Miss Lizzie’s War and The Spymistress), and listened to a Missed In History episode about Sarah Emma Edmonds, so when I was offered the chance to participate in the book tour, I grabbed it!

As much as I was looking forward to this book, it still took me awhile to get into it. I think that is partially because the book started with the least interesting (to me) woman. But I think I also had to get used to the author’s writing style. I think I had anticipated that the book would tell four different stories, one woman at a time. Instead, she told the story of the war, chronologically, through the eyes of these women. Once I got to know each woman, the story flowed smoothly. I think this would make a great five-part docudrama!

This would also make a great book club selection for the right book club. The book is a little long, and not all book clubs would have the time or desire to tackle this. But for those that are motivated, there is plenty to discuss; the motivations of the women; the ways they influenced the outcome of the war and how things might have turned out differently; the character flaws of the women; the traditional roles of women in this era! There is a reading guide on the author’s website, where you can also find an excerpt.

If you enjoy reading about the Civil War, or enjoy reading about women in non-traditional roles, this one is for you!

You can view an interview of Karen Abbott discussing Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy below.

About Karen Abbott

Karen Abbott is the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City, American Rose, and, most recently, Liar Temptress Soldier Spy, which was named one of the best books of 2014 by Library Journal, the Christian Science Monitor, Amazon, and Flavorwire, and which was optioned by Sony for a miniseries. A native of Philadelphia, she now lives in New York City, where she’s at work on her next book.

Find out more about Karen at her website.

My Rating:  ★★★★   4 Stars

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I was provided a copy for review purposes.

Karen’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, September 8th: A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, September 9th: Let Them Read Books – guest post

Thursday, September 9th: The Maiden’s Court

Friday, September 11th: Cold Read

Monday, September 14th: Raven Haired Girl

Monday, September 14th: 100 Pages a Day … Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, September 15th: Sveltana’s Reads and Views

Wednesday, September 16th: Man of La Book

Thursday, September 17th: Bookworm Meets Bookworm

Monday, September 21st: A Book Geek

Tuesday, September 22nd: Time 2 Read

Wednesday, September 23rd: As I turn the pages

Thursday, September 24th: FictionZeal

Tuesday, September 29th: Raven Haired Girl – guest post

Thursday, October 1st: Unabridged Chick

Review: I Shall Be Near To You

I Shall Be Near To You

by Erin Lindsay McCabe

Why did you choose this book? it tells of a woman fighting in the Civil War

When did you read this book? September 2014

Who should read this book? readers who enjoy Civil War fiction or stories of women in unconventional roles

Source: TLC Book Tours

Here is a synopsis of I Shall Be Near To You from TLC Book Tours

In I SHALL BE NEAR TO YOU, McCabe introduces us to newlywed Rosetta Wakefield. More accustomed to working as her father’s farmhand and happiest doing what others might call “man’s work,” Rosetta struggles with how to be a good wife to her childhood beau and new husband, Jeremiah. When Jeremiah leaves home to join the Union army, Rosetta finds the only way she can honor Jeremiah is to be with her husband—no matter what..

Cutting off her hair and donning men’s clothing, Rosetta enlists in the army as Private Ross Stone so that she might stand beside her husband. Joining, however, is the easy part, and now Rosetta must not only live and train with her male counterparts as they prepare for imminent battle, but she must also deal with Jeremiah, who is struggling with his “fighting” wife’s presence, not to mention the constant threat of discovery..

In brilliant detail, inspired by the letters of the real Rosetta Wakeman, McCabe offers a riveting look at the day-to-day lives of these secret women fighters as they defied conventions and made their personal contributions to history. Both a tender love story and a hard look at war, I SHALL BE NEAR TO YOU offers a unique exploration of marriage, societal expectations, and the role of women in the Civil War through the lens of a beautifully written novel.

My Review

Wow! I’m not even sure I can adequately review this book! It is hard to describe how I felt as I read it; that it was moving too slowly and yet very quickly. Rosetta Wakefield is a newlywed when her husband, Jeremiah, and the local boys enlist in the Union army to fight in the Civil War. Rosetta, being the independent, obstinate, unconventional woman she is, transforms herself into Private Ross Stone and follows them into battle. This is the bloody Civil War where death is everywhere, and I only wanted to know that Rosetta and Jeremiah made it home safely. So there were times I found myself racing through the book, just so I could get to the end. It was those times I had to consciously slow myself down to enjoy the details that were so important to the story!

One thing I particularly liked in the book was the relationship between Rosetta/Ross and Will, a young soldier with a secret of his own. I also liked the realism of the battle experience from the soldier’s point of view. I’ve read a lot of Civil War era fiction, and it seems that most either take a very romanticized view of the era, glossing over the nitty gritty horrors of the war, or else the story concentrate on the blood and gore in a very dry way, without much in the way of character development. This story is unique in that there was both romance and love in the story, as well as blood and gore, but the blood and gore was told with feeling, from the soldier’s point of view. We were really able to get into Rosetta’s head and understand her fears and determination. This story really brought home to me the sacrifice and loss that the country endured during the Civil War, when a group of half dozen men from a small town could head off to war, and chances were pretty good that if one or two DID manage to survive, they came back damaged. I recently learned I have ancestors who fought in the Civil War, and have never given much thought to what they experienced as Union soldiers, but now I wonder about it and whether they came back whole.

If you read my blog regularly you know I appreciate an epilogue. It certainly is true in this case that I would like to know what is going on with the characters a few years down the road, but I really don’t miss not having an epilogue. I’ve already written a happy epilogue in my own mind and anything else could leave me disappointed.

The details in the book make it obvious that the author spent considerable time researching the subject. To see some of what she found in her research, visit her Pinterest page. You can also find a series of articles about women serving as soldiers in the Civil War from Prologue Magazine at the National Archives website. You can also learn about Sarah Emma Edmonds, another woman who fought as a soldier in the Civil War and listen to a podcast at Stuff You Missed In History Class.

About Erin Lindsay McCabe

Erin studied literature and history at University of California, Santa Cruz, earned a teaching credential at California State University, Chico, and taught high school English for seven years. Since completing her MFA in Creative Writing at St. Mary’s College of California in 2010, Erin has taught Composition at St. Mary’s College and Butte College. A California native, Erin lives in the Sierra Foothills with her husband, son, and a small menagerie that includes one dog, four cats, two horses, numerous chickens, and three goats.

You can connect with Erin on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

My Rating:  ★★★★★   5 Stars

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I was provided a copy for review purposes and have written an honest review which appears above.

Erin’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, September 2nd: Reading and Eating

Wednesday, September 3rd: Passages to the Past

Thursday, September 4th: Under a Gray Sky

Monday, September 8th: Lavish Bookshelf

Monday, September 8th: Daily Mayo

Tuesday, September 9th: Kahakai Kitchen

Friday, September 12th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Monday, September 15th: Books on the Table

Monday, September 15th:  Life is Story

Tuesday, September 16th: Jorie Loves a Story

Wednesday, September 17th: Sara’s Organized Chaos

Thursday, September 18th: 100 Pages a Day…. Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Friday, September 19th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, September 22nd: Time 2 Read

Tuesday, September 23rd: History From a Woman’s Perspective

Wedesday, September 24th: Tiffany’s Bookshelf

Thursday, September 25th: Broken Teepee

Friday, September 26th: West Metro Mommy

Monday, September 29th: Must. Read. Faster

Review: The Spymistress

The Spymistress

by Jennifer Chiaverini

Why did you choose this book? I’ve read other books about Elizabeth Van Lew

When did you read this book? November 2013

Who should read this book? readers interested in Civil War era historical fiction

Source: library

Here is a synopsis of The Spymistress from Goodreads

Born to slave-holding aristocracy in Richmond, Virginia, and educated by Northern Quakers, Elizabeth Van Lew was a paradox of her time. When her native state seceded in April 1861, Van Lew’s convictions compelled her to defy the new Confederate regime. Pledging her loyalty to the Lincoln White House, her courage would never waver, even as her wartime actions threatened not only her reputation, but also her life.

Van Lew’s skills in gathering military intelligence were unparalleled. She helped to construct the Richmond Underground and orchestrated escapes from the infamous Confederate Libby Prison under the guise of humanitarian aid. Her spy ring’s reach was vast, from clerks in the Confederate War and Navy Departments to the very home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Although Van Lew was inducted posthumously into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame, the astonishing scope of her achievements has never been widely known. In Chiaverini’s riveting tale of high-stakes espionage, a great heroine of the Civil War finally gets her due

My Review 

I picked this book up because I recognized the author, having recently read Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker. When I learned the book was about Elizabeth Van Lew, I knew I wanted to read it. Until last year, I had never heard of Elizabeth Van Lew. That is, I hadn’t heard of her until I read Miss Lizzie’s War by Rosemary Agonito. Then earlier this year I read The Secret Life of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen, which told the story from an alternate point of view. I was fascinated with Elizabeth and it was an easy choice to pick this one up!

One thing I found interesting is how these authors can start out with the same set of facts and the same historical conclusion, and come up with three very different stories! I really appreciate that the authors helped me separate fact from fiction by explaining how their imaginations gave them various scenes. While Elizabeth is basically the same person with the same Unionist convictions in all three books, her evolution into ‘spy’ was a bit different in each. Mary Bowser was a much more central character in the other two books than she was in this one.

I really felt that this book gave me a more ‘personal’ glimpse into Lizzie’s thoughts and emotions. While her Unionist loyalties were always there, I like how this book showed the evolution of her character. At the beginning she was simply a Unionist like many others, doing small things where she could, with no real organization or plan. She was trying to toe a line between helping the prisoners as she could and not risking her safety and especially the safety of her family. It took quite sometime for her to discover a way to work together with other Unionists in a meaningful way. One thing a really like was that the last chapter gave a glimpse of what Lizzie’s life was like after the war. I also appreciated the author’s notes.

My Rating:  ★★★★   4 Stars

Review: Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker

by Jennifer Chiaverini

Why did you choose this book? I enjoy historical fiction, particularly Civil War era

When did you read this book? April 2013

Who should read this book? interested in the Civil War era and/or the contributions of African American women

Source: library

Here is a synopsis of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker from Indie Bound

In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Keckley, a former slave who gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.

In March 1861, Mrs. Lincoln chose Keckley from among a number of applicants to be her personal “modiste,” responsible not only for creating the First Lady’s gowns, but also for dressing Mrs. Lincoln in the beautiful attire Keckley had fashioned. The relationship between the two women quickly evolved, as Keckley was drawn into the intimate life of the Lincoln family, supporting Mary Todd Lincoln in the loss of first her son, and then her husband to the assassination that stunned the nation and the world.

Keckley saved scraps from the dozens of gowns she made for Mrs. Lincoln, eventually piecing together a tribute known as the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt. She also saved memories, which she fashioned into a book, Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Upon its publication, Keckley’s memoir created a scandal that compelled Mary Todd Lincoln to sever all ties with her, but in the decades since, Keckley’s story has languished in the archives. In this impeccably researched, engrossing novel, Chiaverini brings history to life in rich, moving style.

My Review 

I was browsing at Barnes and Noble, waiting for my appointment at the Apple Store, when this book caught my eye. Having grown up in the ‘Land of Lincoln’, pretty much any fiction about Abraham Lincoln catches my eye, but this one also had a cover to match. The book blurb on the cover was interesting, too. Great cover, Abraham Lincoln, and interesting book blurb; this HAS to be a winner, right?

Well, not so fast. While the story was interesting, and I’m glad I read it, for some reason it never really ‘caught’ with me. I’m not even sure why, but I just never got to the point that ‘I can’t put this book down!’

The story primarily traces the time Elizabeth Keckley spent in the White House as ‘modiste’ (dressmaker) to Mary Todd Lincoln. But her background is interspersed throughout the book so that you learn she is a former slave who saved to buy the freedom of both her and her son, George. Mary and Elizabeth became good friends during this time, with Mary relying on Elizabeth to advise her both in how she dressed and how she reacted to events in her life. And Mary was always willing to stop what she was doing to serve Mrs. Lincoln.

The book doesn’t really talk much about the assassination of President Lincoln, but does cover the aftermath and how it affected his widow. Of course, since this is fiction, much of the conversation is imagined, but the author used the memoir written by Elizabeth Keckley as part of her research, so she did have a basis for her imagination.

One thing the book does cover is the controversy created by the publication of the memoir. At the time, many people discounted it as sensationalism written by a fictional ‘former slave’ to sell books. Others were critical of the idea of a servant publishing what we would now call a ‘tell all’ book, and though they accepted that Elizabeth Keckley was real, they believed much of what she wrote was embellished and untrue.

Reading about this criticism really made me question how much of this novel is based in truth. While later research has verified much of what appears in the memoir, it still leaves me with a feeling of wondering. I really didn’t like how the story ended, but then, if it is true, the author didn’t have a lot of control over that. However, even if the book had ended in a ‘happily ever after’ kind of way, I still would not have felt I’d ever really been able to connect with the book.

If you are interested in reading the original memoir by Elizabeth Keckley, many libraries carry it and it is available as a free download at Archive.org.

My Rating:  ★★★1/2  3-1/2 Stars