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Feb 03, 2012

Burgandy rated it:

This book is very interesting and unique.

It takes place in 1875 in the Deep South. The Civil War is over, but emotional upheaval continues boiling in the south over civil rights. I was reminded of The Help as I read how Gus related to the servants. She loves Emma, who raised her, but now she's feeling jealous of her son's love for Emma. But this book evokes more parallels with Gone with the Wind, which I haven't read, and the beautiful southern belle.

I thoroughly enjoyed More...

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Sep 30, 2011

Stuart rated it:

At its core this is a novel of freedom set in a time when freedom was questioned for so many across the south. Polites really hones in on the desperate tones of Augusta, her staff and those in town fearful of sickness. And in that desperation is an excitement that really keeps a reader enthralled and keeps the pages turning. Like Augusta, I (as a reader of her story) didn’t know who to trust and who to believe. The mystery really gives this novel some juice.

The moment in the book tha More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2012

Emma rated it:

This book starts out well enough: it’s reasonably well-written and has good descriptions and a vivid depiction of life in Reconstruction-era Alabama. Nevertheless, I wound up quite disliking it; this seems like a novel that would appeal to a certain subset of historical fiction readers, but not to everyone.

In a small Alabama town in 1876, Augusta Branson’s husband dies a mysterious, bloody death in their bedroom. Augusta quickly realizes that everyone around her has their own agenda, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 02, 2011

Nichole rated it:

I really wanted to punch Buck in the face. Not that I thought Gus ought to, no, I wanted that pleasure for myself. I thought perhaps what would happen would, and it did, and I was happy with it–I still would have liked a chance to deck him. Ass.

Let me start over.

This is an excellent historical novel, beautifully written and well plotted. Polites’ writing pulls you into the time and the place, prompts you to see life through different eyes, and teaches you a little bit about w More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 16, 2012

Kara rated it:

Real rating: 3.5 stars.

I very much enjoyed the writing style - the present tense, almost stream of consciousness feel, the extremely vivid descriptions. It really kept me in the moment. I also liked the Gone With the Wind era setting (though a decade or so later). It's not the South's finest moment, but a compelling stage for a drama. My main gripe was that this particular drama was so narrowly focused. The plot consisted only of finding one hidden object with a number of obstacles simmering More...

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Feb 05, 2012

FABR Steph rated it:

5-Alarm Thoughts

Beginning- Though many characters are introduced to the reader at the beginning, making settling in difficult, The Rebel Wife starts out with life altering events for MC Augusta “Gus” and I was locked into the story in no time. Augusta is made a widow and her life becomes very different to what she had been accustomed. She is forced to step into a different role as head of her household as she learns that her husband has left her destitute. She begins the long journ More...

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Feb 06, 2012

Tiffany rated it:

I have to be honest, I am not really a fan of this book, although I enjoyed the second half far more than I enjoyed the first half. My major concern is the writing. To me, the writing was extremely slow paced, although the second half went by much faster. Also, the earlier flashback scenes seemed to be faster as well. The writing was especially dragging when the author got caught up in the details and really set the scene. He would describe every minute bit of the scene and it would take aw More...

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Jan 20, 2012

Rimma rated it:

Thank you for a gread read.
I would add this book to a story about strong character category, young women becoming independent and strong through the straggle and hardship of her life after the Civil War. Augusta 'Gus' Branson has lost her husband to a blood fever and come to an awareness that she and her son are not as well-off as she had thought. Everyone around her seems has a secret and while all her assets lock down and she need ot find missing a missing saddlebag that has what she n More...

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Dec 28, 2011

Rachel rated it:

This would have been a really good novel as it has more historical details about what happened to the Southern towns after the Confederate defeat in Civil War. It talks about the former slaves still working for their families and often-times not getting paid; it talks about the Reconstruction and the Carpetbaggers taking over; it talks about trying to define the new roles and talks about the horrors of the KKK being formed and talked about racism. However, if this was to be a mystery, it did a p More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

Misfit rated it:

Augusta (Gus) Branson finds herself widowed after her husband dies of a mysterious blood fever and a bit surprised when the executor of her husband's will breaks the news that she's not exactly a well-to-do widow. But wait, is there something else going on here? What is this missing saddle bag of her husband's that former slave Simon is searching high and low for? And who would want to stop Simon and Gus from getting it? Or perhaps Gus has been hitting that laudanum bottle too heavy and she's im More...

31 comments like (10 people liked it)

Feb 07, 2012

Brandi rated it:

I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway Winner. I was very excited to begin it and anticipated the book showing up in my mailbox. Unfortunatly, I found this book very flat and dull. I had to force myself to read it and finish it. It was very forgetable to me and I went whole days at a time without a thought of it before I remembered that I was reading it and should finish it. The majority of the characters were flat and predictable, some I even wondered why they even had a place in this story.
More...

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Feb 04, 2012

Alison rated it:

This book tells the story of Augusta "Gus" Branson who lives in Northern Alabama after the Civil War. It tells the story of a fever that spreads through her town. This sickness leads Gus to the discovery of many secrets the town and her family has hidden for years. Like any books from this time, the family's slaves, who are now freedmen, play a huge role in the events as they unfold.
Gus is a very strong female character despite the way it looked at the beginning of the book. S More...

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Feb 19, 2012

Michelle rated it:

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!! The imagery was rich and full, the symbolism of the plague coming but also coming in the form of the White Knights, a potential husband immediately after the death of Gus' husband, the frantic search for the missing pouch, all the secrets Gus' husband kept from her, herself realizing she was no better than a slave, was traded to her husband for a chest of confederate notes...I could go on and on.
I think I need to re-read this book again, at another time, at a slowe More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Renee rated it:

War's end does not mean peace. It is an ugly, uncertain and uncertainly hopeful time. It is also a time of confusion, lawlessness and bitterness--especially on the losing side.

Taylor Polites writes an anti-Gone with the Wind. There is romance and nostalgia certainly. But he reminds us constantly of the fear that remains when war ends. The re-negotiating of relationships between oppressed and oppressor. The denial of defeat. Plots for retribution. Opportunism. Never mind the position More...

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Feb 17, 2012

Michelle/ rated it:

I must get one thing off my chest at the outset. Once again, I find myself very frustrated by how women were treated in the past. In our present times, when a woman's husband dies, she has rights. In most cases, she is the executor of her husband's estate and is usually the beneficiary of the life insurance and/or will. Of course, there are cases where a will may be in probate or a man may not leave anything to his wife (mostly in some cases of wealthy marriages), but for the most part, a wo More...

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Feb 22, 2012

Tami rated it:

I haven't received my copy yet, just received notice I had won. 1/12/12
Recieved my copy today, hope to get to it soon. I have 7 more in front plus my current read. 1/31/12
Started last night, 2/17/12
Finished last night, 2/21/12

Gus (Agusta) is a Southern Girl during the aftermath of the Civil War. She lost her brother in the war, her father died, and her mother married her off to Eli, but he was not the man she loved. Eli came home from his frequent work trips with a More...

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Dec 16, 2011

Michelle rated it:

This was one that I really wanted to win in the First Reads Giveaways and was thrilled when I actually won. Overall, i enjoyed the book a lot. The characters were well written and the story unique. I didn't feel like I had already heard another version of this story (as often happens with historical fiction). Gus was completely flawed but completely relatable and I really liked that she was not the typical shrinking violet as most Civil War wives are portrayed. My only criticism of the book More...

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Feb 04, 2012

Jenny rated it:

I was hoping to win this book from Goodread and I'm happy I did. From the very first page I enjoyed the vivid descriptions... "The humidity hung in the air like wet sheets shimmering in the sunlight.". I enjoyed the realistic aspect, not romanticizing the aftermath of the Civil War. Times were hard both financially and emotionally for the South as the nation was rebuilt. Looking through Augusta's eye, the reader glimpses the turmoil brought on by the early civil rights movement and More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 11, 2012

Tara added it

The Rebel Wife. Key word, attention grabbing word: REBEL. Uh.. what makes the heroine of this book a rebel?

I made it to page 113 before just setting it aside...probably for good. Gus is newly widowed, okay. Her husband had a gruesome death. Okay. But again, what makes her a rebel??? She never spoke up to her husband when he was alive, doesn't really speak up enough to the Judge who is now taking control of her estate, doesn't speak up to her "servants" who talk to her in a More...

13 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2012

Jenny rated it:

3.5 Stars. The Rebel Wife is one of those slow-burning stories that makes great use of setting, description, and hidden human motivations to draw the reader in. It's wonderfully atmospheric, and Polites paints evocative images of a once grand town slowly deteriorating in the aftermath of the Civil War. The story centers around the death of Eli Bransome, a controversial man who polarized the community by fighting for freed slaves' rights and who made many enemies by profiting from the post-war fi More...

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Feb 14, 2012

Jessi rated it:

Lately it seems like I've been reading mainly young adult, so switching to an adult level historical novel was a definite change of pace that was extremely refreshing. This book reads like a work of art, a very sensory experience filled with deep yet understated emotion. The historical details and authentic supporting characters make this a work to remember.

Gus, the female protagonist, is extremely well-developed, and her confused emotions ring true in the midst of her unraveling sit More...

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Feb 14, 2012

Ashley rated it:

I won this book as a Goodreads first read. I have to admit that the cover drew me to it, as I knew immediately the book might have something to do with the Civil War. Augusta, the main character in this book, is a very strong woman who becomes a widow just 10 years after marriage. Her husband was on the side of the Union in the second half of the Civil War, so she took his side. She loved her servants as her own family. Her family and friends were on the Confederate side of the war, so many conf More...

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Jan 25, 2012

Keri rated it:

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway and I'm so glad I did! First of all, I believe this book is far from a light and easy read, which explains why it took so long for me to finish it. But this does not go to say that the book isn't fantastic.
The book is hard to get into. I found myself either confused or bored during some moments. Early on, I also found Gus unlikeable. As the story progressed, though, I was really pulled in. It is very suspenseful and the setting of the war- More...

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Jan 15, 2012

Cristin rated it:

Who says time travel is impossible? All you need to do is pick up a book as well rendered as The Rebel Wife, by Taylor M. Polites, and suddenly you'll be transported to Reconstruction-era Alabama, walking alongside the characters, among the ravaged vestiges of the South in the aftermath of the Civil War.

One of the most fascinating things about this author is his ability to immerse the reader in the experience. At times, I felt the uneasiness that an intruder or eavesdropper might feel More...

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Dec 15, 2011

Sara rated it:

I won this recently in a first reads giveaway and I really enjoyed it. It takes place around 10 years after the end of the Civil War and is centered around Augusta "Gus" Branson and the people, both former slave and slave owner, that are a part of her life. Naturally there is a lot of tension and high emotion. Then when you throw a contagious fever and a mystery into the mix you get quite a page turner. I found myself several times feeling anger right along with the characters and More...

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Dec 11, 2011

Sharon rated it:

The Rebel wife by Taylor M Polites Thankyou Goodreads. This was a wonderful book. The story took place after the slaves were freed, some had no place to go, so they remained with their former owners. It was the Antebellum South. A young widow whoes relatives and late husband, were not the most honest of men. She was very strong in her beliefs of what was right and what should be hers from her late husbands estate. It wasn't only herself, but she had a young son and loyal servants she wa More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 13, 2012

Pat rated it:

I won this book in a Goodreads drawing. I found the book to be a little slow at the beginning but, by the time I got to the end, I couldn't put it down. This was a fascinating look at the conditions and politics of the south right after the Civil War. The story was good and the characters had real depth. I would recommend this book to anyone. Those who enjoy books with a historical background will find it especially interesting.

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Jan 07, 2012

Barb added it

I'm sorry but I gave up on this book. I wanted to know what was going on but reading this gave me a headache. I came across a similar novel recently and gave that one up too. Both books set me down in the middle of a story without giving much to go on as far as the back story. Granted this one does give the reader a little bit of filler after the very beginning but I found this story and the way it was written more of a turn off than anything else.

Other readers may love this, unfortu More...

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Feb 19, 2012

Kristine rated it:

I was so very excited to win the Goodreads drawing. So often I think these sigh ups are just to put you on an email list. I always am open to reading new topics. Thank you so much!

That said, it has a very interesting time period and it is an interesting idea. It was a little slow and dark for my taste. Hard to stay with.

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Dec 17, 2011

The Lit Bitch rated it:

Saturated in rich, golden prose Taylor Polites’s novel, The Rebel Wife, oozes engrossing detail and with such a commanding voice/tone from the first page….I found it difficult to put down. The novel contains whispers of literary delight from beloved American classics such as Gone with the Wind and is told with a dark edge which echos William Faulkner.

Just as the blazing cover suggests, this novel radiates from within….a golden Southern Gothic novel sure to win the hearts and admirati More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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