Krista M. (kskrista) reviewed Jacob's Ladder: A Story of Virginia During the War on + 162 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
EXCELLENT book. Totally fiction (except obvious non-fiction history), but really well-written. Even the descriptions of horrors in the battles are so well written that, while being horrified, make one feel he's there. Written from the perspective of slaves as well as plantation owners, it encompasses several story lines (five major/minor characters) and follows them to completion.
The thread holding them together is intriguing--a girl working for the WCA who interviews slaves about their memories. She meets a woman who she believes is white only to discover that the woman is a mulatto slave who has lived the life of a white woman for over fifty years. Incredibly fascinating.
The thread holding them together is intriguing--a girl working for the WCA who interviews slaves about their memories. She meets a woman who she believes is white only to discover that the woman is a mulatto slave who has lived the life of a white woman for over fifty years. Incredibly fascinating.
Helpful Score: 1
Gripping story of the Civil War from multiple perspective.
Sue B. (mssuzq) reviewed Jacob's Ladder: A Story of Virginia During the War on + 2 more book reviews
This book is merely OK. The author overuses run-on sentences overflowing with "ands" which may have been intended to convey excitement, but serve to make it annoying to read. Also he seems to borrow heavily on themes from "Gone With The Wind" (blockade runner enlists near the desperate end of the war, leaving heroine to fend for herself) and "North and South" (mixed-race heroine passes as white, marries into white family; hero loses an arm in combat). By the time I finished reading it, I was not left wanting more, as with GWTW & N&S; rather, was relieved just to be finished with it.
Really enjoyed this book! I love history and I rarely read fiction, but this was superb!
Took a few chapters to get the characters correctly lined up. Perhaps I wasn't reading as intently in the beginning as I should!
Writing style was magnificent! As an author of 5 books myself, I'm envious of this author's firm grasp of the English language, grammar, and vocabulary.
Terrific read and no doubt way too accurate for weak constitutions.
Took a few chapters to get the characters correctly lined up. Perhaps I wasn't reading as intently in the beginning as I should!
Writing style was magnificent! As an author of 5 books myself, I'm envious of this author's firm grasp of the English language, grammar, and vocabulary.
Terrific read and no doubt way too accurate for weak constitutions.
Linda M. (Knitwit) reviewed Jacob's Ladder: A Story of Virginia During the War on + 5 more book reviews
A good read if you like the civil war era. A bit wordy and a little long but lots of history. It just reminds you of what a lost cause, that cost so many young mens lives, the war was.
Linda P. (katknit) reviewed Jacob's Ladder: A Story of Virginia During the War on + 355 more book reviews
The Civil War from the integrated viewpoint of slaves, owners, and soldiers
