Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: This Civil War novel is Red Badge of Courage meets Cold Mountain. It is a terrific account of the Battle of Franklin told through several extremely interesting and captivating characters. There are no real battle scenes. Mr. Bahr begins with the minutes before the battle commences and then jumps to the aftermath. The characters are unforgettable from the good to the bad. Mr. Bahr's writing is as memorable as the characters. It is near poetry in places, yet he also supplies terrific dialogue. After reading - then rereading - a particularly good description, I would then become rapt in the dialogue. This book captures the horrors of war. One warning, if you have a tendency to eat while reading, you might want to diet through some of the scenes. The author's descriptive powers are immense whether he portraying a piece of scenery or the battlefield hospital. Bahr shows well the realistically ugly side of war while stringing a thread of romance between a soldier and a woman and the bonds of friendship between life-long soldiers/friends through the book. This is a book to read with time on your hands so the writing can be savored. You need not be a Civil War buff to appreciate this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This Civil War novel is Red Badge of Courage meets Cold Mountain. It is a terrific account of the Battle of Franklin told through several extremely interesting and captivating characters. There are no real battle scenes. Mr. Bahr begins with the minutes before the battle commences and then jumps to the aftermath. The characters are unforgettable from the good to the bad. Mr. Bahr's writing is as memorable as the characters. It is near poetry in places, yet he also supplies terrific dialogue. After reading - then rereading - a particularly good description, I would then become rapt in the dialogue. This book captures the horrors of war. One warning, if you have a tendency to eat while reading, you might want to diet through some of the scenes. The author's descriptive powers are immense whether he portraying a piece of scenery or the battlefield hospital. Bahr shows well the realistically ugly side of war while stringing a thread of romance between a soldier and a woman and the bonds of friendship between life-long soldiers/friends through the book. This is a book to read with time on your hands so the writing can be savored. You need not be a Civil War buff to appreciate this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A 3-Prozac Novel
Review: This novel, centering around Hood's petulant attack at Franklin is, at once, depressing and uplifting. The depression comes from the futility of the battle while the uplifting comes from the spirit of the American soldier and his willingness to endure despite the hardships he must encounter. This book is worth the read, if only to understand somewhat the ultimate weariness that comes from protracted hardship and war.
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