false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170781773m/71622.jpg 71622 15 In an Author's Note at the end of his book <I>The Widow of the South</I>, Robert Hicks tells us that "when Oscar Wilde made his infamous tour of America in 1882, he told his hosts that his itinerary should include a visit to 'sunny Tennessee to meet the Widow McGavock, the high priestess of the temple of dead boys.'" Carrie McGavock, The Widow of the South, did indeed take it upon herself to grieve the loss of so many young men in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, which took place on November 30, 1864. Nine thousand men lost their lives that day. She and her husband John eventually re-buried on their own land 1,481 Confederate soldiers killed at Franklin, when the family that owned the land on which the original shallow graves had been dug decided to plow it under and put it into cultivation.<p> Before the battle begins, Carrie's house is commandeered for a field hospital and all normal life is suspended. Carrie is anything but normal, however. She has buried three children, has two living children she pays little attention to, has turned the running of the house over to her slave, Mariah, and spends her time dressed in black walking around in the dark or lying down lamenting her loss. She is a morbid figure from the outset but becomes less so as the novel progresses. The death going on all around her shakes her out of her torpor, but death is definitely her comfort zone.<p> One of the soldiers who is treated at the house is Zachariah Cashwell, who loses his leg when Carrie sends him to surgery rather than watch him die. They are inextricably bound in some kind of a spiritual dance from then on. Their reasons for being drawn to each other are inexplicable, apparently, because they remain unexplained, and when Cashwell tells Carrie he loves her, she beats him nearly to death because she loves him too. At least, that is the reason Hicks gives. He violates that first caveat given to all writers: "show us, don't tell us." There is doubtless something deeply flawed in Carrie and screamingly symbolic about her behavior; it is surely elusive. Too bad, because Carrie was a real person whom Hicks lauds for her compassion and ability to grieve without end. Then, he throws in this gratuitous "love story" and confuses the issue. Carrie's relationship with her husband and children remains unexamined. Hicks is better at describing death and "the stink of war" than he is at life. If you read <I>War and Peace</I> and loved all the war parts and were bored senseless by the peace parts, this is your cup of tea. <I>--Valerie Ryan</I> 3194786 2005 The Widow of the South total:1663|5:304|4:598|3:543|2:164|1:54| 1663 5923 2499 413 5 3 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Mar 06 12:15:45 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 12:23:57 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 3 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 03 13:35:51 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 07 08:59:15 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false true Mon May 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 07 09:30:50 -0700 2008 Mon May 12 17:40:57 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Wed Feb 04 17:30:17 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 17:33:07 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Jan 04 18:08:08 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 18:15:28 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 06 21:22:11 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 21:22:32 -0800 2008 From Publisher's Weekly: Hicks's big historical first novel, based on true events in his hometown, follows the saga of Carrie McGavock, a lonely Confederate wife who fi...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Sep 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 19:31:53 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 19:42:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Oct 14 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Sun Jul 26 20:29:10 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 20:31:37 -0700 2009 1 At the foref...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat May 02 16:21:31 -0700 2009 Sat May 02 16:33:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 23 12:07:49 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 12:14:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:36:12 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:36:12 -0800 2009 Hicks has a head start on most first-time novelists: he's got a powerful story to work with. Based on real-life Civil War events, the Nashville song-publisher-turned-author presents this tale of platonic love and patriotic gore with an assured storytelling instinct. A few critics take issue with his...

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It certainly starts out well, with separate short chapters introducing the various characters who are soon to meet on or near the field of combat, and especially with the Conf...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 19:19:32 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 13:53:42 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Feb 03 18:50:01 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 18:50:01 -0800 2009 It won't go on my all-time favorite list.
One insight that I enjoyed: the contrast in the childhoods of two of the...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Jun 25 10:10:35 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 10:15:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false true Sun Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 18:00:48 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 19:21:55 -0700 2009 I'm not sure how I felt about it. It is well written but also kind of strange. A lot of Carrie's reflections and the meaning she seems to take from Cashwell's presence in her house confused me. I was also confused about what exactly happened to Cashwell when he was a child and his father died and hi...

more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Oct 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 16:35:06 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 14:05:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 07:09:20 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 07:15:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 29 19:23:01 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 11 08:24:20 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=71622