The Widow of the South

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 show more 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! show less

I'm a sucker for the American Civil War, so this book (and the spiffy looking cover) quickly got my attention. It's based on the true story of Carrie McGavock, the woman who oversaw the creation and maintenance of the largest privately-owned Civil War cemetery in America, established in the fields by her home in Franklin, Tennessee, after the Battle of Franklin.

Hicks has a way with words that allows the reader to very easily picture the scene in their head; I felt at times like I was watching the story happen, as opposed to reading it. The characters of Zachariah Cashwell and Mariah were particularly compelling.

This is another book that I was sad to finish. I will definitely keep an eye out for more books by Robert Hicks!

The Battle of Franklin took place in Tennessee on November 30, 1864, just months before the American Civil War’s official end at Appomattox. The battle was a devastating loss for the Confederate side, with casualty figures far exceeding those of other battles. The army designated Carnton, a plantation owned by John McGavock, as a hospital. McGavock’s wife, Carrie, threw herself into caring for the wounded and dying soldiers.

Carrie knows grief, having lost three of her five children. She lives in isolation, rarely going into town. Besides her family, the only person Carrie is in close contact with is Mariah, a Black woman about Carrie’s age, who was a childhood companion and accompanied Carrie when she married John. At first she show more resists the Army’s demand to take over her house, and is surprised to find herself responding to a call of sorts, working around the clock to provide bandages, water, food, and shelter. After the war, Carrie learns that a prosperous man in town plans to plow up a nearby field that was used as a cemetery. She successfully intervenes and organizes a reburial of all the men interred there, with stones marking each person’s place of rest.

The Widow of the South is Carrie’s story, a fictional account of historic events. Carrie’s role in the creation of the cemetery is well documented, but as is often the case with female historic figures, there is much about her life that is unknown. The novel is an interesting imagining of likely events and circumstances that might have caused Carrie to behave as she did. The author’s note at the end of the book includes photos of Carrie and her family, commentary separating fact from fiction, an an extensive bibliography. I enjoyed reading about a part of Civil War history completely unfamiliar to me, and am glad Robert Hicks chose to celebrate the Carrie McGavock’s important role. show less

I absolutely LOVED this book. I was reading it when I went up to Rabun County once for some respite from my goofy household. A whole week by myself. It was heaven. But the thought of driving 5 hours was overwhelming, so I took the book out on tape and listened to it on tape while driving, then would read on the back porch in the cabin. I kept trying to figure out if I could drive to the Franklin in the book and see the actual setting. (Though this is historical fiction, it's based on the true story of Carrie McGavock whose plantation home was used as a hospital during the battle of Franklin between the Union and Confederate armies.)

Maybe because I live in the south, maybe because I am a nurse, or maybe because I am a romantic at heart, show more this book really resounded with me. I just pulled the copy we own off the shelf this morning, and promised it I would re-read it again someday. I thought the author did a brilliant job at drawing the characters and describing the brutal nature of life during the Civil War, for both civilians and soldiers. The interweaving of the various tales was so well done. This one's a keeper. show less

I really wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.

Based on a true story, “The Widow of the South” tells of the aftermath of the Civil War battle of Franklin, Tennessee, a devastating (and now largely-forgotten) bloodbath that left over 9,000 soldiers dead, wounded, captured, or missing. A local plantation house, owned by the McGavock family, was pressed into use as a field hospital, and the family later donated acreage for a cemetery when the shallow graves on the battlefield itself were threatened by the plow as agricultural land was put back into production in the post-war years.

On these bones, Hicks has grafted an odd love story, creating a wounded soldier whose passion for Carrie McGavock helps bring her out of the show more melancholy resulting from the deaths of three of her children and ultimately gives her the spirit and perseverance to create the memorial.

And that’s where the story faltered for me. Both Carrie and the fictitious Zachariah Cashwell are brilliantly drawn but broken people whose obsession for one another feels forced and essentially baseless. The tale came to life for me only when Carrie and her husband John take on the fictionalized owner of the battlefield graveyard. One wonders what the novel might have been had Hicks chosen to make that conflict the center of the story. show less

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 show more 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) show less

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 show more 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. show less