Helpful Score: 5
An amazing story of love, race, and determination. A wonderful lesson on never judging a book by it's cover. Full of history, full of generations. A great read throughout, up to the unbelievable ending.
Helpful Score: 4
I couldn't get through this one. Too much description, not enough action.
Helpful Score: 4
A union soldier returning from the Civil War brings home a former slave as his new wife to the family farm. With his father dead, the farm now belongs to him, but his mother and sister and the new wife clash at first and acceptance is hard to come by. A good first novel, well written.
Helpful Score: 4
Really one of the better reads in awhile. The novel has so much depth, heart, and soul to it. It is a story of long and a story of outcast. It is just filled with secrets that this family has and will create. It takes place at the close of the Civil War and the men are coming home. Norman {a white man} comes home with an escaped slave as his nurse and then his lover. This is a wonderful read and at times makes you feel like you are living there right then. Highly reccommend.
Helpful Score: 3
This is not a quick read -- the sentences are crafted, and beg to be reread and savored. The characters are thoroughly drawn and are multi-dimensional. I found the book fascinating, and loved the post civil war historical context.
Helpful Score: 3
Great tale of a family that goes from the Civil War through the Great Depression.
Helpful Score: 2
Loved, loved, loved this book.
Helpful Score: 2
Intriguing and beautiful from the first page. The author portrays the hearts, minds and souls of his characters and easily causes the reader to understand their motivations, their sorrows and their joys. Don't miss this one!
Helpful Score: 1
this book is a bit slow, but the story is very nice. i had a hard time keeping up with the change of lives and stories, in it tough.
This book kept me fascinated and is one of my favorite books. A magically flowing love story.
This is a slow, soft listen, and if you are a Stephen Lang fan, you will love it just to sit back and listen to him for a few hours. A good book, yeah, ok; but I sure would have liked a little more plot since the characterization was lacking. Then again, if you are a Stephen Lang fan, no matter the voice he is doing, you know it is him. (Uh, perhaps that isn't always a good thing, eh?)
The characters in this book do a lot of thinking, which I thought was overdone, but some people might enjoy. I found it being a little depressing as well. On the upside, it is very well written and the characters are clearly defined and very realistic.
Members of our book club enjoyed this!
Good Book -
a long read and a struggle to get through some parts, but once you get through it and possibly discuss it, you'll see you've enjoyed it.
This is a great book for history buffs. It is an intense look at a bi-racial family at the end of the Civil War, and analyzes the forces that shape the husband and wife, a Union soldier and an escaped slave. Super good, heavy, awesome look at post Civil War world, all the way into the raging 20s.
This is an excellent story although somewhat long...very Steinbeck-ish. I enjoyed it.
The Civil War impacts Vermont! An engaging novel.
Absolutely loved this book! Jeffrey Lent is an amazing writer.
