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382nd out of 423 books
—
140 voters
Faith of Our Fathers: A House Divided (Faith of Our Fathers #1)
by
Nancy Campbell Allen (Goodreads Author)
It is the eve of the Civil War, and the delicate fabric of a young nation threatens to tear apart as volatile issues divide its people. James and Jeffrey Birmingham, brothers, now find themselves and their families on opposing sides of a great and terrible conflict.
James is a wealthy Bostonian with a son who is a passionate and outspoken abolitionist, and a daughter who mu...more
James is a wealthy Bostonian with a son who is a passionate and outspoken abolitionist, and a daughter who mu...more
Hardcover, 458 pages
Published
November 1st 2001
by Covenant Communications
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I had a really hard time getting into this one. I used to love historical fiction more than anything, but I think my recent pursuits of the classics and non-fiction have made me a little harder to please. I found myself annoyed by the idealistic characters and the fluffiness of the story was getting in the way of what I finally realized I was really interested in - facts about the Civil War!
By the time I reached the last quarter of the book it was certainly more interesting. Honestly for the fir...more
By the time I reached the last quarter of the book it was certainly more interesting. Honestly for the fir...more
*Whew* Finally finished this one... While I ended up quite enjoying it in the end, I had a really really hard time getting into this book for a few reasons: Firstly, it literally takes the first 1/3 of the book just to introduce all of the characters, of which there are about a million of them. I understand why there are so many - now we get to see every point of view possible, but it took a long time to figure out who was who and get to know everyone. Secondly, this is a series about the Civil...more
This is a four part series that tells about the Civil War through the eyes of a fictional family. For some reason in school I never was taught about the Civil War (Isn't that crazy!?), so this seemed like an interesting way to learn more about it. The author tries to be as accurate to real events and people as possible, so although its fiction, one can still learn about the true events during that time period. If you look at my book list you can tell that I like reading historical fiction, so th...more
I read this whole series as I teenager and I have very much enjoyed it for the knowledge I gained about the history surrounding the Civil War.
I re-read it again now that I'm a little bit older, and I still like it, but there is one perspective which I feel is not portrayed as accurately and humanely as it should be; that is, there is no honest, strong presentation of the broader Southern Point of view (at least, from a viewpoint character).
All of the white characters from the South 1)Sympathize...more
I re-read it again now that I'm a little bit older, and I still like it, but there is one perspective which I feel is not portrayed as accurately and humanely as it should be; that is, there is no honest, strong presentation of the broader Southern Point of view (at least, from a viewpoint character).
All of the white characters from the South 1)Sympathize...more
I gave this book three stars because it held my interest and kept me entertained. I read the book while on vacation in Utah. It was interesting to me to discover that my experience this past year living in a confederate state has changed my perspective on the civil war. I in absolutely no way support the institution of slavery. But as I read this book, I was taken on a journey of self discovery. I grew up in an anti-slave state, and my perspective on the civil war was fairly well set in stone, u...more
This was a fun series. While I enjoyed the story lines, the romances, and getting involved with the characters (I cried more than once!), the best part of this series was learning so much about the Civil War. Great books for anyone interested in US history. (Side note: even though they're by an LDS author and there are some of the characters are LDS or investigating the LDS religion, I wouldn't consider these to be LDS books. Anyone could read, understand, and enjoy them thoroughly.)
Would have given it a higher rating if the author could have found a way to make it a stand alone novel. (All the storylines are left open for next novel to continue.) Historical fiction set during the civil war. Story involves many characters, mostly related, living in various parts of the North and South. One is LDS but religion is not a factor in this novel. Good review of Civil War history without graphic images. There are four in the series and I plan to continue on.
I really enjoyed the book in such that the characters are developed well and I found myself really interested in the story. Of course it helps that I love historical fiction. However, I don't feel like much has really happened as yet in the story, which kind of frustrates me. Even with books in a series I kind of feel like there should still be a resolution to some kind of conflict at the end of each book, and in this one....there really wasn't. So of course now I feel like I have to go and get...more
I enjoy historical fiction. I didn't know very much about the civil war and now I have a better idea of what was going on across the country at that time, and the different ideas and dynamics that played a part in the war. There were a lot of characters all over the place, it made it hard to follow at first, but by the second volume I got it down. It made me want to know more about the civil war.
This book was interesting, but a bit too long and too many characters to follow which made it really confusing in the beginning and then well...just long because there are so many people and their families lives to follow. But, I'm also not much of a historical fiction reader, and if I was, I'm sure I would've loved it. I am curious to know what happens in the next three books, so if anyone has read them, please fill me in because I probably won't read them.
Meh. It was just okay for me. I felt like the story was a bit too big for the author--but that is something that got fixed as the story went on. I felt like the characters were a stock set made up of archetypes defined by Gerald Lund and Liberty's Kids. It wasn't bad, though. I enjoyed it and for a little while was almost motivated to read the rest of the series.
I loved being able to learn more about the Civil War through this book. In the beginning, I had a hard time keeping track of all of the characters (thank goodness for the character list at the beginning of the book!), but as I got to know the characters and their stories, it became easier to remember who is who. I love historical fiction, so this series is really interesting to me so far.
Quite an astonishing book, I am already deeply invested in the characters in this book. I love that so many stories are told, from all around the country in this book about the civil war. It is an interesting thought to think that while the life of one holds so much turmoil, there are others who face equally or greater trying circumstances. So far, I love this series.
Begins a fictional series on the Civil War that covers both the North and the South perspectives. Her characters are believable and engaging. Adds a Mormon perspective with Ben Birmingham who has rejected the Southern slave values and joined the Church. Enjoy her historical notes on each chapter. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
It's a typical historical fiction novel, and since I enjoy historical fiction in general, I liked this one. The only problem, I think, is that there's so much going on in so many places, that there's so many characters to keep track of, and it can get confusing. It is interesting to learn about different aspects of the civil war.
This book was the hardest of the series for me because the author introduces a TON of characters and it was hard to keep track of them all. But it had me hooked and I read the rest of the series. I learned a lot about the civil war through this series and the characters were very easy to relate with.
Historical fiction set in the Civil War period. Families divided by south and north loyalties. This is a multiple volume series that really reveals the tragedy and horror of the war and the price families paid as they dug in and held their ground. Highly recommend. Good character development.
So where was I during history class? For some reason I thought that the Civil War was only about freeing the Slaves. I didn't know anything about the fight for States rights. I really liked this book. It is about twin brothers who are on different sides of the war and their children's experiences. Great series so far!
I thought this series was really interesting to read. I enjoyed this history as well as the story line. At time it got a little slow but overall it really make you appreciate what our ancestors went through during the Civil War and left you feeling very, very grateful.
Sometimes I thought I was only going to give this book 3 stars but as I continued reading I enjoyed it more. It was like the first time I read The Work and the Glory, theres so many characters and its hard to keep everyone straight. I do want to now continue reading the series.
Interesting characters and setting. I like how you follow a few families and see how they all start coming together and ineracting with eachother. Doesn't have much of an ending. No closure, but it is intended to make you keep reading the series. It worked on me. I picked up the next one right away to find out what would happen. Allen is one of my favourite authors.
Chad and I actually listened to this book in the car on our way to cali this summer. We both thought that it was a very slow start but by the end of the book they leave you hanging big time. Its a good book and i'm curious to read the next.
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I read the first two books of this series years ago and I am re-reading them before I read the last two books. I am amazed at the amount of research that must have gone into writing this series and I learned a lot as I read it. I have always been fascinated with early U.S. history and I love fiction so this is a perfect story for me. The first book really sets up the many characters and by the time you start book two you feel like you know them very well. Looking forward to reading more!
I enjoy historical fiction, and this one is set in the Civil War. I appreciate the author's notes at the back of the book about which events are true and what she altered to make the story fit.
I thought the writing was excellent and I like the characters (although it is difficult to keep them all strait).
I'm excited to read the remaining 3 books in the series.
I thought the writing was excellent and I like the characters (although it is difficult to keep them all strait).
I'm excited to read the remaining 3 books in the series.
I have had this series on my shelf for a long time. I finally picked up book one and enjoyed it, it took me awhile to get into but I feel invested in the characters now and will move on to book two soon.
What I didn't like is how the author switches back and forth thru many characters, and I had to try to keep them straight. I liked being able to feel a little bit of how war was, slavery, and I liked the ending and the expected romances that should come forth in the 2nd or third book.
I really, really enjoyed this series and learning more about the Civil War, especially from some of the persepectives that she writes from (news correspondant, slave, rich debutant, etc).
obviously a book 1 of a series. basically it just sets up the characters for future novels, which really bugs me at $28 a pop. but in spite of that i really did enjoy the book.
I thought this book would be much better than it was. I wanted to learn more about the Civil War - which I did. However, the fiction part was difficult. I couldn't get into the characters and had trouble remembering who's who. A little disappointing.
Audiobook. Book 1. Follows several families through the civil war and shows how it divided families over the political issues. Insights into the history of the time.
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Mar 27, 2011 10:09am