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    The Widow of the South: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Widow of the South: A Novel
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    The Widow of the South: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    The Widow of the South: A Novel

    Published by Hachette Audio

    Narrated by David Chandler, Tom Wopat, Jonathan Davis and Becky Ann Baker

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Carnton Plantation, 1894: Carrie McGavock is an old woman who tends the graves of the almost 1,500 soldiers buried there. As she walks among the dead, an elderly man appears – the same soldier she met that fateful day long ago. Today he asks if the cemetery has room for one more.

    Based on an extraordinary true story, this brilliant, meticulously researched novel flashes back to 1864 and the afternoon of the Civil War. While the fierce fighting rages on Carrie's land, her plantation turns into a Confederate army hospital. Four generals lie dead on her back porch; the pile of amputated limbs rises as tall as the smokehouse.

    But when a wounded soldier named Zachariah Cashwell arrives at her house, he awakens feelings she had thought long dead – and inspires a passion as powerful and unforgettable as the war that consumes a nation.

    A Hachette Audio production.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateAug 30, 2016
    ISBN9781594832475
    Unavailable
    The Widow of the South: A Novel

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    Reviews for The Widow of the South

    3.5/5

    491 ratings46 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A touching story that addresses the aftermath of the Civil War in terms of the loss of so many young men for reasons that no longer seemed as compelling as they once did. It is told largely from the points of view of Carrie McGavock, the owner of a home that was turned into a hospital during the tragic battle at Franklin, Tennessee, and Zachariah Cashwell, a Confederate sergeant who was taken there after the battle. Most of the characters are very well developed. I was particularly taken by the descriptions of this senseless battle and its immediate aftermath but the story did tend to lag a bit in the middle. Overall, it is still a good read and I recommend it for fans of southern literature and historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      interesting history about a little-known place(battle) of the civil war.
    • 2/5
      slow at times
    • 3/5
      Aftermath of the Battle of Franklin, Tenn.
    • 3/5
      While the subject matter is truly fascinating, I just could not sympathize very much with the main character in this novel. She seemed a bit too disturbed and selfish.
    • 5/5
      This book held my attention. Hicks' writing had me feeling along with Carrie the hold death has on our lives. Also truly impressive how gory war is--despite how sanitized it can become with our long range weapons now. When I found out, at the end, that this was based on a real graveyard, my admiration for Hicks' ability to make the characters come alive was even greater, as I think history is often dull. By going into the effects of the war on individual lives, Hicks let us see how insane war is. Probably Black readers would take issue with the treatment of Mariah & Theopolis, but probably it's historically accurate.Here's some perceptive quotes: "Living did not seem like a gift. It was a heavy weight, but it was all I had anymore."(p176)"...women who would not acknowledge having anything to do other than to work until they died, and for whom boundless labor guarded them against the perils of unreasonable hopes and foolish desires. Dreams of love, for instance."(255)"His power was...in the insistence of his voice. It was a low, rattling voice that he let fill the air between us, absorbing whatever we said until we were left just to listen."(363)"The face he typically displayed for women and his inferiors--children, Negroes, farmers--would not be welcome in such a gathering, and so I watched how, with every step across the room, the architecture of his face shifted and his skin formed itself until he was transformed into the image of a benevolent man of business, offensive to no one. This was the most awful face of all" (343)
    • 4/5
      Took a while before I got caught up in this book, but it turned out to be a very worthwhile read. I can remember driving through Franklin when I was on my "tour" several years ago of places where my great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, but I didn't stop, as Franklin wasn't part of his history. But I could picture the countryside, and I could imagine some of what my ancestor must have gone through, and the book made me wonder more about the character of Nathan Bedford Forrest.
    • 3/5
      In 1894 Carrie McGavock is an old woman who has only her former slave to keep her company…and almost 1500 soldiers buried in her back yard. Years before, rather than let someone plow over the field where these young men had been buried, Carrie dug them up and reburied them in her own personal cemetery. Now, as she walks the rows of dead, old soldier appears. It is the man she met on the day of the battle that changed everything. The man who came to her house as a wounded soldier and left with her heart. He asks if the cemetery has room for one more. The book is well researched and based on many true facts. That is the greatest strength as the reality of the situation and times add believability and weight to a rather light story. Where Hicks strays from the facts, the story dried up and threatens to blow away. The love element, the discovery of life and even the tangents that reconnect the main characters are not the work of a very talented writer. Not to say the Mr. Hicks cannot string together words but as a novelist, the work is amateurish at best. The story, all 400 pages of it never really goes anywhere. There is not real climax are even rising tension throughout. It simply plods through its pacing, getting the occasion burst of energy from the historical research admirably used by Hicks. Easily forgettable though an A for effort.
    • 5/5
      Anyone that has an interest in the history of the United States and particularly in the Civil War should take the time to read this novel. It is an extraordinary first novel based on a true story of the Battle of Franklin, in Tennessee, five of the bloodiest hours of the Civil War in which there were 9,200 casualties. It is riveting, and engrossing reading. This novel shares the depths of humanity -the best and the worst- in a very moving and compelling way.

      The author's research is detailed in the "Author's Note", "Bibliography" and "With Gratitude" sections at the end of the novel. These sections are not to be missed or the reader will miss very important elements in the quality of presentation tucked between the covers of this book that is now preserved for generations to come. It uniquely describes the past strife of the Civil War, uniquely honors the courage of a soldier in battle, and the human spirit of 'ordinary' individuals that become extraordinary not due to any oratory display or written document in the midst of war but through the simple actions of humanity during their everyday lives that speak louder than any words spoken or written. The story touched my heart and I hope I will always remember the depth of emotions as I closed the back cover.

    • 5/5
      In November 1864, a desperate battle took place in Franklin, Tennessee. Carrie McGavock took it upon herself to make sure that 1500 of the over 9000 who fell on that day were taken out of their shallow graves a few years later, re-buried, and remembered by her for the rest of her life on her own land. "The Widow of the South" is an excellent telling of her story which has been long lost to history.
    • 4/5
      This novel is based on a true story. It tells of the Civil War battle at Franklin, Tennessee and of the family whose home was used as a hospital during the battle and afterwards and whose property became the graveyard for many of the soldiers. It primarily takes the point of view of the homeowner, Carrie McGavock, who lived on to tend the graves. But it also focuses on one particular soldier, Zachariah, who becomes involved with Carrie. Obviously the author embroidered on the known facts of the family quite a bit, but I enjoyed the story and the regional history.
    • 4/5
      Overall this is a wonderful historical novel which provides a look at a specific relatively unknown battle of the Civil War. The Civil War was such a complicated time and this novel reflects those conflicts on many levels.I liked the author's way of telling each chapter from a different viewpoint. The characters surrounding Carrie and Zachariah were all especially well drawn and believable. It was the relationship between Carrie and Zachariah that sometimes left me wondering; their "falling in love" (if you could call it that) was awkward and vague. I was never sure of the motivations of either. Carrie is obviously the pursurer in the relationship, but I never clearly understand what it was that drew her so much to Zachariah. Due to that, my interest sagged somewhat during the middle of the story. However, Carrie's concern and drive to save the graves I felt was especially well presented.I liked the author's notes at the end and the pictures of the farmhouse and the real Carrie McGavock. I actually read that first and felt it added greatly to the significance of the story as I was reading it.
    • 2/5
      I don't think I would have the dedication to oversee a cemetery of dead civil war soldiers for decades upon decades, but then I'm pretty sure this woman was a bit insane. The story is based upon true events, and I think it's really loosely based as the author didn't have much personal information to go on and some of the plot points are a bit outrageous. I do think the author would have gotten a glove in the face due to some of the implications made about the people involved as he certainly took some artistic license for dramatic effect. I was along for the ride until the "widow" (who, by the way, wasn't a widow until waaaaay after the main bulk of the story is over) beat an amputee she was obsessed with with a crutch so he wouldn't be able to leave her; after all, if he were buried on the property at least he would be close by, right? Weird. Still, the author did an excellent job with the war-related portions of the story. It had quite the impact on me as I read it right before going to Gettysburg (even though it discusses a different battle).
    • 3/5
      This book was recommended to me by the president of my library school. I wonder, if I lived in the South, if I would have appreciated it more. It took a while for me to get used to the fact that almost every chapter is told from a different person's perspective. It allows to see all sides of a story, but was confusing at first. I would not classify it as a romance novel, which I thought was the impression the blurb gave. In fact, I was a little doubtful of the romance subplot as a whole. I did enjoy reading about the Franklin battle and its aftermath, as I don't read a lot of Civil War fiction.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written but more deep, inner thoughts about a few people in the Civil War than anything. After a while I felt frustrated with that part of it and wanted more about the war, externally.
    • 3/5
      I did enjoy most of this book but I was left wondering where he was going with a few of the strange thought processes of some of the characters. If he had a deeper message other than bringing to light the story behind the graveyard for the fallen soilders and recounting this particular battle, I just didn't get it. His use of italics was also lost on me.
    • 3/5
      This is one of those works of historical fiction in which the historical part was really interesting, but the fiction was just so-so. Carrie mcGavock,aka The Widow of the South and The Keeper of the Book of the Dead, is a fascinating historical figure. She realized her purpose in life after the nightmarish battle in franklin Tennessee during the Civil War. Her purpose? To care for and watch over the dead, numbering 9200! I was not particularly engaged by the fictional part of the story however. It felt as if the author was trying too hard t make each character amazing in some way, and the plot too mystical. For me it just didn't work.
    • 3/5
      The descriptions of the Civil War battle were by far the best that I have ever read. The author does a wonderful job of describing battle and what people go through. In the end, I found myself not enjoying the characters, particularly that of the lead female. I felt that the book tried to do more than it intended and I found its attempts not to be a love story while telling a war love story distracting. The first half of the book was MARVELOUS. The second half left something to be desired.
    • 3/5
      Great book to read if you've ever visited the Carnton Plantation. Adds much depth and meaning to the tour at the site.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed listening to this book. Has a lot of historical detail and tells about a time in our history that was a very controversal time.
    • 4/5
      Based on a true story, the Widow of the South tells the story, not only of what may have been the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, but also the story of how a cosseted woman who had retired from the world to grieve the loss of three of her children emerges as a strong, passionate woman when her house is turned into a field hospital. She not only tends to the desperately wounded, but also fights with the most prominent citizen in town to obtain land for a cemetery to honor those who died in the battle. This last becomes the work of the remainder of her life.Told unflinchingly and without glorifying the stupidity of the battle or ignoring the humanity of those who participated in the out & out slaughter that day, this story will move the reader no matter which side of that conflict ones loyalties lie.
    • 3/5
      I read this book on the basis of a recommendation by Library Thing. There is something about the Civil War that always draws me; hopefully not in a voyeuristic or ghoulish way. The Battle of Franklin was new to me: occurring just months before the end of the war and involving more casualties in 5 hours than during the 19 hours of D-Day, according to author Robert Hicks.Hicks uses Carrie McGavock's (the widow of the book's title) point of view to drive the story and the book describes the impact of this famously lost battle on individuals, on a way of life, on the South and the North. I like that. I would not have persisted through a military account. I found the book too long (over 400 pages) but still able to hold my attention even though the battle itself ends by page 115.
    • 3/5
      The Widow of the South is a novel that sneaks up on the reader. The juxtaposition of narrators is unsettling. Just when the reader feels comfortable with the direction of the novel, the shift in narration forces the reader to pay closer attention and reevaluate the knowledge already gleaned from the other perspectives. However, before one realizes it, the story meshes in a way that melts the heart while causing one to rethink previously told stories about the South during the Civil War. In other words, the forced attention and extra work are well worth the efforts for the pagentry and beauty behind Mr. Hicks' words.Make no mistake, The Widow of the South is not all beauty. Mr. Hicks presents an unflinching account of battle and its aftermath, from the battlefield to the hospital and life as an amputee. The stories are told with stark honesty, not romanticizing the battle or post-battle life in any way. The straightforward delivery, while rather gruesome in its descriptions, adds realism, and yet poignancy, to horrible situations. The Widow of the South demolishes every romantic ideal about the Civil War and creates a new picture for the reader - one that truly reflects that "war is hell."Just as the story unfolds one scene, one narrator at a time, Carrie McGavock grows and develops page after page until she represents a true steel magnolia, for which the South is so famous. Beset by grief and depression, the Carrie in the beginning of the novel is not the same Carrie McGavock at the end of the novel. As we see how the soldiers fare after the battle, we also see Carrie use her grief to help care for the soldiers directly under her care and later for all soldiers of the battle. She rediscovers what love means, what duty means, but more importantly, who she is and her unwavering values. The self-discovery and journey Carrie travels through the novel to become the ultimate Widow of the South is made precious by the backdrop of the political and social climate she faces. Zachariah Cashwell is worth mentioning as an excellent foil for Carrie, as he is the one to force her to reevaluate her life to date and what she means to do with her future. He does not coddle her or treat her with the social propriety that is her due. Rather, in Carrie, he eventually recognizes the fact that she is as injured as he is, albeit her injuries are more subtle and well-hidden. Together, they are able to heal each other's physical and spiritual wounds, finding a love so sweet and special that it endures across the decades. Yet, this is not a love story between a man and a woman. The Widow of the South is ultimately a love story between those that are lost and those that are left behind. It is a reminder that one should never forget another's sacrifice. As previously mentioned, this is by no means an easy story. The all-too-realistic descriptions of battle and surgery can leave a reader squeamish. Also, Carrie's narration reflects her mental state. When she is depressed and completely upset, her narration reflects her unrest. As Carrie grows in determination and gathers the cloak of responsibility closer to her, her narration takes on a much more focused aspect. Still, it is not easy wading through her muddled perspective.I did struggle with the novel in the beginning, especially with the multiple narrators and not having the visual cues to remind me who was speaking. As I mentioned, Carrie was particularly difficult to decipher as to her meaning, and it took me a bit longer than I would have expected to be able to determine that she was clinically depressed. Eventually, I came to enjoy the different narrators. Each person lent its own uniqueness to each character, and I particularly enjoyed the care each narrator took to authenticate his or her character's voice. I'm not certain I would have cared about each character as much had I read the book versus listened to it on audio. In this particular instance, the audio version highlighted the internal struggles of each character, making the story that much more forceful.In the end, this is a lovely story that sheds light on a Civil War battle that does not get much attention. Its exploration of life beyond the battle, as told from the various perspectives, creates a crystal-clear picture that the battle did not end after the soldiers stopped fighting. Mr. Hicks presents his details with sharp focus, holding nothing back, and the story is better for this brutal honesty. I would definitely recommend this novel to any historical fiction lovers out there!
    • 5/5
      This book was awesome - a great read in an amazing time in America's history.
    • 2/5
      The fact that this was a true story was the only reason I trudged through the terrible writing. The author got caught up in the unimportant fictional details and let the beauty of the true story fall through the cracks. The Widow of the South is the true story of a woman who, unwillingly at first, gives her house over as a hospital and later a graveyard for the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Franklin.
    • 4/5
      I didn't exactly know what to expect from this book and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. This is the tale of the little recognized Civil War Battle of Franklin in Tennessee and how it affected the people in the town near the battlefield. It also brings to light the efforts that were made by the townspeople to preserve the cemetery and Carnton home where so many soldiers were taken after the battle.This book appears to be a tribute to Carrie McGavock and her slave/friend Mariah. These two women of the south worked diligently to care for the wounded and to provide solace to the families of the soldiers who died in the battle.Carrie McGavock is the normal southern woman, wife and mother. Before the battle, her life is filled with depression and grief related to the death of 3 of her young children. It seems that Carrie doesn't come alive until literally everyone around her is dying. The Confederate Army turns her home into a hospital and together, Carrie and Mariah work to ease the suffering of the survivors. Carrie becomes involved emotionally involved with Zachariah Cashwell, a Confederate sergeant who Carrie sends to the surgeon for a leg amputation. Their time together is cut short when Cashwell is sent to a Union prison. Carrie's spirit turns to protection of the cemetery where the Confederate soldiers are buried and she and her husband John work to have the soldiers reburied on the land when the original cemetery is threatened.The historical facts are cleverly woven throughout the fictional story, enlightening the reader while enhancing the story.
    • 3/5
      This was an interesting piece of fiction/non-fiction.I found Carrie very interesting so much so that I looked her up online and found pictures(I listened to this one audio) and information that really made her come to life.That being said the fictional account of Carrie and Zachariah was well a little hard for me she being a southern belle and propriety and all.I think it would have been just as good of a book if the opening of the hospital and the events from there would have brought her and John close again.Instead of the rift between them continuing even though he supported her moving the soldiers.Carrie was a strong southern woman who I did enjoy learning about.
    • 4/5
      A very moving book about a nearly-forgotten battle to those of us who have very limited knowledge of the details of the Civil War. This pays homage to many of the fallen soldiers of the Confederate Army, both identified and non-identified. Furthermore, it pays tribute to Carrie McGavock who devoted much of her life to preserving the memory of these soldiers. Many of the historical details are based on fact, interwoven with the author's interpretation of Carrie's relationship with these soldiers & with one in particular. As a reader who is largely ignorant of the facts surrounding the Civil War, I found this book very enlightening and it has piqued my interest into further exploration, with an additional desire to travel to some of these historical sites. Having read the abridged audiobook version, I think this is definitely one instance where an unabridged reading would greatly enhance the reader's enjoyment & appreciation of historical detail, & had I read that, my star rating would've probably been higher.
    • 4/5
      I’m torn.Were it not for this book, I would still be in ignorance about the history of the Battle of Franklin and of the Carnton cemetery. We owe a debt of gratitude to this author for bringing the story to the greater attention of readers in this country, and for his work in promoting the physical preservation of the Carnton home and cemetery. I very much appreciate his research into that moment in history and its background. That part of his story was captivating. And, too, the historical notes and photographs at the end of the book were fascinating. The setting, from the little town of Franklin, Tennessee, to the small farms and large plantations thereabouts, and especially the Carnton homeplace, was very realistically rendered. The place and its time, setting-wise, were believable. (For the main story, the history, and setting - 5 stars.)But the dialog didn’t ring true. In the characters' thoughts and speech, I couldn’t take to the story. It felt, at times, as if it was written by a psychologist assigning personality types to his different characters and molding their words to fit his sculptures. At other times, as if a non-Christian was trying to channel to the main character words (and actions) foreign to a woman raised (as his history notes show) in a strong Presbyterian worldview. At times, as if a being from the 21st century was trying to make his characters say what he would have liked them to say from his own enlightened viewpoint, rather than what real people in those situations and from that time in history would actually have said. I don’t know any personal details about the author; nor would such details matter. The dialog just felt forced in those directions. (For this – 2 stars) Overall, I rate this book 3.5/5 and would recommend it to readers interested in the American Civil War.
    • 4/5
      Though this was not my usual cup of tea, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Widow of the South. My usual problem when I read historical fiction that is about an actual person is that I will forever be confused as to which of what I read was fiction and which really happened.