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The Second Mrs. Hockaday
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
“All I had known for certain when I came around the hen house that first evening in July and saw my husband trudging into the yard after lifetimes spent away from us, a borrowed bag in his hand and the shadow of grief on his face, was that he had to be protected at all costs from knowing what had happened in his absence. I did not believe he could survive it.”
When Major Gryffth Hockaday is called to the front lines of the Civil War, his new bride is left to care for her husband’s three-hundred-acre farm and infant son. Placidia, a mere teenager herself living far from her family and completely unprepared to run a farm or raise a child, must endure the darkest days of the war on her own. By the time Major Hockaday returns two years later, Placidia is bound for jail, accused of having borne a child in his absence and murdering it. What really transpired in the two years he was away?
Inspired by a true incident, this saga conjures the era with uncanny immediacy. Amid the desperation of wartime, Placidia sees the social order of her Southern homeland unravel as her views on race and family are transformed. A love story, a story of racial divide, and a story of the South as it fell in the war, The Second Mrs. Hockaday reveals how that generation--and the next--began to see their world anew.
“All I had known for certain when I came around the hen house that first evening in July and saw my husband trudging into the yard after lifetimes spent away from us, a borrowed bag in his hand and the shadow of grief on his face, was that he had to be protected at all costs from knowing what had happened in his absence. I did not believe he could survive it.”
When Major Gryffth Hockaday is called to the front lines of the Civil War, his new bride is left to care for her husband’s three-hundred-acre farm and infant son. Placidia, a mere teenager herself living far from her family and completely unprepared to run a farm or raise a child, must endure the darkest days of the war on her own. By the time Major Hockaday returns two years later, Placidia is bound for jail, accused of having borne a child in his absence and murdering it. What really transpired in the two years he was away?
Inspired by a true incident, this saga conjures the era with uncanny immediacy. Amid the desperation of wartime, Placidia sees the social order of her Southern homeland unravel as her views on race and family are transformed. A love story, a story of racial divide, and a story of the South as it fell in the war, The Second Mrs. Hockaday reveals how that generation--and the next--began to see their world anew.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published January 10, 2017
541 people are currently reading
14710 people want to read
About the author
Susan Rivers
2 books141 followersSusan Rivers began her writing career as a playwright, receiving the Julie Harris Playwriting Award and the New York Drama League Award, and working as an NEA Writer-in-Residence in San Francisco.
Her focus shifted to fiction with a move to the Carolinas in 1995. Rivers' debut novel, The Second Mrs. Hockaday, was published by Algonquin Books in 2017. It was a People Magazine "Best New Books Pick" and a Woman's Day "Editor's Desk Pick" in 2017, as well as IndieNext, Library Reads and Winter OKRA Picks, and was a Women's National Book Association Great Group Reads 2018 Selection. The novel was a finalist for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize 2017 and the Southern Book Prize 2018.
The author lives and writes in upstate South Carolina.
Her focus shifted to fiction with a move to the Carolinas in 1995. Rivers' debut novel, The Second Mrs. Hockaday, was published by Algonquin Books in 2017. It was a People Magazine "Best New Books Pick" and a Woman's Day "Editor's Desk Pick" in 2017, as well as IndieNext, Library Reads and Winter OKRA Picks, and was a Women's National Book Association Great Group Reads 2018 Selection. The novel was a finalist for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize 2017 and the Southern Book Prize 2018.
The author lives and writes in upstate South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,330 reviews
October 13, 2016
Placidia is only seventeen when she agrees to marry Major Hockaday, a man much older than herself, a recent widower with a small child. After spending only two days together, he is recalled to service in our Civil War. Now she is expected to manage his large farm, take care of his little boy and all with little help. When he finally returns it is to find that she has given birth, and said to have murdered the child. What really happened in the two years he was away.
Told almost entirely in journal entries, letters and court documents we follow Placidia, learning about her life and the answers to this puzzling and horrifically charged event. One of my favorite ways to tell a story, seems more personal and realistic. This is in fact based on a true event. A dark book, but a book that highlights not only the difficulties the women faced, left alone, the men fighting and dying in large numbers, but also the amazing strength so many of these women had to develop. I liked, admired this young woman, she had to do so much with so little, use skills she had to find that she had never needed before.
A wonderfully written mix of genres, mystery and historical and I believe even a little Southern grit. The answer to the mystery and its aftermath would linger on, affecting the future generation. They would seek the answers to an event that they didn't know existed. I loved uncovering the story right along with them.
ARC from publisher.
Told almost entirely in journal entries, letters and court documents we follow Placidia, learning about her life and the answers to this puzzling and horrifically charged event. One of my favorite ways to tell a story, seems more personal and realistic. This is in fact based on a true event. A dark book, but a book that highlights not only the difficulties the women faced, left alone, the men fighting and dying in large numbers, but also the amazing strength so many of these women had to develop. I liked, admired this young woman, she had to do so much with so little, use skills she had to find that she had never needed before.
A wonderfully written mix of genres, mystery and historical and I believe even a little Southern grit. The answer to the mystery and its aftermath would linger on, affecting the future generation. They would seek the answers to an event that they didn't know existed. I loved uncovering the story right along with them.
ARC from publisher.
June 24, 2017
“Our enemy is [. . .] and all people like him, who never question their motives or doubt their desires. They are put on this earth to cause misery, because what they take so freely for themselves comes always at great cost to others.”
This novel is constructed in epistolary form; there are also diary entries and the records of interviews from an inquest. In a very short period of time, I felt like I was the intended recipient of those letters, regardless who was being addressed. This story is utterly absorbing.
The time begins during the last couple of years of the American Civil War and the setting is a rural farm. The circumstance finds a teenage bride left to care for the child of the deceased first Mrs. Hockaday and the workings of the farm. Her husband of only a couple of days is called away to the war so there is no choice but to grow up fast and cope.
During her husband’s absence, the second Mrs. Hockaday has a child that does not survive. However, this event occurs a year or more after her husband left for the war and it is upon his return that he hears more malicious gossip than he can handle in his war-shocked condition.
Letters to her cousin are interspersed with records of the inquest interviews. Many other disclosures come at a later time through both letters by main characters and the second Mrs. Hockaday’s discovered diary entries.
Perhaps because of the letters coupled with the diary entries and how personal they are, this book took on a sense of immediacy and reality that played out more like a strong memory – a cellular recollection of a time and place that was brutally hard yet filled with small blessings and rewards. Both the pragmatic and the esoteric can be found within these pages, and how this feels will be a unique experience for each reader.
I loved this book. I highly recommend this book, and I hope that in reading it your life is touched by this story, too.
This novel is constructed in epistolary form; there are also diary entries and the records of interviews from an inquest. In a very short period of time, I felt like I was the intended recipient of those letters, regardless who was being addressed. This story is utterly absorbing.
The time begins during the last couple of years of the American Civil War and the setting is a rural farm. The circumstance finds a teenage bride left to care for the child of the deceased first Mrs. Hockaday and the workings of the farm. Her husband of only a couple of days is called away to the war so there is no choice but to grow up fast and cope.
During her husband’s absence, the second Mrs. Hockaday has a child that does not survive. However, this event occurs a year or more after her husband left for the war and it is upon his return that he hears more malicious gossip than he can handle in his war-shocked condition.
Letters to her cousin are interspersed with records of the inquest interviews. Many other disclosures come at a later time through both letters by main characters and the second Mrs. Hockaday’s discovered diary entries.
Perhaps because of the letters coupled with the diary entries and how personal they are, this book took on a sense of immediacy and reality that played out more like a strong memory – a cellular recollection of a time and place that was brutally hard yet filled with small blessings and rewards. Both the pragmatic and the esoteric can be found within these pages, and how this feels will be a unique experience for each reader.
I loved this book. I highly recommend this book, and I hope that in reading it your life is touched by this story, too.
February 6, 2017
I received a copy of The Second Mrs. Hockaday through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Algonquin Books and to Susan Rivers for the opportunity.
Some stories are told straightforward with details sunnyside up. The Second Mrs. Hockaday weaves itself into quite a Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. The threads stitch in line and then fall back onto itself through loops of personal letters, inquest notices, and documentations. A here, a now, and a long reaching into the past.
Placidia Fincher lives quite the life in Holland Creek, South Carolina. She's doted upon constantly by her father. It's 1865 and the fringes of the Civil War are drawing in. A mere seventeen years old, Placidia is ill-prepared for the demands that will soon be placed upon her. Major Gryffth Hockaday, at 32 years of age, asks her father for her hand in marriage. Within days, a wedding takes place and Placidia leaves all that she has ever known to become a wife and a mother to Hockaday's baby boy.
Upon arriving at Hockaday's 300 acre farm, Placidia has set the tone by grabbing the reins of her horse and correcting Hockaday's manner of placing the horse in the stall. He's not to let this go lightly and their first night together demonstrates that he is in charge of all and everything.
The major returns to his troops and does not arrive back at the farm for years thereafter. He has been imprisoned until after the war. Placidia spends those years surrounded in complete disaster with dead and starving animals on the farm and crops destroyed ill-tended in the fields. It is a hell that holds her in its clutches until she can barely breathe.
Placidia gives birth during the long absence of her soldier husband. The child expires and is buried on the land. But the tragedy can no longer be buried as Hockaday returns as a physically and mentally broken man. He leaves Placidia and brings up charges against her.
Susan Rivers implements those personal letters and inquest documentations to cast a dark shadow upon whose child laid in that shallow grave. Placidia guards her secret with pressed fingers to lips. And the telling can somewhat frustrate through the back and forth. One can almost grow weary through it all. The dialogue also has the authenticity of the time period. It is in the telling that weighs heavy and not the storyline itself.
This is my first book by Susan Rivers. To be sure, I will look forward to her next.
Some stories are told straightforward with details sunnyside up. The Second Mrs. Hockaday weaves itself into quite a Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. The threads stitch in line and then fall back onto itself through loops of personal letters, inquest notices, and documentations. A here, a now, and a long reaching into the past.
Placidia Fincher lives quite the life in Holland Creek, South Carolina. She's doted upon constantly by her father. It's 1865 and the fringes of the Civil War are drawing in. A mere seventeen years old, Placidia is ill-prepared for the demands that will soon be placed upon her. Major Gryffth Hockaday, at 32 years of age, asks her father for her hand in marriage. Within days, a wedding takes place and Placidia leaves all that she has ever known to become a wife and a mother to Hockaday's baby boy.
Upon arriving at Hockaday's 300 acre farm, Placidia has set the tone by grabbing the reins of her horse and correcting Hockaday's manner of placing the horse in the stall. He's not to let this go lightly and their first night together demonstrates that he is in charge of all and everything.
The major returns to his troops and does not arrive back at the farm for years thereafter. He has been imprisoned until after the war. Placidia spends those years surrounded in complete disaster with dead and starving animals on the farm and crops destroyed ill-tended in the fields. It is a hell that holds her in its clutches until she can barely breathe.
Placidia gives birth during the long absence of her soldier husband. The child expires and is buried on the land. But the tragedy can no longer be buried as Hockaday returns as a physically and mentally broken man. He leaves Placidia and brings up charges against her.
Susan Rivers implements those personal letters and inquest documentations to cast a dark shadow upon whose child laid in that shallow grave. Placidia guards her secret with pressed fingers to lips. And the telling can somewhat frustrate through the back and forth. One can almost grow weary through it all. The dialogue also has the authenticity of the time period. It is in the telling that weighs heavy and not the storyline itself.
This is my first book by Susan Rivers. To be sure, I will look forward to her next.
December 8, 2017
In 1863, 17 year old Dia marries a man double her age, a major in the Confederate army. After two days, he returns to the front leaving her with a 300 acre farm, a baby stepson, an aging female slave and a few field hands to manage. When he returns at the end of the war, she has given birth to a baby who had quickly died. Given that he hasn’t been home at all in the intervening years, there’s already a mystery at hand. When he brings up charges against her and she refuses to give the paternity of the child or tell who has helped her, the mystery compounds.
The book is told through a series of letters, inquest documents and diary entries. The language of the book is true to the time period and it took me awhile to get into the rhythm and vocabulary. The story is not told in a straightforward fashion. It bounces back and forth in time, giving you small glimpses of what has transpired. At one point, Dia’s cousin, Mildred, calls the situation a Gordian knot and it’s an apt description. Rivers deals with PTSD and the trauma everyone experienced during the war. No one emerged unscathed. It’s at its best when it focuses on the hardship of those left behind. As Placidia comments, those whose husbands went off to fight were most at the mercy of the ruffians left to roam the countryside.
Less successful were the parts from 1892. I wasn’t nearly as involved with that generation. But I understood the need to have a means of communicating the balance of the story.
This is a well told story and Pia tugged at my heart. Her strength is unbelievable. And in the end, it’s a great love story
May 22, 2017
4.5 rounded up to 5
As a fan of Civil War-era historical fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this slim debut. An epistolary novel told in its entirety through letters, legal court inquests and journal entries, it mirrors the real-life story of a husband and wife in 1864-66 (with flashbacks and flash forwards).
While the narrative weaves back and forth in time between the 1860s and 1890s – and includes letters from at least a half-dozen characters in the telling of the story – I found it easy to follow. In fact, it is the author’s ability to seamlessly unveil the thoughts and reactions of various characters to the same events (but during different time periods of revelation) that made this a read full of tension. Rivers parses out the right details at just the right time, revealing details through just the right characters, creating a tangible stream of suspense and emotion.
I believe the best novels pose a question upfront – one that the reader feels she MUST discover the answer to. In this book’s case, we already know the “what?” (part of the book jacket description) – that Placidia is bound for jail and accused of having borne a child in her husband’s absence as he fights in the Civil War. But what we must find out is: Who is the father? Then we find ourselves clamoring to know: Under what circumstances did this birth occur? Why is she headed for jail? How did this happen? This book works backwards and forwards in time and is brilliant in the slow trickle of revealed details that make the reader hungry for more. There are plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing up until the end.
I suspect those who have a greater knowledge of Greek mythology (I am completely deficient, unfortunately) and those who are familiar with Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, will find insightful parallels to the characters and events of The Second Mrs. Hockaday and Dickens’s masterpiece, as well as wonderful symbolism wrapped up in the references to Greek mythology. Such a lack of familiarity on my part did not, in any way, hinder my enjoyment of this story of resilience and love – a story of personal liberty and personhood, a story of injustice and ugliness in its many forms, but ultimately a story about the bonds of love and dignity. It’s a story of redemption, heartache and beauty.
Be prepared that this novel takes some liberties regarding what constitutes a ‘letter’ (though I have to admit that most epistolary novels I’ve read lately employ the same techniques). For instance, a true ‘letter’ wouldn’t include dialogue or read like an action scene, yet many do. This is done for obvious reasons – so that the novel doesn’t feel like a stale ‘retelling’ of a story and so that the reader can immerse herself in the scene. Once I got used to the style, I barely noticed it (I had the same reaction to Eowyn Ivey’s To The Bright Edge of the World), and honestly – again – as I was with Ivey’s novel, I am wowed. Any author who can tell a cohesive story through written missives entirely, possesses an incredible skillset. To create empathetic characters, a full story arc, and tension through letters, diaries and documents is impressive, indeed.
I definitely recommend this book to fans of literary historical fiction, Civil War fiction, and – of course – those who love epistolary novels and don’t mind non-linear stories. I look forward to more from this talented author!
As a fan of Civil War-era historical fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this slim debut. An epistolary novel told in its entirety through letters, legal court inquests and journal entries, it mirrors the real-life story of a husband and wife in 1864-66 (with flashbacks and flash forwards).
While the narrative weaves back and forth in time between the 1860s and 1890s – and includes letters from at least a half-dozen characters in the telling of the story – I found it easy to follow. In fact, it is the author’s ability to seamlessly unveil the thoughts and reactions of various characters to the same events (but during different time periods of revelation) that made this a read full of tension. Rivers parses out the right details at just the right time, revealing details through just the right characters, creating a tangible stream of suspense and emotion.
I believe the best novels pose a question upfront – one that the reader feels she MUST discover the answer to. In this book’s case, we already know the “what?” (part of the book jacket description) – that Placidia is bound for jail and accused of having borne a child in her husband’s absence as he fights in the Civil War. But what we must find out is: Who is the father? Then we find ourselves clamoring to know: Under what circumstances did this birth occur? Why is she headed for jail? How did this happen? This book works backwards and forwards in time and is brilliant in the slow trickle of revealed details that make the reader hungry for more. There are plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing up until the end.
I suspect those who have a greater knowledge of Greek mythology (I am completely deficient, unfortunately) and those who are familiar with Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, will find insightful parallels to the characters and events of The Second Mrs. Hockaday and Dickens’s masterpiece, as well as wonderful symbolism wrapped up in the references to Greek mythology. Such a lack of familiarity on my part did not, in any way, hinder my enjoyment of this story of resilience and love – a story of personal liberty and personhood, a story of injustice and ugliness in its many forms, but ultimately a story about the bonds of love and dignity. It’s a story of redemption, heartache and beauty.
Be prepared that this novel takes some liberties regarding what constitutes a ‘letter’ (though I have to admit that most epistolary novels I’ve read lately employ the same techniques). For instance, a true ‘letter’ wouldn’t include dialogue or read like an action scene, yet many do. This is done for obvious reasons – so that the novel doesn’t feel like a stale ‘retelling’ of a story and so that the reader can immerse herself in the scene. Once I got used to the style, I barely noticed it (I had the same reaction to Eowyn Ivey’s To The Bright Edge of the World), and honestly – again – as I was with Ivey’s novel, I am wowed. Any author who can tell a cohesive story through written missives entirely, possesses an incredible skillset. To create empathetic characters, a full story arc, and tension through letters, diaries and documents is impressive, indeed.
I definitely recommend this book to fans of literary historical fiction, Civil War fiction, and – of course – those who love epistolary novels and don’t mind non-linear stories. I look forward to more from this talented author!
November 5, 2018
Decently researched as far as battles, clothes, foods, chores and interesting if unnecessarily complicated.
The main character is an extremely romanticized view of a southern white woman who participated in the chattel slave trade. In fact was born and raised and married in it but seems to hold no prejudiced views towards her 'servants'.
When a white author is too fragile to accurately label chattel slaves they should take that as a clue and choose a new subject.
Benevolent chattel slave owners only exist in the imagination of racist white folks. Every single person who participated in any aspect of the chattel slave trade was a bad person who's character is irredeemably scarred. The main character is not realistic to her time and class but is sanitized so modern audiences can sympathize with her.
I don't.
I don't care about her or her husband's pain. It is just that they suffered and I sincerely hope their existence was forever haunted.
None of the black characters are developed or have story lines outside of their usefulness to the main white characters.
I've read a fair bit of non fiction about southern women before and during the Civil War; black free, enslaved and white chattel slave oppressing, none of the views expressed or behaviors match the diaries or letters written at that time. Mrs Hockaday does not feel like her contemporaries and her differences are never explained.
White women left on plantations and farms with enslaved peoples had very negative and fearful views of those enslaved peoples the longer the war carried out. They were very angry with them for leaving, fearful of their desire for freedom and many white women took it very personally. Also they were terrified of armed black union troops. As white slave 'owners' felt entitled enough to black folks labor to steal it for centuries, why would the Civil War and it's trials change that?
We all know it did not.
Miscegenation is invented as a word and becomes illegal in 1864. Post Civil War the KKK is created. If southern whites suddenly realized their 'slaves' were people, why did we have and continue to have racial segregation and lynching? Both attest to southern white anxiety resulting in terrorist behaviors carried out on fellow citizens.
This narrative is just grossly apologist in nature.
The main character is an extremely romanticized view of a southern white woman who participated in the chattel slave trade. In fact was born and raised and married in it but seems to hold no prejudiced views towards her 'servants'.
When a white author is too fragile to accurately label chattel slaves they should take that as a clue and choose a new subject.
Benevolent chattel slave owners only exist in the imagination of racist white folks. Every single person who participated in any aspect of the chattel slave trade was a bad person who's character is irredeemably scarred. The main character is not realistic to her time and class but is sanitized so modern audiences can sympathize with her.
I don't.
I don't care about her or her husband's pain. It is just that they suffered and I sincerely hope their existence was forever haunted.
None of the black characters are developed or have story lines outside of their usefulness to the main white characters.
I've read a fair bit of non fiction about southern women before and during the Civil War; black free, enslaved and white chattel slave oppressing, none of the views expressed or behaviors match the diaries or letters written at that time. Mrs Hockaday does not feel like her contemporaries and her differences are never explained.
White women left on plantations and farms with enslaved peoples had very negative and fearful views of those enslaved peoples the longer the war carried out. They were very angry with them for leaving, fearful of their desire for freedom and many white women took it very personally. Also they were terrified of armed black union troops. As white slave 'owners' felt entitled enough to black folks labor to steal it for centuries, why would the Civil War and it's trials change that?
We all know it did not.
Miscegenation is invented as a word and becomes illegal in 1864. Post Civil War the KKK is created. If southern whites suddenly realized their 'slaves' were people, why did we have and continue to have racial segregation and lynching? Both attest to southern white anxiety resulting in terrorist behaviors carried out on fellow citizens.
This narrative is just grossly apologist in nature.
June 2, 2023
The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers. I did not get into this book. I actually fell asleep at the last 10% and don’t know how it ends. It was one of those book I was do I go or do I stay to finish?
July 26, 2016
The real tragedy in my review is that no one is going to be able to read this book for months. I have hope though that people will take note and place it on their TBR( if it appeals to your literary tastebuds). An epistolary novel( in a series of letters, diary entries, and court records) set during the time of the American Civil War, The Second Mrs. Hockaday took me by surprise. I had no expectations going into the story, but I truly became invested in this heart wrenching tale. However, that wasn't my initial impression when I began to read it. It had a very Daphne du Maurier beginning. which in retrospect, is a bit misleading for me to say because the story doesn't ultimately go in that direction. Chalk it up to my bizarre way of thinking!
The limitations in the story are that the type of literary format didn't really give me insight into the minds or motivations of the minor characters. If you didn't like books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Evelina or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance Into the World, or Lady Susan than this book could be an uphill type of battle. I was especially interested in the enigma of Major Hockaday. I felt that he was very "Bronte-esque", a Mr. Rochester type, that demands explanation, but the letters themselves only scratch the surface of this FICTIONAL character.
Why do I scream fictional from the rooftops? Due to the tremendous in-depth research that is woven into the writing, I was absolutely take aback that while based on similar circumstances, Lily and Major Hockaday were figments of the author's imagination. That to me is a great writer- someone that can seduce the reader into falling into the tale.
Thanks to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for an advanced egalley of this book. Check it out in January 2017
The limitations in the story are that the type of literary format didn't really give me insight into the minds or motivations of the minor characters. If you didn't like books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Evelina or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance Into the World, or Lady Susan than this book could be an uphill type of battle. I was especially interested in the enigma of Major Hockaday. I felt that he was very "Bronte-esque", a Mr. Rochester type, that demands explanation, but the letters themselves only scratch the surface of this FICTIONAL character.
Why do I scream fictional from the rooftops? Due to the tremendous in-depth research that is woven into the writing, I was absolutely take aback that while based on similar circumstances, Lily and Major Hockaday were figments of the author's imagination. That to me is a great writer- someone that can seduce the reader into falling into the tale.
Thanks to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for an advanced egalley of this book. Check it out in January 2017
January 28, 2019
”I will tell you the story of a fool- that she could not know how disastrously she had been prepared for life until she stepped into the world just as it was breaking into pieces.”
Synopsis: Just when one man thought his life couldn’t get any worse, it does when he comes home from war to find out his wife may (or may not) have committed multiple crimes.
Biblio-Babble
I Find Your Lack of Punctuation Disturbing: The novel is written in the form of letters and diary entries, so the narration style was extremely jarring to read. There are no quotation marks (a personal pet peeve of mine), and multiple run-on sentences that didn’t quite make sense on some occasions. I can understand that this was part of the narration style and how the author chose to write it, since I think most people indeed wouldn’t write quotation marks in their letters. However, it took away some of the atmosphere of the book by making it feel like just one big, long sentence that never ended.
I Don’t Need Sleep, But I Might Need Answers (I Think): The Second Mrs. Hockaday is a story of contradictions. On the one hand, the synopsis practically begs you to think that the narrator (said Mrs. Hockaday) is an unreliable narrator who is weaving together her own version of the story for her own purpose. And that assumption would be right in that sense. Placidia is very reluctant to give out details to her side of the story to those she writes, with the ones who know the whole truth being few and far in between. The whole mystery of what really happened when Major Hockaday is slowly but surely revealed in all it’s entirety. However, there was one pivotal moment that did make me question all that I had read previously in Placida’s letters and journal entries. It could have been an extremely clever twist, but it felt more like a slap in the face.
Little Girl Lost: One area where I think the book excels is in showing how disastrously Placidia is thrown into adulthood. She meets and marries General Hockaday when she’s barely seventeen, and he’s called to the front lines of the Civil War just two days after they’re married. Still very much a child, she’s left to run the family farm and raise his son from a previous marriage all by herself with no support whatsoever. She has no idea what the fuck she’s doing, and she’s expected to not only essentially run the business while her family’s away, but to raise a little boy she’s barely gotten to know while still a child herself. In a sense, what eventually happened to her was extremely tragic but not surprising at all, because she was so vulnerable. Placidia is a very sympathetic character, as well as her husband.
Could We Move Any Slower?: The plot is SO. DANG. SLOW. The author seems to take great pride in slowly peeling back the layers of the story and the mystery like an onion. However, I thought some of those layers were not necessary. We did not need five to six pages of describing how hot it is, thank you very much! We did not need the unnecessary romance between cousins! I think in an attempt to make the allure of solving the mystery of what happened more tantalizing, the author got too carried away in trying to keep the readers suspense heightened.
XOXO, Where’s the Gossip Girl?:
*******************************************
A sympathetic main character and issues alarmingly relevant to today’s time period can’t save this book from it’s plodding storyline, jarring narration, and an extremely big plot hole. However, it does show the lasting damage and permanent sorrow that affects a man who lost everything not once but twice, and a girl who had to grow up to fast, with disastrous consequences.
Synopsis: Just when one man thought his life couldn’t get any worse, it does when he comes home from war to find out his wife may (or may not) have committed multiple crimes.
Biblio-Babble
I Find Your Lack of Punctuation Disturbing: The novel is written in the form of letters and diary entries, so the narration style was extremely jarring to read. There are no quotation marks (a personal pet peeve of mine), and multiple run-on sentences that didn’t quite make sense on some occasions. I can understand that this was part of the narration style and how the author chose to write it, since I think most people indeed wouldn’t write quotation marks in their letters. However, it took away some of the atmosphere of the book by making it feel like just one big, long sentence that never ended.
I Don’t Need Sleep, But I Might Need Answers (I Think): The Second Mrs. Hockaday is a story of contradictions. On the one hand, the synopsis practically begs you to think that the narrator (said Mrs. Hockaday) is an unreliable narrator who is weaving together her own version of the story for her own purpose. And that assumption would be right in that sense. Placidia is very reluctant to give out details to her side of the story to those she writes, with the ones who know the whole truth being few and far in between. The whole mystery of what really happened when Major Hockaday is slowly but surely revealed in all it’s entirety. However, there was one pivotal moment that did make me question all that I had read previously in Placida’s letters and journal entries. It could have been an extremely clever twist, but it felt more like a slap in the face.
Little Girl Lost: One area where I think the book excels is in showing how disastrously Placidia is thrown into adulthood. She meets and marries General Hockaday when she’s barely seventeen, and he’s called to the front lines of the Civil War just two days after they’re married. Still very much a child, she’s left to run the family farm and raise his son from a previous marriage all by herself with no support whatsoever. She has no idea what the fuck she’s doing, and she’s expected to not only essentially run the business while her family’s away, but to raise a little boy she’s barely gotten to know while still a child herself. In a sense, what eventually happened to her was extremely tragic but not surprising at all, because she was so vulnerable. Placidia is a very sympathetic character, as well as her husband.
Could We Move Any Slower?: The plot is SO. DANG. SLOW. The author seems to take great pride in slowly peeling back the layers of the story and the mystery like an onion. However, I thought some of those layers were not necessary. We did not need five to six pages of describing how hot it is, thank you very much! We did not need the unnecessary romance between cousins! I think in an attempt to make the allure of solving the mystery of what happened more tantalizing, the author got too carried away in trying to keep the readers suspense heightened.
XOXO, Where’s the Gossip Girl?:
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A sympathetic main character and issues alarmingly relevant to today’s time period can’t save this book from it’s plodding storyline, jarring narration, and an extremely big plot hole. However, it does show the lasting damage and permanent sorrow that affects a man who lost everything not once but twice, and a girl who had to grow up to fast, with disastrous consequences.
October 23, 2016
This haunting novel takes place during the Civil War. Placidia is only 17 years old when the older Major Gryffith Hockaday speaks to her father about the possibility of marrying her. Major Hockaday’s wife has died and left him with a young son. He and Placidia are married within days of meeting and are only married two days when Major Hockaday has to return to the war. He leaves young Placidia to run their farm and to care for his young son. When he returns from the war two years later, Placidia is accused of murdering the baby she bore out of wedlock.
This is a beautifully written book, told through letters and diary entries. The chapters are short and Ms. Rivers is quite good at giving just enough information in each chapter to keep you turning the pages. It’s a compulsive read and a very intriguing one. The love story is very touching. This is a debut novel for Susan Rivers and I think she’s a talent to be reckoned with. Recommended.
This book was won by me in a contest given by the publisher through LibraryThing with the implied understanding that I would give an honest review.
This is a beautifully written book, told through letters and diary entries. The chapters are short and Ms. Rivers is quite good at giving just enough information in each chapter to keep you turning the pages. It’s a compulsive read and a very intriguing one. The love story is very touching. This is a debut novel for Susan Rivers and I think she’s a talent to be reckoned with. Recommended.
This book was won by me in a contest given by the publisher through LibraryThing with the implied understanding that I would give an honest review.
July 26, 2016
This novel about a young woman who is thrust into a hard life as the wife of an absent soldier and farmer during the American Civil War is told through letters, diaries, and other documents. At only 17 years old, and after only one week at her new home, she is left alone to care for her husband's farm and his son by his previous marriage as he returns to the battle front. When he finally returns two years later, he finds his young wife has given birth to another man's child in his absence, and is being accused of murdering the infant.
I struggled to read this at first, because all dialogue described through the letters or journals is completely unquoted. I'm not sure why, because any quote should be in quotation marks, regardless of whether it's within a letter or diary or not. It was very difficult to know whether the start of a sentence was going to be narrative or dialogue until you reached the end of the sentence. It felt very disjointed.
But the other reviewers seemed to rave about it, so I stuck with it, and it did get easier to read. However, I found myself simply not caring very much about the characters or what happened to them, and I struggled to finished it.
Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
Historical Readings & Reviews
I struggled to read this at first, because all dialogue described through the letters or journals is completely unquoted. I'm not sure why, because any quote should be in quotation marks, regardless of whether it's within a letter or diary or not. It was very difficult to know whether the start of a sentence was going to be narrative or dialogue until you reached the end of the sentence. It felt very disjointed.
But the other reviewers seemed to rave about it, so I stuck with it, and it did get easier to read. However, I found myself simply not caring very much about the characters or what happened to them, and I struggled to finished it.
Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
Historical Readings & Reviews
November 9, 2020
Inspired by true events, "The Second Mrs Hockaday" tells the story of a new wife who was left behind to manage a South Carolina farm while her husband fought in the American Civil War. Placidia was only 17 years old when she met Confederate Major Gryffth Hockaday. She married him after only knowing him for one day. Two days later, Gryffth had to leave with his troops. He eventually was captured by the Union soldiers so was unable to return home for two years. Shortly before his return, Placidia was pregnant with a baby who died mysteriously. Placidia was accused of infanticide, and taken into custody.
Told in letters, diary entries, and court documents, the truth comes out about the pregnancy. Women lived in constant danger of bandits, deserters, and scavengers. Soldiers, both Union and Confederate, would steal food to feed the troops which left the women, children, and farm hands in a precarious state. The book also included heartbreaking scenes of slaves being beaten, raped, and separated from their families.
This was an interesting historical mystery. Both Placida on the home front, and Gryffth as a soldier suffered through two hellish years. One wondered if their short relationship would be enough to sustain the love between Major Hockaday and his "darling girl" during those challenging times. The story started with Placidia under arrest, and the author keeps us in suspense as the events of two years are revealed.
Told in letters, diary entries, and court documents, the truth comes out about the pregnancy. Women lived in constant danger of bandits, deserters, and scavengers. Soldiers, both Union and Confederate, would steal food to feed the troops which left the women, children, and farm hands in a precarious state. The book also included heartbreaking scenes of slaves being beaten, raped, and separated from their families.
This was an interesting historical mystery. Both Placida on the home front, and Gryffth as a soldier suffered through two hellish years. One wondered if their short relationship would be enough to sustain the love between Major Hockaday and his "darling girl" during those challenging times. The story started with Placidia under arrest, and the author keeps us in suspense as the events of two years are revealed.
Read
February 7, 2017My first reaction upon finishing The Second Mrs Hockaday was stunned silence immediately followed by a powerful sense of loss. Placidia’s story so entranced me that it took me several hours to mourn the fact that I had finished it. The silence came about because her story was so powerful it swept me into her world and made me forget my own. It has been a long time since any novel has made me feel this way.
Susan Rivers’ second novel is the epitome of exemplary use of the epistolary literary format and stellar writing. Through the use of personal correspondence, diary entries, and legal documents, Ms. Rivers not only tells Placidia’s tragic story but recreates the South at the end of the Civil War with vivid clarity. Each document has a distinct voice that adds to the story as much as their words do. Other than the inquest documents, the letters are so natural and honest that it is all too easy to get sucked into reading just one more letter, and one more, and yet one more. The Second Mrs Hockaday is the perfect example of an unputdownable novel.
Susan Rivers’ second novel is the epitome of exemplary use of the epistolary literary format and stellar writing. Through the use of personal correspondence, diary entries, and legal documents, Ms. Rivers not only tells Placidia’s tragic story but recreates the South at the end of the Civil War with vivid clarity. Each document has a distinct voice that adds to the story as much as their words do. Other than the inquest documents, the letters are so natural and honest that it is all too easy to get sucked into reading just one more letter, and one more, and yet one more. The Second Mrs Hockaday is the perfect example of an unputdownable novel.
December 11, 2017
This was a charming little story. It is historical fiction and it is also an epistolary novel, set mostly in the Civil War days. (I love anything 1800's. ) It's the story of a teenage girl, who meets the love of her life and is married within days. Placidia is soon left alone to manage her husband's estate as he goes off to war. I'm not a fan of romance, but this was about so much more than just that. I liked the letters and the different POVs this offered. I was always gleaning something new from them. The letters were a great tool used to unfold the story and the author used it well.
I listened to the audio and usually I'm not a fan of thick accents, but I loved the strong southern accent of the women in this one. So 4 stars overall.
I listened to the audio and usually I'm not a fan of thick accents, but I loved the strong southern accent of the women in this one. So 4 stars overall.
June 10, 2018
Good historical fiction with an underlying mystery. The author did a marvelous job of making it feel like it was written in that time period. This story is told through letters and diary entries that tell of Placidia Hockaday’s hardships and endurance with her new husband away at war. It jumps around in time which was a bit confusing for me and for that reason I rate it three stars.
November 12, 2021
I struggled with this book because of the writing style. The dialogue of this book is mostly through letters, journals and court documents which are completely unquoted. I really hated that. Its set during the Civil War and it’s about Placidia, a teenager (17), left to fend for herself after two days of marriage to Major Hockaday, who is on the front lines of the war. The Major leaves for the army and this new wife is expected to run his farm and raise his young child from his first marriage.
Two years later the Major returns from war and Placidia is bound for jail, accused of having borne a child in his absence and murdering it. Such an interesting premise, it should have been a great mystery but I was disappointed.
I see a lot of great reviews on this book but even when the main question was answered (what really happened in the two years the Major was away) I was still disappointed.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, no promises were made and this is my honest review.
Two years later the Major returns from war and Placidia is bound for jail, accused of having borne a child in his absence and murdering it. Such an interesting premise, it should have been a great mystery but I was disappointed.
I see a lot of great reviews on this book but even when the main question was answered (what really happened in the two years the Major was away) I was still disappointed.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, no promises were made and this is my honest review.
February 4, 2017
I loved this book so much I whipped through it in a day. Written in diary and letter format, the author had me guessing from beginning to end. It combines two of my favorite genres: mystery and historical fiction.
February 7, 2017
Interesting style of storytelling through letters, diaries, and other documents of a young lady during civil war!
September 5, 2018
I listened to the audio, read by Julie McKay & James Patrick Cronin, and really enjoyed it.
This is a Civil War story about a young wife left to fend for herself when her husband is called to war. It tells of the hardships and trials this young woman had to attend to in order to keep her homestead together.
When her husband comes back after 2 years, he hears rumors that she's had a child and killed it.
This is an epistolary story, which is a good format for it. The letters, diaries and court documents slowly tell the story; it's like an onion being peeled back. Each layer reveals another clue. I listened carefully to Placidia's thoughts and her story.
I would have liked to know the Major a bit more. His story is never told. Only a few letters from him to his wife while he's at war are narrated.
This is an easy going, easy listening story. It doesn't delve deep but gets across the hardships of the Civil War, the fear of the women and the "help" as the Southern society changes. In the end, there's a feeling of growth and a maturity of both Placidia, her family and the South itself.
This is a Civil War story about a young wife left to fend for herself when her husband is called to war. It tells of the hardships and trials this young woman had to attend to in order to keep her homestead together.
When her husband comes back after 2 years, he hears rumors that she's had a child and killed it.
This is an epistolary story, which is a good format for it. The letters, diaries and court documents slowly tell the story; it's like an onion being peeled back. Each layer reveals another clue. I listened carefully to Placidia's thoughts and her story.
I would have liked to know the Major a bit more. His story is never told. Only a few letters from him to his wife while he's at war are narrated.
This is an easy going, easy listening story. It doesn't delve deep but gets across the hardships of the Civil War, the fear of the women and the "help" as the Southern society changes. In the end, there's a feeling of growth and a maturity of both Placidia, her family and the South itself.
April 20, 2019
Imagine being seventeen, married to a man you barely know, left on a farm you know nothing about managing, with a few slaves and servants, very little money, and another woman’s child to raise while your husband goes off to fight in the Civil War. How alone would you feel? What would you do?
Placidia Hockaday’s story is told through a series of letters and diaries spanning her life during the Civil War until after her death. Written based on a true incident that occurred, the Second Mrs. Hockaday is written with an element of suspense. Bit by bit, Placidia’s life story is revealed in letters between family, a diary that contained a woman’s heart, and the struggle to survive the unimaginable.
Placidia Hockaday’s story is told through a series of letters and diaries spanning her life during the Civil War until after her death. Written based on a true incident that occurred, the Second Mrs. Hockaday is written with an element of suspense. Bit by bit, Placidia’s life story is revealed in letters between family, a diary that contained a woman’s heart, and the struggle to survive the unimaginable.
December 1, 2016
Rated 4.5 - THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY by Susan Rivers is an excellent historical mystery portrayed through letters and journal entries, unraveling an engrossing tale. For those who love the Civil War era, this novel will surely suck you right in.
More historical book reviews featuring letters located at The Zest Quest.
The book starts out with a letter from Placidia to her cousin Millie where she describes the day she met her future husband. It then bounces to Placidia describing how she will be released from jail by bond in a couple days. The reader is led on a merry chase by Millie who is trying to convince Placidia to tell the truth, instead of keeping it to herself. Millie is a wonder of entertainment in her description of her life. Some would call it babbling, but I thought it was true to the time and amusing. Placidia reciprocates by evading all Millie’s concerns and telling her stories from her life. Their correspondence goes back and forth as the mystery of what happened unravels.
Placidia tells Millie how Major Gryffyth Holliday arrives at their home to buy a mule. Since her sister is about to get married, Placidia’s father invites the major to join the festivities. It doesn’t take long for Placidia’s horse breaking talent and baking to garner the major’s attention. His wife recently died while he was away at war. Gryff needs to get back to his duties and wants Placidia to run his farm, as well as care for his young son. There is attraction between them, so Placidia accepts.
Their marriage begins and ends quickly when Gryff returns to the war. They try to meet when he can get leave, but another battle keeps them apart. Placidia is left with the farm, servants and a child at a time when the country is torn apart. She gradually unravels before our eyes and we’re fed details and suspicions about what happened.
Although the volume of characters introduced can sometimes be overwhelming, it authenticates the period. Toward the end, I did become confused when the history became more advanced and it was Pacidia’s offspring who were unraveling the mystery. That said, my confusion makes me want to read this novel again. Perhaps in my own urgent need to reach the end, I overlooked important transitions which would have made it smoother.
My only disappointment is that I want more. I’m curious about the effects of solving the mystery on Placidia’s descendants. Will they share what they know with the entire family or keep it secret?
THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY is an excellent, well-researched and riveting historical piece of fiction. Not necessarily a romance, this book contains great passion and endurance. Their war-time world represents those who endure combat in their homeland, never coming out unscathed, but grateful for a scrap of love to come home to, as well as to hold onto when the nightmares threaten to consume them. I highly recommend THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY to those who love a story told through letters and journal entries. It’s one of my favorite ways to read a well-plotted novel because it reveals only a glimpse, one letter at a time, which results in an enthralling suspense. Honest and gripping, this story will tear out your heart and mend it along with the characters’ lives.
Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest. Digital advanced reader copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.
More historical book reviews featuring letters located at The Zest Quest.
The book starts out with a letter from Placidia to her cousin Millie where she describes the day she met her future husband. It then bounces to Placidia describing how she will be released from jail by bond in a couple days. The reader is led on a merry chase by Millie who is trying to convince Placidia to tell the truth, instead of keeping it to herself. Millie is a wonder of entertainment in her description of her life. Some would call it babbling, but I thought it was true to the time and amusing. Placidia reciprocates by evading all Millie’s concerns and telling her stories from her life. Their correspondence goes back and forth as the mystery of what happened unravels.
Placidia tells Millie how Major Gryffyth Holliday arrives at their home to buy a mule. Since her sister is about to get married, Placidia’s father invites the major to join the festivities. It doesn’t take long for Placidia’s horse breaking talent and baking to garner the major’s attention. His wife recently died while he was away at war. Gryff needs to get back to his duties and wants Placidia to run his farm, as well as care for his young son. There is attraction between them, so Placidia accepts.
Their marriage begins and ends quickly when Gryff returns to the war. They try to meet when he can get leave, but another battle keeps them apart. Placidia is left with the farm, servants and a child at a time when the country is torn apart. She gradually unravels before our eyes and we’re fed details and suspicions about what happened.
Although the volume of characters introduced can sometimes be overwhelming, it authenticates the period. Toward the end, I did become confused when the history became more advanced and it was Pacidia’s offspring who were unraveling the mystery. That said, my confusion makes me want to read this novel again. Perhaps in my own urgent need to reach the end, I overlooked important transitions which would have made it smoother.
My only disappointment is that I want more. I’m curious about the effects of solving the mystery on Placidia’s descendants. Will they share what they know with the entire family or keep it secret?
THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY is an excellent, well-researched and riveting historical piece of fiction. Not necessarily a romance, this book contains great passion and endurance. Their war-time world represents those who endure combat in their homeland, never coming out unscathed, but grateful for a scrap of love to come home to, as well as to hold onto when the nightmares threaten to consume them. I highly recommend THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY to those who love a story told through letters and journal entries. It’s one of my favorite ways to read a well-plotted novel because it reveals only a glimpse, one letter at a time, which results in an enthralling suspense. Honest and gripping, this story will tear out your heart and mend it along with the characters’ lives.
Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest. Digital advanced reader copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.
July 24, 2016
This book causes turmoil within the reader, but in a good way. It is the kind of confusion over why someone would do what they did, which you don't really understand until later in the book and then suddenly you do, and it is heart-wrenching.
The story is told through letters exchanged back and forth during and after the Civil War, through various family members. I found myself enthralled with this book within the first few chapters, and read it in one sitting until I was finished. The characters come to life so well through the letters and documents, that you forget after a while that you are reading fiction. This is a beautifully written and very well-researched historical novel with a lot to offer the reader.
I cried. I hate and love when that happens. I like to think I have read enough that I am mostly immune to the end of the book tears, but this one proved me wrong. If you love historical books and are looking for something that will not only entertain you during reading, but leave a lasting impression, this is a perfect choice.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided by the publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The story is told through letters exchanged back and forth during and after the Civil War, through various family members. I found myself enthralled with this book within the first few chapters, and read it in one sitting until I was finished. The characters come to life so well through the letters and documents, that you forget after a while that you are reading fiction. This is a beautifully written and very well-researched historical novel with a lot to offer the reader.
I cried. I hate and love when that happens. I like to think I have read enough that I am mostly immune to the end of the book tears, but this one proved me wrong. If you love historical books and are looking for something that will not only entertain you during reading, but leave a lasting impression, this is a perfect choice.
This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided by the publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
February 10, 2017
This should have been a me book: it's set during the Civil War, it's an epistolary novel, and it deals with a woman sent to prison after she mysteriously had a child (while her husband, a Major, was off fighting), supposedly killed the baby, and refuses to say who had fathered it.
Sadly, it took me nearly a week to get through this 250-page book. My mind kept wandering and it was just so easy to set the book down and not pick it up again for a few hours. The reason I kept reading until the end was because I was genuinely curious in just who the father was and when it was revealed it was a huge letdown; looking back it was painfully obvious to the point where I wonder if it was even meant to be a mystery at all.
For more thoughts on this one and other reviews, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
Sadly, it took me nearly a week to get through this 250-page book. My mind kept wandering and it was just so easy to set the book down and not pick it up again for a few hours. The reason I kept reading until the end was because I was genuinely curious in just who the father was and when it was revealed it was a huge letdown; looking back it was painfully obvious to the point where I wonder if it was even meant to be a mystery at all.
For more thoughts on this one and other reviews, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
June 10, 2017
This could be a 4.5 read, but the end fell a little short for me. The first half of this book was amazing! Told through letters and journal entries, Placadia Hockady (formerly Fincher) reveals the events that took place in the two years that her new husband is quickly called back to the Civil War. When Major Hockaday returns to his young wife two years later, he finds she is in the middle of a scandal involving the death of her newborn child. What follows is her account of events leading up to that fateful night, as well as revelations made along the way and how those events impacted the Hockaday family.
August 10, 2016
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free digital copy in exchange for a honest review.
Wow, I loved this book! It had everything, historical fiction about a young wife left to manage a farm during the Civil War, a mystery concerning a dead baby, the story slowly unfolding in pieces through diary entries, letters, and court records .... I couldn't put it down and keep thinking about it after I'm done. I highly recommend this book!
Wow, I loved this book! It had everything, historical fiction about a young wife left to manage a farm during the Civil War, a mystery concerning a dead baby, the story slowly unfolding in pieces through diary entries, letters, and court records .... I couldn't put it down and keep thinking about it after I'm done. I highly recommend this book!
June 14, 2017
This is an epistolary novel and I loved the challenge of piecing the story together through letters, diary entries, and legal documents. I also appreciated the immense research and historical setting. But overall, the story and characters fell flat for me and I found that I just "liked" this novel, but did not "really like" it. Still - I would recommend this story for those interested in the Civil War and southern historical fiction.
January 2, 2017
A special thank you to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review to follow.
February 21, 2017
I enjoyed this book but it was hard to keep all the characters straight!
May 31, 2017
Unlike anything I've read. Loved it (especially the 1860s chapters...the 1890s less so though they were necessary to reveal the full story).
July 7, 2020
DNF from what I read of it I'm giving it 1 star. The way the book was written- it was HORRIBLE..... The first 3 pages I had to re-read. Then after a while - I just said FORGET IT. Time to move on
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