4.5/5 Stars Well done historical fiction, interesting and engrossing.
This third in the books about the Woolsey-Ferriday women, does not disappoint. I 4.5/5 Stars Well done historical fiction, interesting and engrossing.
This third in the books about the Woolsey-Ferriday women, does not disappoint. I wasn't sure I was ready for a Civil War story but this works and continues the story of this fascinating family. Like Lilac Girls and Lost Roses, Martha Hall Kelly uses a structure of POV of three different women. First is Georgeanna (Georgy) Woolsey, the ancestor of Caroline Ferriday; Jemma, an enslaved woman on a Maryland plantation; and Anne-May, the mistress of that plantation. Well researched and heavily based on surviving correspondence from the Woolsey-Ferriday family, plus historical research and other family histories including from descendants of enslaved people, the novel paints a full picture of several years during the Civil War. The war is here in all it's horror, the numbers lost, the conditions in which the wounded were treated, the apathy of too many wealthy Northerners, Southerners who refused to see the enslaved as human and Southerners who just couldn't be bothered to change. This is not a Civil War battle narrative, but a reader can track the basic history and back and forth of Union and Confederate losses and victories.
The battle to bring trained female nurses into medical care during a time of war, is Georgy's story, as she and her family work to help in any way they can while battling sexism and poor medical practices from far too many surgeons and doctors. There are also details of the entire Woolsey family, their relationships with each other, the activities of all of the Woolsey daughters, and Georgy's own love interest. I feel like Georgy is more fully drawn than the other Ferriday women of the series and I appreciate that. Jemma's story is one of the horror of enslavement, the family that surrounds her and how they support each other, and Jemma's journey to New York City and eventual freedom. Nothing is spared here, but Jemma does not exist to just show trauma. She is a fully formed character who loves and cares and dreams, even when she fears any dream is hopeless because she's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Anne-May is the plantation mistress, for whom I felt nothing but anger and contempt. Hall Kelly writes that she is flawed and I'll say that's an understatement. She's self-centered, cruel, manipulative, and rotten to her core. As with Hall Kelly's other books, I appreciate seeing the story from different views. It feels more authentic, more well rounded, more thorough.
Throughout there is a broad cast of side characters. We have siblings, other doctors, other soldiers, those who operated orphanages or charities, townspeople, and extended family members, plus real historical figures who appeared in the Woolsey family correspondence and memoirs. It makes for a fully realized, richly detailed world. We see a bit of the internal battle happening, too, as the country is torn apart by civil war. There are characters discussing news sources and perspectives that is not unlike the discussions happening now in 2021. Woolsey women call out those who ignore how their families have made money while also reckoning with their own family history. There is a Confederate character who dislike slavery but didn't like the way the rules were being changed, while his brother in law fights for the Union. At times all the details slow the pace a little but I never felt like it was bogged down, it simply slowed my reading speed.
Settings are also important and well done, so one always has a good sense of place. New York City during the war is interesting, from balls and fairs to raise money to the draft riots, the Black community in Brooklyn and orphanages up north, and so much more. The world of the plantation is physically narrow, with two neighboring plantations involved and one small town in the border state of Maryland. Nevertheless, the reality of life there is still fully painted. And of course, the battlefield conditions are front and center, particularly Gettysburg.
Throughout this time period and this book, there is a lot happening, and I appreciated that the author did not take short cuts. The author's note at the end is full of intriguing stories and lists of websites, other books, and sources so a reader can dig further into all of the history here.
Readers who enjoyed the first two books of this series, should enjoy this. I think the differing points of view will be interesting for Civil War historical fiction readers.
I read an e-ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
CW: slavery, lynching, whipping, sexual assault, battlefield injuries, death in war, sexism, racism. infidelity, classism, rioting with destruction...more
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