None Shall Look Back

I read this book for a LT group theme read "American Civil War". (I also read it in college for a Southern Lit class many years ago). It was a quick and compelling read and Gordon's writing is excellent. She really captures the South and Southerner not just through her story, but through her use of language (and without being confusing and inaccessible). The novel takes place in Kentucky during the last year of the Civil War primarily and tells the story of a wealthy land owning family plus friends and cousins-- those who go to war, and those left behind at home. The chapters trade back and forth telling of the battles and of the difficulties at home.

I personally found the the battle scenes overly detailed and somewhat tedious-- troop show more movements, breastworks, flanks, etc. I'm just not terribly interested in this stuff. I also kept getting all the Generals mixed up-- you can't just refer to "The General" when there's ~10 of them. The scenes on the farm were much more interesting to me. It was a bit hard to be all broken up by the ending since it was pretty obvious all along how it would end. (The South loses and the hero gets killed!!). Gordon is not known for happy endings, but she doesn't tell her sad tales with a bit of melodrama or sappiness, which I appreciate.

The most interesting aspect of the novel was the perspective on the war. It's told by a war-fighter with close access to the leadership. There's strong insinuation that the leadership of the Confederate Army was weak, slow in making critical decisions, drunken, and ultimately at fault for their loss (most of the leaders were historical characters). I don't know how historically accurate the details of the leaders or the battles are. I had not seen the war painted this way before. The folks at home were also shown to have faults-- overly proud, stubborn, etc. Gordon was a Southerner herself, and certainly the book has a "pro-South" feel to it, but she didn't hide the defects or paint a picture of perfection and bliss. It's much more real than many Civil War stories. Recommended. 3.5 stars. show less

I love books written pre-1950 and this book did not disappoint. Great Civil War novel that concentrates on the western theater, specifically on Gen. Forrest. Historically accurate and intense. Loved it.