Shenandoah

The Civil War Battle Series #8

by James Reasoner, Lloyd James

The last half of 1863 has taken a toll on the Brannon family, but winter has finally forced the armies to suspend campaigning. The lull in the fighting allows Mac to take leave from Jeb Stuart's cavalry, and Will comes home from a Richmond hospital to convalesce. What little calm Christmas brings, however, is shattered with the sudden appearance--as if from the grave--of Titus, the son believed to have been lost to the war more than a year earlier. Though his return is joyous news, Titus is devastated when he finds his wife remarried and pregnant. Tensions escalate when he learns that his brother, Henry, is the father. In his bitterness and pain, Titus unleashes a personal war on the new family. Will's sense of honor soon compels him to return to duty, where his is swept into the fighting in the Wilderness. For a time, Mac is with him, but a Federal raid near Richmond propels the Confederate cavalry toward the crossroads at Yellow Tavern and destiny. News from the war again hits hard at the Brannon farm, now behind enemy lines. Of the two brothers left there, one seeks vengeance on the Yankees fighting in the Shenandoah Valley.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War, Fiction, American Civil War, Historical

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd Reading:
This time I read the actual book; it was so much better--I knew the characters really well and deeply felt their anguish as the war came burning into their farm country. The characters of Titus and Will have been extremely well-developed as the series has progressed.

1st Review:
I couldn’t stop listening to this story of a Virginia family during the Civil War. It has romance, a mystery, historical figures. It was so good I decided to listen next to Book 1 of the series.

[Allison Kirchner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hurriedly grabbed this book at a library clearance sale, thinking it was related to "Shenandoah" the movie and not realizing this was #8 in a series. I read it anyway, hoping that I didn't miss too much by jumping into the series so late. I believe the author did a pretty good job of catching me up by mentioning all of the family members in the first part of the book. However, that was my least favorite part of the book -- hard to get through due to unlikable characters and dubious story lines. Once the action switched to the battlefields throughout Virginia, I sped through the rest of the book. Almost all of the action took place within 75 miles of my home, and I have visited many of the battlefields mentioned. I will look forward to future field trips to the smaller battlefields that I haven't yet visited. I particularly appreciated the information about the skirmishes in the Shenandoah Valley since that part of the war has been underrepresented in other Civil War books that I have read.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a more depressing book than the previous but that is fitting. Most Southerners are beginning to realize that the cause may be lost but they are going to go down fighting. We end the book wondering if Titus has it in him to redeem himself.

[T.S. Folke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasoners finest effort , a decent yarn in a mediocre series. Titus the drunk soberly chases tail up and down the valley, joins Moseby’s raiders , attempts to get laid, executes some Yankees, etc etc

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in this series but sad at the end. My favorite character in this ten volume set died at Cold Harbor. He had been shot at Gettysburg never got better from that chest wound and got shot in the chest again. It was a bummer but he fought bravely to the end. Two more to go!

[Mary Ellen Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the battle detail but a bit light on characters and predictable.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner in the series! One reviewer noted that the beginnnig was soapy and then enjoyed the military tactics which just shows that we all can find something in this series because my opinion is the opposite. I really enjoyed the "murder mystery" but got a little bored with all the tactical discussions. I've been waiting to hear about Mosby's Rangers and for Titus to join them was icing on the cake. I've already started book 9 "Savannah" before I stopped to write this!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one got a little soapy, then went in an interesting direction at the end.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of action in this book, especially with the family dynamic. Another great book in the series. At this point, the South is realizing they are rapidly descending to total defeat.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be the best of the 8 books in this series that I have read thus far.
Lots of twists and turns and drama.