The Cause: Love & War

by Ellyn M. Baker

Not your typical war story, The Cause: Love & War tells of a young woman's struggle to understand the war from both sides. Southern-born Emilie Prescott and her family move north to rid themselves of trouble in the south before the real trouble of war begins. Artfully crafted, the story plays out in the small town of Gettysburg,Pennsylvania. Emilie carries her southern values north to live and learn from a town that teachers her lessons of life, all while discovering an understanding of war from both sides. Emilie faces decisions that will not only change her life but also threaten to change everything she has ever known. Emilie interacts with historical people of Gettysburg to tell the civilian side of the battle at Gettysburg.

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

Ellyn is a historical fiction author. Her deep connection to history began locally. Her background in psychology, human development, social gerontology, and nursing allows her to create intricate stories with deeply motivated characters.
When she's away from her writing desk, Ellyn remains a dedicated student of history, exploring historical sites and finding inspiration in nature through hiking, kayaking, and gardening.

Reviews

[NayNay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes when people read a book and then review it , that reviewer wants to tell you everything about the book...all the beauty, all the revelations, all the reasons why they like the book. BUT I will restrain myself in this case and just say READ THIS BOOK! All you historical fiction fans you will want to add this one to your bookshelves.

[Ellyn Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The inspiration for this book was the civilian side of the war. There are oodles of books about the military and who fought where through the Civil War. I felt compelled to tell the story from the southern view point because there are always two sides of the story. I wrote the book to bring both sides, North and South together by posing the dilemma, what if you understood both sides of the story?

I traveled to Gettysburg five years ago. It was somewhere I always wanted to visit. During a personal tour of the area by a National Park Guide, I felt a strong empathy for the people who lived through the three days of hell, as their town was invaded. The empathy turned to anger when I learned about what the armies left behind. It took years for Gettysburg to recover. The sacrifice was not only theirs, but it also impacted the country.

Listening to the stories about how the town went from fear to a call to action. I was touched by the citizen's stories. While writing the book, I chose a few historical characters to teach Emilie about living in the North. Carrie Sheads became Emilie's mentor. Sallie Meyers a friend for Emilie and the Bayle Family was as ordinary as any one of us. Every one of these historical figures taught me about Gettysburg through their writing, letters and diaries. The background of the area was painted for me by a wonderful Gettysburg Park Historian, John. He helped me get a "feel" for the area so I could put you in the middle of the story.

The story is about finding your way. Life is simple as a child, but at some point, you have to decide who you are and what you believe in. These decisions impact not only you but those around you.

[Cherylvandersteen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story about one girl's personal struggle with life events brought on by the Civil War. It gave me a new perspective on the war I didn't have before. I love when a book can get me emotionally involved with the characters. I felt their struggles, their pain, their happiness, their sadness. I really enjoy reading books on the trials and tribulations of everyday people living through extraordinary events and experiences.

[E.Michael Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wonderful Story, but could have been great.

After much thought and soul-searching, I'm giving Ellyn M. Baker's "The Cause -- Love and War" four stars, docking a half-star from both the author and publisher.
This is a wonderful story, which could have been great. Well-drawn characters and a story-line that kept me turning the pages, plus a well-researched background of everyday civilians' way of life during the Civil War era were big pluses. I found myself caught-up in the Prescott family's lives and struggles, their good times and bad, especially daughter Emilie, the book's main protagonist. Emilie is a strong-willed, independent-minded young lady who wants nothing more than to become a teacher. Her parents want their daughter to forget those dreams, marry some worthy young man and settle into the domestic routine of running a household and raising children as was the "proper" role of most young women of the era.

When the father, Jacob Prescott, who detests slavery, sells the family's northern Virginia plantation to ambitious and wealth-seeking younger brother William, and the family moves north to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, young Emilie takes her dream with her. I won't leave any spoilers here, but with the onset of war between North and South, the family is torn by conflicting views. Although against slavery, Emilie's two brothers, believer's in States rights and that the South is upholding the original intent of the U.S. Constitution, join forces with the South. Emilie, who has found true love with Thaddeus, a handsome young Gettysburg native, is torn when her fiance' casts his lot with Union forces, along with his lifelong friend, Stephen.

Eventually, the war comes to Gettysburg, ravages both sides, and takes a terrible toll. Neither side escapes sorrow or loss. The ending is both heart-rending and full of promise for a brighter future. All-in-all, a wonderful tale.

Now, for the not-so-good: On the copyright page, the publisher states: "Tate Publishing is committed to excellence in the publishing industry. The company reflects the philosophy established by the founders, based on Psalm 68:11, "The Lord gave the word and great was the company of those who published it." In this reviewer's opinion, I don't think they lived up to those lofty words. Their house editors left much to be desired, as there are many glaring typos, misuses of tense within the same sentence, etc. The author must also share a part of the blame. A very careful re-reading and final author edit of proofs should have caught many, if not most, of these errors.

However, the Prescott's touching story ultimately covers "a multitude of sins" (in keeping with the publisher's biblical theme). "The Cause" is well-worth the reader's time and effort. A wonderful first novel!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young southern born girl, Emily, and her family move north to Gettysburg before the conflicts of the civil war. Emily and her family don't believe in slavery, so they free their slaves and treat them like any other person. The family plantation is sold to her father's younger brother along with the agreement to let the free slaves remain with the plantation free or to move on to a better life. Emily discovers her dreams and her upbringing are viewed differently in Gettysburg. She wants to teach and perhaps someday marry. It isn't until she finds a young man, Thadeus, who allows her to be what she wants to be, she changes her mind. A life and family are the most important thing to her, and career as a teacher comes second. During their courtship, the war starts. Thadeus decides to answer Lincoln's call for volunteers. Through the war the two lovers continue their courtship through letters and furloughs. Emily's days are consumed with her love for Thadeus, she doesn't know if she could continue to move forward if anything should happen to him. Her resolves are tested to their limits, can she survive the battle of Gettysburg and the dreadful aftermath of it?

I enjoyed this book. Emily reminded me a bit of Scarlet, with her stubborn ways and an intelligence that is not permitted to be seen or heard during that era. I have always enjoyed stories of the Civil War, with the southern belles and beaux. Their dresses and the way the men treated the ladies as the fairer sex. It was a time of gentlemen and ladies. Ladies were treated with respect even though they were not permitted to express their intelligence. Would that time have been different if women were allowed to express their thoughts and feelings over this conflict.

I would recommend this book to anyone who was interested in the Civil War, a little romantic courtship and troubles of a young belle coping to understand what is going on around her.

[Erica T · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story receives a 3(-), but overall I'm rating it 2 stars.

I really struggled with this book. I wanted to like it but had such a hard time getting through it. It took me two months to read it, because I would set it aside and read something else. I kept going back to it, because I wanted to be able to give it a complete and fair review. However, I didn't feel like anything really happened to keep me reading until about the last 50 pages.

The main character Emilie bugged me. I found her to be whiny and impulsive, which she claimed made her a strong, independent woman. Because I didn't feel connected to her I found myself not caring that much what happened to her. The historical aspects of the book were interesting, and I always love learning more about the details of how historical events took place. Building characters into such events and letting me see it through their eyes makes me feel like I better understand what "really happened."

Although I would give the storyline 3 stars, I rated it 2 stars overall. There were a lot of errors in the book. I felt like I was reading a copy that had not been proofread. There were misspelled words, a lot of change in tense problems, run-ons, fragments, missing punctuation, etc. If the book was republished after being thoroughly proofread, I would definitely change my rating to 3 stars, but I found myself very distracted with all the mistakes which I think added to my inability to really enjoy it.

**I received this book in a giveaway by Goodreads. **

[Bridget Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being told I was reading The Cause: Love and War for a class assignment, I was very excited. The take on the story, being told from a young woman's perspective during the Civil War, intrigued me very much so. The story lived up to every expectation I had for it, making it both a learning experience and enjoyable. The Cause was different from many books I have read from that genre, for one, it was written from a female's perspective as aforementioned. The book felt real, almost as if Emilee walked Gettysburg back in 1860's and I believe that had to do with the fact that many of the supporting characters actually did. The book was well researched and the topic was closely studied; so much so that it made the book flow more easily. I look forward to rereading this story.

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a Language arts assignment trying to avoid reading another war book. It was far more than just a war story. This is truly a story the can interest the common girl in historical fiction. While reading this book I fell in love with the characters and each of their stories. I found the main character Emilie extremely relate-able. Towards the end of the book I found myself feeling like a proud mother, seeing her grow. With that I absolutely loved the way Ellyn tied in real people from the civil war era and had them interact with her characters.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book. Great local author.