I was around 12 years old when I first saw the miniseries "North and South." Within minutes, I was hooked by the unfolding drama of the two families as they struggled with the events leading up to the Civil War. It was soapy, sexy, and a ton of fun to watch. I have watched this miniseries at least once every two to three years. I never tire of it. For years, I have wanted to read the book the show was based off of. Each time I would pick the book up, peruse it, and then set it down. For some reason, I never started the book. May be the size of it scared me or may be I just wasn't in the headspace to tackle this massive book.

Well, this was the year I tackled it. Boy, am I glad I did. The book is 800 pages long and can do so much more than the miniseries was able to accomplish. All of the members of the two families, Mains & Hazards, are given their share of the pages. While the miniseries devoted many hours to George Hazard and Orry Main, this book spends a great deal of time with all of the siblings and cousins. Characters are more fully fleshed out and the story takes some characters to places the tv show didn't have time to explore. For example, we get an entire section of Cousin Charles' adventures in Texas and Stanley Hazard's efforts to gain political power. There's even an older brother to Orry who never even appeared in the tv show.

The book is descriptive and manages to blend in actual details of history, capturing where the country was during this time of Civil War. One aspect of the story that took me awhile to get comfortable with, well only slightly comfortable with, was the use of N word. The reader has to take into context the time period and realize that this horrible word was a normal part of the Southern vernacular. It's still has the power to shock.

I am so glad I dove into this sprawling novel. It did not disappoint in any aspect. The book did a fantastic job of setting every character up for the upcoming sequel, "Love and War." I can't wait to tackle that novel very soon.