Helpful Score: 6
This book is so well written and the research the author did shows in his depiction of life during the Civil War. This is a world turned upside down by war, and the male protagonist is on a journey home after seeing humanity at its worst. Meanwhile the female lead is trying to learn how to maintain a farm after the death of her father leaves her penniless. Everyone these people encounter have stories, myths, and legends to tell. It's a travel tale in the mold of The Odyssey. There is a lot of substance here, I think it deserves a second reading to pick up on some of the themes the author left half-buried in the tale for the reader to find. There are some gruesome sections (usually having to do with hunting or battles) and there is some use of "the 'n' word" (though not in an overly pejorative way), if either of those bother you a great deal be warned.
