Rating: 
Summary: A Civil War Story of Love and Friendship
Review: This book will delight lovers of historical fiction. Ms. O'Brien has clearly done her homework. Her novel is well researched and rich in historical detail. I found this the most gripping account of conditions in Washington DC during the Civil War since Gore Vidal's "Lincoln."
Rating: 
Summary: historical women who are not hysterical
Review: This is a book about Louisa May Alcott and her fictional cousin Susan, both of whom happen to interact with Clara Barton. It is not a story of the friendship between Alcott and Barton; indeed, Susan is closer to each of them than they are to each other. Still, it is a good story, well told, about friendship among women; it could stand on that truthful blurb alone, IMO. The book also gives good insight into the lives of women in the mid-19th century and provides never-to-be-forgotten glimpses into Civil War medical care.
It may be my own pet peeve (I once had a fight with a poet who wrote about cows being made into bacon) but historical accuracy is a little loose. I don't mind the imagined cousin to move the plot along but, IIRC, Lincoln did not die the night he was assassinated; he died several days later at a residence across the street from Ford's theater. This jars the storytelling at a crucial point in the background narrative.
The Bookschlepper
Rating:
Summary: GREAT STORY
Review: This is a great story set in a time of great history with great characters. Pat O'Brien has skillfully woven the lives of Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton into a novel that's exciting to read. As historic events unfold, the friendship between Susan Gray, the fictional narrator of the book, and Louisa May Alcott is tested, broken and finally restored.The insights into the personalities of Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton were an extra bonus. I especially appreciated the "Afterward" at the end of the book where Ms O'Brien explained where the true facts ended and the fiction began. I LOVED THIS BOOK!
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