There was a big drawback to the enjoyment of this book for many of our members which was that the type used was just far too small. Quite a few who started reading the book and who would have liked to continue just had to give up because they could not deal with the small text – what a shame.
There was one other factor which some of us found difficult was the number of characters and all their back stories which could make the beginning feel disjointed and confusing. However, those of us who did struggle on were in the main rewarded with an enjoyable story with enough in it to make it well worth while. We felt it was very well written invoking the feel of the south and the horrors of the ongoing battle with the north. Despite being written by a man we felt that he captured very well what it was to be a teenage girl in those times, isolated from the mainstream and with no men around. Johnny was believable as the dashing young soldier, wounded and in need of loving care and attention, and his effect on this feminine household was well depicted and believable. He found each one’s weakness and exploited it to the full whilst maintaining that they were the only one he really loved. The amputation scene, we felt, reflected the times they lived in and how they just had to deal with whatever life threw at them.
The story unfolded well and the eventual inevitable ending felt right and just given all that had happened and might still happen. The final part threw a different light on things and they may have acted differently had they known before but hindsight is such a wonderful thing!
We gave it an average mark of 6 out of 10 from those who were able to read at least the majority of it.