Rating: 
Summary: A book for Missouri Ozark natives and St. Louisans
Review: If you are from St. Louis or southern Illinois/Missouri, you will enjoy the detail the author put into this book (you will undoubtedly recognize the names of many towns). While it is not Cold Mountain, I still found it very compelling. I noticed that in some reviews readers found some of the descriptive passages slow, but being acquainted with St. Louis, I found it fascinating to imagine what it may have looked like in another era. Some others didn't like the romance aspect. Maybe in the 21st century when people are so jaded it is a little hard to buy into, but what a pleasure to think that at such a brutal and lawless time, love could still exist. I truly liked the book and have recommended it to others.
Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: In the cannon of Civil War fiction Missouri's place in history has often been passed over for the more famous and larger conflicts in the east and south. Though Paulette Jiles' debut novel, "Enemy Women," attempts to bridge that chasm, sadly it serves as little more than filler rubble at the bottom of the canyon.The novel's unfocussed beginning, impedes the identification of Adair Colley as the story's protagonist, instead we are left to wander among the members of the Colley family. Slowly as the family is separated by the misfortunes of war, the story settles on Adair, a young woman who, in an era where nearly every one has chosen sides, Union or Confederate, seemingly has no particular loyalty to either side. Her brother, John Lee, has fled into the hills to evade capture by the Federal soldiers who also have beaten and arrested her father, looted their farm, and stole their horses. Adair and her two sisters head north on foot in an effort to win their father's freedom and she soon finds herself in a St. Louis prison accused of aiding the Rebel bushwhackers. During her confinement Adair is interrogated by Major William Neumann, a man who longs to be out fighting in the field instead of commanding a prison filled with women and children. Of course Major Neumann is destined to fall in love with Adair and when his transfer to a field command in Alabama is granted he helps her escape from prison and vows to find her after the war is over. And once again Adair finds herself afoot, this time heading south back to the family farm, where she hopes when the war is over her family will one day be reunited. Jiles uses historical excerpts from letters, diaries, official accounts, and whole paragraphs from nonfiction works to preface each chapter, but they interrupt her narrative and stop the story cold in its tracks. She obviously used these materials, all previously published (there is absolutely no new material here), as research for her novel and if it appeared anywhere in the book it should have been referenced in author's notes at the end. Jiles' knowledge of southeastern Missouri's geography and her descriptions of it are nothing less than extraordinary, so much so that the landscape itself is almost transformed into a character. Sadly the same cannot be said for the rest of Jiles' characterizations, which are two dimensional and as thin as the paper they are written on. We learn little about the lives of Major Neumann, Adair or her family prior to 1864, and know next to nothing about their thoughts and desires past their immediate needs, which drive the thin veil of her contrived plot. "Enemy Women" is clearly a case where the characters serve as pawns on the chessboard of plot. Had Jiles let the characters think, act and speak for themselves this could have been a great book in the pantheon of Civil War fiction rather than the disappointing, mediocre work of historical fiction that it turned out to be.
Rating: 
Summary: (3.5) Collateral Damage
Review: During the Civil War, the citizens of Missouri were torn by conflicting loyalties. Some citizens were joining the fight for the South, while Union military troops were garrisoned nearby, and women prisoners retained, those with suspected loyalties or Confederate family ties. Overcrowded and teeming with a varied population, the women were house and reviewed in an effort to place them in an appropriate facility. Young Adair Colley is thrown into this mix after her father is murdered and she is separated from her two younger sisters. Long without their mother, Adair has been the de facto mother of the Colley brood. From the moment of her incarceration, Adair schemes to escape and join with her sisters to salvage whatever family remnants may remain. Adair is nothing if not spirited. When interviewed by a Union officer, it is her express intent to captivate him and manipulate her ultimate freedom from the frequently violent women's prison. But the young soldier, Neumann, detests his duty and yearns to serve a more noble effort. Against his best intentions, Neumann cannot remain impassive to Adair's plight and eventually engineers the inevitability of her escape. Out of the chaos of brother against brother, the two young people are drawn to each other, although each must pursue a separate path before the journey is completed. Each chapter of the book is prefaced by actual Civil War journal entries, making the story more relevant in the face of day to day cruelties, as various persons are accounted for. What would otherwise be a simple love story of opposites gains more credulity by the historical reality of the journals, which illustrate clearly the confusion of the times as well as the loss of loved ones. Jiles is an engaging writer whose lively characters reflect their quirky backgrounds and eccentricities. There is a finely honed sense of the incredible chaos that upended so many lives and changed future generations of Americans.
Rating: 
Summary: Enthralled listener
Review: The 12 CD ROMs of ENEMY WOMEN flew in and out of my player so quickly! I was so moved by the many beautiful descriptive passages that even miserable Boston traffic jams became happy events which enabled me to listen longer. The supporting characters were just as fascinating as the main ones. Although there were some unusual and unlikely occurences, they moved the plot along and added suspense. I had no idea that Missouri was such a difficult place to live in for whites during the Civil War, nor did I know of the plight of female prisoners. I never gave a thought to what lay between "Roots" and "Gone With the Wind" before this book. As a horse lover, I found those scenes with Adair and her horses Whisky and Dolly to be even more compelling than those with the Major. I have asked my daughter to name a future granddaughter after Adair. Please read or listen to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely impressive debut
Review: I'm sure there are people referring to this as a female-perspective Cold Mountain, and there are parallels, but that's certainly not to negate the power of Jiles' first novel. Adair Colley is a spunky, courageous heroine who makes an incredible journey through war-torn Missouri. There are some fascinating details about the Civil War; I think Jiles did a wonderful job researching and giving the book an authentic period feel. It's a little slow to start, but give it a chance and you won't be disappointed--I'd like to see a sequel, and I think we'll definitely be seeing the movie version in a few years.
Rating:
Summary: Luke warm
Review: After reading the first few chapters I phoned a friend and asked, "Why did you think I would like this book?" Although the writing, especially the description, was excellent, I thought about quitting the book several times. It was very slow to start. It took awhile to figure out who the main characters were. I would have liked to have seen more character development. Toward the middle of the book I began to skip the chapter openings from real diaries and logs of that time period because they got too gory and depressing and made reading even slower. I just wanted to get to what Adair was doing and get on with it. I had gotten the picture already--it was a bad war and people were suffering. I didn't need so many details of those types. Lack of quote marks was sometimes confusing, but didn't bother me too much, and it did de-clutter the pages. One last thing--if you have to describe gore, please leave out the gore that happens to animals, especially in war. Just go to the local animal shelter and you can see all of this you want.
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: There is just something about the book that pulls the reader in, but what it is I can't say. I've read books with more sympathetic and likable characters, but there were just something about Adair and the Major that kept me reading. This is not a beach read, but it is memorable and well done.
Rating:
Summary: Slow
Review: The overall story was good, but slow! Maybe if one is familiar with the area they could better appreciate the heavy description of the land. I respect the bravery and strength of the woman in the story. I would have like more about her and less about which path she travelled. It is graphic in places, but so is war. I have yet to decide how I feel about the ending.
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Read
Review: I cannot say that I loved this book--but something about it kept me reading. The writing is beautiful, although I must say, the author's decision not to use quotation marks didn't work for me with this one. Jiles is a poet, which is obvious throughout the novel. The story of Adair Colley starts of rather slowly. She is a young Missouri woman who is taken prisoner during the Civil War. While in prison, she is interrogated by Major William Neumann. Despite their differences, they fall in love. (There is no way to describe it without making it sound like some trite romance novel, is there?) They are separated and she travels the long journey home--hoping to find her father, her sisters, her horse, her home. Needless to say, it is a difficult journey. There are no surprises in this novel, but the writing is beautiful and it does vividly portray the horror of the Civil War. The story, despite its predictability is compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Reminiscent of Cold Mountain...only better!
Review: This book is reminiscent of Cold Mountain. The protagonist is a young women named Adair. Well, it takes a little while to get through the first chapter because the author provides background about the war in Missouri, but once the book gets going you cannot put it down! If you like historical fiction, this book is for you! It has many interesting and disheartening facts and lots of suspense! There are times as I read the book that I am scared for Adair...will she get out alive...will she make it.... will she... will she....????? Oh, it is the best book that I have read in a very long time. It reminds me of Cold Mountain. The author describes what Adair is experiencing so well that you feel like you are making the journey with her. I have not finished the book yet and am biting my nails to see what happens!
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