Letters from Home by Gracelyn Buckner {Book Review}

~ Description 

It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it.
~General Robert E. Lee, CSA

Marigold Ruth Bryant and Rueben Collins lived the life of farmers in Western North Carolina during the early 1860s. But times are changing. With the attack on Fort Sumpter, Marigold and Rueben’s lives are turned upside down. Meeting legendary figures in the war, they must decide what they truly believe. Follow the steps of these simple farming families and discover more about the lives of those impacted by this conflict.

~ My Rating 

3.5 stars

~ My Review 

Letters from Home was a nice story, that fairly accurately showed every day civilian life during the Civil War. The fact that it's set near my home made it more enjoyable, as I recognized town and landmark names. 

The characters were well-done and mostly relatable. There were a lot of them to keep track of however—something that usually bothers me—but the character list near the beginning of the book helped with that. 

There were a few inconsistencies throughout the book that caused me to lower my rating a bit. 

*Spoilers through the next two paragraphs*

A man from town comes to the home of the main character, nearly frozen from the weather, to tell the family of a raid that just took place. Instead of asking the poor man what happened, prompting him to traipse through a snowstorm to tell them about it, Marigold's mom sends her out in the storm. She walks to town, visits two families, and ends up drinking ice tea with the colonel's wife, with no mention made of the cold weather. Wait...what about the blizzard? :P

There was also a Charles mentioned a couple times...I never did figure out who he was.

Toward the end of the book, Marigold receives a letter saying that Rueben was captured by the enemy and she worries about. But up until that time, she hadn't heard from him in months and she was 'okay' with that. So...why the sudden worry, when you at least know he's alive now?

*end of spoilers*

Inconsistencies aside, I did enjoy the story, the peek into the horrors of Civil War POW camps, and the inclusion of real events. If you enjoy stories about the Civil War, you'd probably like this one! :)


**I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.**