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A review by karen_perkins
Gone for a Soldier by Kathleen Kelly Garlock
5.0
Lucy Tessier has a problem – a problem that can only be solved with a knife – then she really has a problem.
Dressed in her brother's clothes, she enlists in the army as Rob Edwards in a desperate attempt to hide. At first she is suspected of being abducted, but knows that is only a matter of time before the real story comes out, that she stabbed her guardian when he raped her.
Terrified of discovery, Lucy throws herself into army life. Drills, guard duty and hospital duties fill her days while she waits for an opportunity to desert and escape before her secret is discovered.
Expecting to be sent west to guard the frontier, she is shocked when her regiment of volunteers is sent south to Washington to fight the Confederate Army. Now there is nowhere to hide.
On the march south, Lucy makes the acquaintance of the Walsh family. Young Rose, her aunt Johanna and father Dr Jack. She makes quite an impression on the family – as do they on her – and they begin corresponding. It is clear from the first letters that Dr Walsh has worked out who she is. He offers her help and support, and does not blow her cover, but Lucy is distraught that someone – a relative stranger – has guessed her secret. Her life gets even more complicated when she falls in love.
'Gone for a Soldier' is well written historical fiction, which has been thoroughly researched and includes some great detail to successfully bring the Union Army to life. Kathleen Kelly Garlock paints a stark and honest picture of army life in the early 1800's. "Colonel Gorman was having a hard time convincing his army of frontier volunteers that they'd given up the freedom they thought they were fighting for." is a particularly poignant line.
The descriptive passages are vivid – I could almost see Washington with the unfinished dome of the Capitol (not bad for someone who has not yet visited the US), the language used is believable and evocative of the time and place, and the dialogue is authentic and natural.
This is not only a good read, it is an interesting and vivid portrait of life in nineteenth century America, written in a gentle style that somehow underlines the more chilling aspects of the story with moments of humour, poignancy and tenderness.
Kathleen Kelly Garlock successfully evokes the camaraderie of the life of a regiment in camp, the deprivations of the march and the horrors of war, and I urge any fan of historical fiction to read this book.
Dressed in her brother's clothes, she enlists in the army as Rob Edwards in a desperate attempt to hide. At first she is suspected of being abducted, but knows that is only a matter of time before the real story comes out, that she stabbed her guardian when he raped her.
Terrified of discovery, Lucy throws herself into army life. Drills, guard duty and hospital duties fill her days while she waits for an opportunity to desert and escape before her secret is discovered.
Expecting to be sent west to guard the frontier, she is shocked when her regiment of volunteers is sent south to Washington to fight the Confederate Army. Now there is nowhere to hide.
On the march south, Lucy makes the acquaintance of the Walsh family. Young Rose, her aunt Johanna and father Dr Jack. She makes quite an impression on the family – as do they on her – and they begin corresponding. It is clear from the first letters that Dr Walsh has worked out who she is. He offers her help and support, and does not blow her cover, but Lucy is distraught that someone – a relative stranger – has guessed her secret. Her life gets even more complicated when she falls in love.
'Gone for a Soldier' is well written historical fiction, which has been thoroughly researched and includes some great detail to successfully bring the Union Army to life. Kathleen Kelly Garlock paints a stark and honest picture of army life in the early 1800's. "Colonel Gorman was having a hard time convincing his army of frontier volunteers that they'd given up the freedom they thought they were fighting for." is a particularly poignant line.
The descriptive passages are vivid – I could almost see Washington with the unfinished dome of the Capitol (not bad for someone who has not yet visited the US), the language used is believable and evocative of the time and place, and the dialogue is authentic and natural.
This is not only a good read, it is an interesting and vivid portrait of life in nineteenth century America, written in a gentle style that somehow underlines the more chilling aspects of the story with moments of humour, poignancy and tenderness.
Kathleen Kelly Garlock successfully evokes the camaraderie of the life of a regiment in camp, the deprivations of the march and the horrors of war, and I urge any fan of historical fiction to read this book.