Turning Points of the Civil War by James A Rawley

Review by Thomas F. (hardtack)

We are now in the middle of the 150^th anniversary of the four-year American Civil War.  As such, a good, readable, relatively short (200 pages) book on its turning points might be a valuable addition to your reading list.

James A Rawley is professor emeritus of history at the University of Nebraska. Although his book was originally published in 1966, it has aged well in its coverage of the war. Those struggling to understand how the war progressed and why it ended the way it did, will find that Rawley answers their questions. Although his seven essays should be read in chronological order, each may also be read independently. He also provides an Introduction and Afterword.

The turning points Rawley covers include:

Kentucky and the Borderland – Lincoln said the war was hopelessly lost without Kentucky.

Bull Run – The first battle changed our nation’s attitude towards war.

The Trent Affair – How the U.S. almost went to war with Great Britain.

Antietam – A strategic Union victory that restored confidence in the war and allowed Lincoln to release…

The Emancipation Proclamation – This document changed the moral reason for the war, especially for Europe.

The July Days – The Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg were the beginning of the end of the Confederacy.

The U.S. Election of 1864 – A nation chooses to continue the fight.

After reading about the Civil War for over 50 years, I was appalled that I had missed reading this book until now.

A South Divided: Portraits of Dissent in the Confederacy

by David C. Downing

Review by Thomas F. (hardtack)

This volume is actually a very good introduction to the many reasons why the Southern Confederacy really did not have a chance to succeed. And the sub-title, Portraits of Dissent, is especially fitting, in that numerous individuals, groups and events are described in just enough detail to satisfy your curiosity, but also hopefully whet your interest for further detail.

Probably all of the different chapters and sections in this book are covered in much greater detail in other books. There are entire books written on Confederate deserters, Elizabeth Van Lew and other active southern Unionists, North Carolina holdouts, escaped slaves enlisting in the Union Army, political unrest in the South, women’s riots and their ‘traitorous letters’ to the soldiers, and more. As an avid reader of Civil War history, I have read many of these books as I try to obtain a greater understanding of the political and social side of the War.  Based on my reading of those books, the author did an amazing job of covering most of the reasons why the Confederacy failed due to dissent within. He also covers the executions of those Southerners who were caught in active conspiracies against the Confederacy, and even those just suspected of ‘treason’ or simply just trying to escape the Confederacy.

During the current 150^th anniversary of the Civil War, it is fitting that Americans understand that the Confederacy was destroyed just as much from within as from its battles against Union Forces.

David Downing is a professor of English in Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, and his background helped him write a very readable book in this area of Civil War history. So much so that A South Divided was nominated for the Lincoln Prize, which is sponsored by the Civil War Institute at  Gettysburg College.

My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)

My Name is Mary Sutter sat on my bookshelf for over a year before I finally picked it up to read it. I ordered it through PBS because I heard so many positive things about it but I just never seemed to be in the right mood to take it on. Reading about medical treatment during the Civil War just doesn’t sound like that uplifting of a read.  But I was wrong.

Mary Sutter is a strong-willed young woman coming into her own at the beginning of the Civil War. Mary is an accomplished midwife, taught by her mother and revered by many for her strength and tenacity. But being an excellent midwife is not enough; Mary wants to be a surgeon.  All she needs is someone in the medical field to believe in her and her abilities.  She searches for a surgeon who will be willing to teach her.  After being repeatedly rejected, she decides to join the movement of Dorothea Dix and serve as a nurse to the injured soldiers of the Civil War.

Before leaving her home in Albany, Mary suffers several losses.  Her father passes away and she loses her love to another.  She doesn’t want to suffer the loss of her dream and takes every action possible to see that doesn’t happen.  She embarks on a journey that will see her grow as a woman, a medical professional, a sister, and a daughter.

While some passages of this novel were difficult to read because of the nature of the topic, the overall scope of the novel is one of hope.  In the difficult passages, the reader is taken back to the horrific days of suffering during the war.  The sheer volume of injured soldiers so few men and women were capable of treating is staggering.  But through the suffering and turmoil there were people giving all they could give to make a positive difference.  And not only did they give of themselves, and sometimes all they had, some of them remain unknown.  My Name is Mary Sutter allows the reader to think about some of those unknown heroes of the war: the ones who don’t have monuments dedicated to their service and didn’t have family to keep their stories alive.   The character of Mary Sutter embodies the memory of all of those men and women and gives them the recognition they so richly deserve.

Deadly Stakes by J.A. Jance

Review by Kelsey O.

I have to say that this is the first Ali Reynolds mystery that I have read. I know eight books into a series that there would be a lot of background information that I would be missing out on. As I was reading, I didn’t feel that I needed all that information. It would have helped me understand the main characters’ actions but wasn’t necessary to the storyline.

Former reporter Ali Reynolds learns that someone she knows is suspected in the killing of her current boyfriend’s ex-fiance. Lynn Martinson, the suspect and former victim of Richard Lowensdale, who Ali helped bring in. Ali is asked by Lynn’s mother to help her daughter because she knows that someone else was responsible for Gemma Ralston’s murder.

Not only has Gemma’s body been found but also another man’s body was found not far from her. With the possibility of the two deaths related, the police and Ali try to connect dots that don’t seem to be matching up. And so starts another plot line in Jance’s novel. This one involves a boy named A.J. Sanders whose father was a criminal but who mysteriously shows back up and buys him a car for his 16th birthday and tells him of a secret box that holds the key to paying for his collage. On his quest to find this chest he stumbles upon a woman dying and in the hopes of saving her he sends a text to 911 only to realize if he is found at the crime scene then his mother will find out about his skipping school and his father’s secret stash. A.J. leaves the scene of the crime leaving behind his shovel.

As the clues keep piling up the reader starts to wonder if this case will ever get solved. With several plot lines weaving in and around each other I was left confused because of the amount of heavy details that seemed to have no reason for being added except maybe to confuse the reader, I had to give this a little lower rating. But in the end, this was a nice light mystery read and I think if you are a devoted J.A. Jance fan you won’t be disappointed. I for one will be looking to start this series from the beginning because I want to know more about Ali’s life.

3 BUTTERFLIES

Once Upon A Tartan by Grace Burrowes

Review by Issa S. (Issa-345)

Honor or happiness ‑ he can’t have both.   Tiberius Flynn may be every inch an English lord, but smart, headstrong beauty Hester Daniels has no use for his high‑handed ways‑‑no matter how handsome, charming, or beguiling he is. They only see eye to eye in caring about the feisty little girl who is under their protection.   Tiberius’s haughty insistence that his wealthy estate in England is a better place for the child than her beloved, rundown Scotland home sparks Hester’s fierce protectiveness, and the battle lines are drawn.

There was the blurb.  Short and sweet.

The feisty girl is Fiona who we meet, along with her family in the Bridegroom Wore Plaid.  Fiona’s mother Mary Fran and Fiona’s father married in a handfasting ceremony not recognized by her father’s family.  When her father died, his family had nothing to do with him and Mary Fran moved in with her brother, Ian MacGregor, the Earl of Balfour.  But Fiona is not fading away in Scotland, she’s been looked after by her uncles.  Mary Fran marries Matthew, brother of the Countess of Balfour and the two of them are out of country on vacation when Tiberius comes calling.  I do not recall if we met Hester but she is the sister of Matthew, so an aunt but not by blood.

Back to the story, the plot is one seen many times before.  That alone didn’t scare me off, the simplest of romance tropes can be good if written well.  This one has its moments.  Tiberius is here to take Fiona back to the family seat based on his father’s orders.  He falls for Hester and vice versa and the relationship moves at a predictable pace with the inevitable lies, evasions, and betrayals.  Burrows had potential with this one, but too many weak points made it unsalvageable.

What worked: The dialogue.  Tiberius has a way of speaking that drew me in…flat tone with big words with subtle wit.  Tiberius’s discussions are full of amusements and slights of phrase.

Hester.  She s a well rounded character who avoids falling into a doormat role.  She makes unusual choices and shows more strength than I would have expected.  I wanted a happy ending for her.

Earl and Countess of Balfour: Ian and August appear again and they continue to be two of my favorite Burrows characters.

Now for what doesn t work.

Tiberius the character: Despite his sexy speech, I couldn’t warm up to him.  He’s the doormat of the story.  The one that falls in line with his father’s orders to take the child knowing he’s taking her from a loving environment.  The reason why stunned me as well as Hester and my opinion of him plummeted even further.

The MacGregors.  Despite the unity they had in the previous book, they are all gone here (except Ian) and there is no explanation why Fiona’s mom never responds to Ian’s wires about the problems with her daughter.  Their absence was a shadow over the story.

Tiberius’s father: There s a whole side story to Tiberius’s father, his mother, and what drove his father to do what he did.  I found it childish and a painful addition to the book.

Pacing: When it becomes clear what Tye’s intentions towards Fiona are, we wait and wait and wait for the inevitable to happen.  There s a good 50 pages I could have yanked out and with little impact on the story.

I give this one three stars.  An okay story, not a bad read, but easily forgettable.

Making Masterpiece: 25 Years Behind the Scenes at Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery on PBS
by Rebecca Eaton

Review by  Charlie M. (bookaddicted)

If you are a fan of Masterpiece or Mystery! on PBS this is a wonderful read. Ms. Eaton has had the enviable job of being Executive Producer of Masterpiece for 25+ years and tells you what the job entails plus insider scoops about the shows and the stars. Her writing style is friendly and approachable. This is not one of those dry, plodding memoirs or the-making-of tomes that not only bore you but, sour you on the subject. She writes with honesty and humor, never afraid to let you know when she made a mistake in either passing on a show or making a faux pas in dealing with a sponsor, director, or actor.

She gives some insider info without resorting being salacious and mean. Some of the inner workings of how PBS actually works was eye-opening. Certainly in these tough economic times we have all heard how much money has been withdrawn from government funding of the arts and especially public television. Ms. Eaton really lets you know what struggles an organization like PBS can go through in order to keep bringing popular programs like “Downton Abbey”, “Foyle’s War”, “Midwives”, etc to your screens. She discusses how the changes in viewing habits, the digital age, viewer demographics all have impacted PBS, Masterpiece, and bought changes to her role in bringing programs to the public.

Whether you are familiar with PBS from the 1970’s airing of the original “Upstairs, Downstairs” or have just become tuned in because of the uber-popular “Downton Abbey” there is much to be learned and appreciated in this book. (Even if you just want to know Jean Marsh’s comment to the late Princess Margaret with respect to “Upstairs, Downstairs” read this well written, graciously presented book.)