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Wednesday, September 10, 2014
By Laird Hunt
Published by Little, Brown and Co.
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
An extraordinary novel about a wife
who disguises herself as a man and goes off to fight in the Civil War.
She calls herself Ash, but that's
not her real name. She is a farmer's faithful wife, but she has left her
husband to don the uniform of a Union soldier in the Civil War. Neverhome
tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the battle for the South.
Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk
legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause.
Laird Hunt's dazzling new novel
throws a light on the adventurous women who chose to fight instead of stay
behind. It is also a mystery story: why did Ash leave and her husband stay? Why
can she not return? What will she have to go through to make it back home?
In gorgeous prose, Hunt's
rebellious young heroine fights her way through history, and back home to her
husband, and finally into our hearts.
Review: Women who disguise themselves as
men in order to be soldiers is my genre kryptonite, so I was over the moon
excited to start this book. I immediately loved the contrast between the
protagonist’s stoic, matter of fact tone and the battlefield horrors she was
describing. This story is made all the more powerful by its understatement. I
also was delighted by the dialect and idiosyncratic turns of phrase used, an
effort to replicate the common speech of this time period.
Constance Thomas or “Gallant” Ash is character with many layers and some
secrets as well. A sharp shooter raised by her mother to never “turn her cheek”
to wrongs done to her, she makes a very successful soldier. What led her to join the Union Army is subtly
explored, as is the effect this experience has on her. I appreciate writing
that gets its point across through nuance without having to spell things out,
as so many books these tend to do. The many facets of Ash and her filtered view
of other characters makes for a fascinating read.
I do wish the narrative had room to provide a clearer sense of who Bartholomew,
Ash’s husband is. The briefness of the novel provides few opportunities for
characters besides Ash herself to achieve any real depth. It is her story and
hers alone, but what a story it is.
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Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Review: Neverhome by Laird Hunt
By Laird Hunt
Published by Little, Brown and Co.
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
An extraordinary novel about a wife
who disguises herself as a man and goes off to fight in the Civil War.
She calls herself Ash, but that's
not her real name. She is a farmer's faithful wife, but she has left her
husband to don the uniform of a Union soldier in the Civil War. Neverhome
tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the battle for the South.
Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk
legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause.
Laird Hunt's dazzling new novel
throws a light on the adventurous women who chose to fight instead of stay
behind. It is also a mystery story: why did Ash leave and her husband stay? Why
can she not return? What will she have to go through to make it back home?
In gorgeous prose, Hunt's
rebellious young heroine fights her way through history, and back home to her
husband, and finally into our hearts.
Review: Women who disguise themselves as
men in order to be soldiers is my genre kryptonite, so I was over the moon
excited to start this book. I immediately loved the contrast between the
protagonist’s stoic, matter of fact tone and the battlefield horrors she was
describing. This story is made all the more powerful by its understatement. I
also was delighted by the dialect and idiosyncratic turns of phrase used, an
effort to replicate the common speech of this time period.
Constance Thomas or “Gallant” Ash is character with many layers and some
secrets as well. A sharp shooter raised by her mother to never “turn her cheek”
to wrongs done to her, she makes a very successful soldier. What led her to join the Union Army is subtly
explored, as is the effect this experience has on her. I appreciate writing
that gets its point across through nuance without having to spell things out,
as so many books these tend to do. The many facets of Ash and her filtered view
of other characters makes for a fascinating read.
I do wish the narrative had room to provide a clearer sense of who Bartholomew,
Ash’s husband is. The briefness of the novel provides few opportunities for
characters besides Ash herself to achieve any real depth. It is her story and
hers alone, but what a story it is.
Subscribe to:
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