2024 the best fiction books of 2023 review

Price: $17.95 - $11.29
(as of Dec 12, 2024 06:59:12 UTC - Details)

From the author of The Saints of Swallow Hill, an evocative, morally complex novel set in rural 19th century North Carolina, as one woman fights to keep her family united, her farm running, and her convictions whole during the most devastating and divisive period in American history, perfect for readers of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier and Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles.

Talk of impending war is a steady drumbeat throughout North Carolina, though Joetta McBride pays it little heed. She and her husband, Ennis, have built a modest but happy life for themselves, raising two sons, fifteen-year-old Henry, and eleven-year-old Robert, on their small subsistence farm. They do not support the Confederacy’s position on slavery, but Joetta considers her family to be neutral, believing this is simply not their fight.

Her opinion is not favored by many in their community, including Joetta’s own father-in-law, Rudean. A staunch Confederate supporter, he fills his grandsons’ heads with stories about the glory of battle and the Southern cause until one night Henry runs off to join the war. At Joetta’s frantic insistence, Ennis leaves to find their son and bring him home.

But soon weeks pass with no word from father or son and Joetta is battered by the strain of running a farm with so little help. As the country becomes further entangled in the ramifications of war, Joetta finds herself increasingly at odds with those around her – until one act of kindness brings her family to the edge of even greater disaster.

Though shunned and struggling to survive, Joetta remains committed to her principles, and to her belief that her family will survive. But the greatest tests are still to come – for a fractured nation, for Joetta, and for those she loves . . .

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington (January 23, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 149674070X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496740700
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.43 x 1.02 x 8.23 inches
Reviewer: thefancyfarmwife
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I was beginning to wonder if my love for reading was waning, as I haven't seemed to be submersed in the last several novels I have read. However, this book came to life for me. It is well written and the characters are relatable. Most of all, I found myself not being able to wait to pick it up again to see where the story was headed. I thank the author for restoring my love for escaping into a really great book.

Reviewer: Tinker Bell
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A thought provoking story!
Review: A story I wasn’t sure I wanted to read at first, but was quickly drawn into the narrative. The tragedies of the Civil War were many. This well written and engrossing story will break your heart and keep you reading to the end. Well worth the time to read and get a glimpse of one families journey through that very difficult time in history. Have some tissues handy.

Reviewer: Brittany
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Emotional
Review: This book really takes you back in time. Very well written and a great perspective.

Reviewer: Linda F. Jordan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: outstanding
Review: This is one of the best books I read lately. I felt like I was right there with Joetta. She was such a brave woman and she endured so much tragedy in her life. I would love to read more about her life on her journey to Texas and how her life turns out after she arrived.

Reviewer: Kathy Hannappel
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good book
Review: Very interesting! New perspective of old issue! Enjoyed this book.

Reviewer: Mary D
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: mdavies
Review: Enjoyed the book a great backdrop for a civil war story. Good characters that were relatable and I did come to route for them. The one thing I felt the writer missed was the opportunity to have a better time line of the war to tie better tie the characters into the setting better.

Reviewer: Mrs Shannon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Tear jerker
Review: Fascinating and heartbreaking. The twist and turns had me sitting on the edge of my seat. There were triumphs and disappointments. A real page turner.

Reviewer: C. Wong
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Woman Standing Up For What She Believes!
Review: This is agreat book on the sorrow, grief and standing up for what you believe in. Ennis and Joetta McBride had a small farm in North Carolina. She didn't want to lose her sons fighting for the slave owning rights of the rich plantation slave owners. Her father-in-law, a firm supporter of the Confederacy, filled her sons with stories of glory and was sure that the only way to be successful was to own a lot of slaves.Despite her and her husband's efforts to keep quite about the glories of war, her father-in-law continued and one day her oldest son, only fifteen left to join up. After he didn't come back, she said she was going after him to find and bring him back. Ennis, upset, decided to do it himself. Her husband did not comeback.She has joined the sewing group for making socks for the Confederacy and did not feel welcome because she did not agree to war and wanted to neutral. Later, she was asked for her sake and the sewing group to not continue to attend their meeting.A terrible payback for her stance came. Yet she endured and with fierce determination, she worked help her remaining family to survive.Instead of learning about the battles of the Civil War, you learn about the devastation that remaining families faced and the shunning of general community.I really appreciate the insight the author put inis book so now I am a fan want to read more of her books.