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Two Girls of Gettysburg
Lizzie and Rosanna are cousins. But when the Civil War breaks out, fifteen-year-old Lizzie finds herself committed to the cause of the Union, while Rosanna is swept up in the passions of the old south and in her love for a young Confederate officer. Torn in their alliances, yet as devoted as sisters, each girl finds herself grappling with the senseless brutality of war, and the sacrifices that must be made in order to survive. It will take one of the war's bloodiest battles fought on the farmlands of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to bring them together again. Unflinching in its portrayal of war, and inspiring in its depiction of two resilient young women, this is a historical novel of exceptional depth and reach.
393 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
September 6, 2016
Well, 3.5 stars.
So, I was writing up a content text set on the Civil War, and decided to add this book. While I was bored after I finished my work and waiting for class, I decided to just read it. I was pleasently surprised that I enjoyed most of it. I had read Cate and the Lost Colony and loved it, but I wasn't as sure of this one.
Lizzie really makes this book. Over two thirds of it is from her perspective, which makes the title misleading, but thank goodness it is. I hate Rosanna. She's a dimwit and a nutter. The author is a nutter too for expecting us to like the guy she ends up with. He was a wimp.
Lizzie, on the other hand, is relatable, realistic, heroic, adorable, and a cute-as-a-button love interest. I really felt her emotion and just came to love her.
I wish that this book was like the "Twins of Gettysburg." Though we don't see him much because he ran off to join the army, Lizzie has a twin named Luke. We don't see much of him at all, but I thought he was a interesting character that deserved much more page time and characterization. The book would have been much more interesting if we could have seen his perspective instead of Rosanna's. I get the idea of showing us the Southern view of the war, but I didn't feel sympatic toward Rosanna or the Southern cause. I was just bored during those parts.
Anyway, it was a decent book, but I'm glad I got it from the library instead of Books-a-Million.
So, I was writing up a content text set on the Civil War, and decided to add this book. While I was bored after I finished my work and waiting for class, I decided to just read it. I was pleasently surprised that I enjoyed most of it. I had read Cate and the Lost Colony and loved it, but I wasn't as sure of this one.
Lizzie really makes this book. Over two thirds of it is from her perspective, which makes the title misleading, but thank goodness it is. I hate Rosanna. She's a dimwit and a nutter. The author is a nutter too for expecting us to like the guy she ends up with. He was a wimp.
Lizzie, on the other hand, is relatable, realistic, heroic, adorable, and a cute-as-a-button love interest. I really felt her emotion and just came to love her.
I wish that this book was like the "Twins of Gettysburg." Though we don't see him much because he ran off to join the army, Lizzie has a twin named Luke. We don't see much of him at all, but I thought he was a interesting character that deserved much more page time and characterization. The book would have been much more interesting if we could have seen his perspective instead of Rosanna's. I get the idea of showing us the Southern view of the war, but I didn't feel sympatic toward Rosanna or the Southern cause. I was just bored during those parts.
Anyway, it was a decent book, but I'm glad I got it from the library instead of Books-a-Million.
January 22, 2009
Interesting, for the historical context if nothing else. I found some of the character development hard to believe, but I did enjoy seeing how women's lives could have been during the American Civil War.
June 16, 2009
This review is from B.L.T Reviews located here: booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
Two Girls of Gettysburg was fairly slow and didn’t start getting interesting until half-way through the book. The book was way too long for it just to end after the Battle of Gettysburg. (I would have enjoyed the book even if it just was about the Battle of Gettysburg period.) The book really took off just before Battle of Gettysburg and proved itself a recommendation.
I really enjoyed Lizzie’s side of the story because Roanna’s was a bit too stiff and there towards the middle, she only talked about historical events. I guess Lizzie was just a more likable character.
Klein did do a good job at portraying two very different girls: with Lizzie there was a sense of hidden adventure; with Rosanna there was a sense of a fantasy gone haywire. Lizzie learned to dream and Rosanna got a reality wake-up-call.
Both girls saw and experienced the aftermath of battles: they walked through the bullets, watched people die, and lost loved ones.
A Little History:
The history books are right when they say brothers fought against brothers-or in this case cousin vs. cousin.
The one thing I didn’t agree with Klein was that everyone kept thinking that the Civil War was being fought just because of slavery. Wrong-o. The Civil War way more complicated, but I’ll sum it up for you: the South was getting way too wealthy and powerful and above all, independent; the Union didn’t want this so, POOF! civil war.
Anyways, back to the book.
Two Girls of Gettysburg was a stunning read about the Civil War and all it’s tragedies and yep, happy endings-despite it’s slowness in places. I hope Klein writes more HF!
REVIEW BY MORGAN @ B.L.T
Two Girls of Gettysburg was fairly slow and didn’t start getting interesting until half-way through the book. The book was way too long for it just to end after the Battle of Gettysburg. (I would have enjoyed the book even if it just was about the Battle of Gettysburg period.) The book really took off just before Battle of Gettysburg and proved itself a recommendation.
I really enjoyed Lizzie’s side of the story because Roanna’s was a bit too stiff and there towards the middle, she only talked about historical events. I guess Lizzie was just a more likable character.
Klein did do a good job at portraying two very different girls: with Lizzie there was a sense of hidden adventure; with Rosanna there was a sense of a fantasy gone haywire. Lizzie learned to dream and Rosanna got a reality wake-up-call.
Both girls saw and experienced the aftermath of battles: they walked through the bullets, watched people die, and lost loved ones.
A Little History:
The history books are right when they say brothers fought against brothers-or in this case cousin vs. cousin.
The one thing I didn’t agree with Klein was that everyone kept thinking that the Civil War was being fought just because of slavery. Wrong-o. The Civil War way more complicated, but I’ll sum it up for you: the South was getting way too wealthy and powerful and above all, independent; the Union didn’t want this so, POOF! civil war.
Anyways, back to the book.
Two Girls of Gettysburg was a stunning read about the Civil War and all it’s tragedies and yep, happy endings-despite it’s slowness in places. I hope Klein writes more HF!
REVIEW BY MORGAN @ B.L.T
February 15, 2010
It is a beautiful and touching story of adventures of two cousins at the time of war against slavery. One girl beautiful, rich and impulsive and the other, poor, late-bloomer and practical. Romantic, exciting and entertaining, it is a story of two girls who grew into women after facing their share of hardships in life.
It made me realize what a blessing it is to born in a world of freedom and equality.
A kind of book that should be included in course readings instead of those stupid "Sidharta" or "Like water for chocolate" and impractical literature as "Romeo and Juliet".
Highly recommended to girls looking for a good reading and sweet 19th century romance.
It made me realize what a blessing it is to born in a world of freedom and equality.
A kind of book that should be included in course readings instead of those stupid "Sidharta" or "Like water for chocolate" and impractical literature as "Romeo and Juliet".
Highly recommended to girls looking for a good reading and sweet 19th century romance.
February 18, 2017
[3.5 stars]
April 8, 2018
One of the best stories on the Civil War that I’ve read. I especially appreciated the author’s accuracy of the events. Could not put it down!
March 7, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, I love a good history fiction. Also a double plus bonus I've been to the battle fields and walked around some of the places mentioned in the book and made it a little more real. Some of the characters were based real people and some not. I would suggest this book to anyone who is looking for a good fiction history. Both of the girls it's written about have such a strong story ad helps you see through the eyes is someone else as to what really may have happened. 5⭐
June 3, 2022
I found this to be a nice read before traveling to Gettysburg. Between this and watching some civil war documentaries it helps give context to the battle, but this book gave nice (semi-fictional) story to the people of Gettysburg.
March 31, 2011
This book was well-written and researched with lots of "further reading" suggestions in the back and I would recommend it. I just would recommend "Annie Between the States" by L.M. Elliot more. If you enjoy young adult historical fiction this is definitely a good read; it just didn't grab me as much as some others. Also, apparently I'm very picky concerning the level of "hopefulness" I want. One of my recent reviews talked about how the book had too little hope. Well, this one has a bit much. With this said, I plan to read other books by this author b/c the subjects interest me- I'll let you know what I think of them when I do. Below explains my issues with too much hope but is a spoiler:
*All the characters I really liked all survived the war. Ones I wasn't attached to or didn't like died. It just seemed a bit too unrealistic. And while at the end the two girls talk about the possibilities of lots more equality- it seemed a bit too hopeful for the time period- plus it was as if these girls could just put all the atrocities of war behind them without much though.
*All the characters I really liked all survived the war. Ones I wasn't attached to or didn't like died. It just seemed a bit too unrealistic. And while at the end the two girls talk about the possibilities of lots more equality- it seemed a bit too hopeful for the time period- plus it was as if these girls could just put all the atrocities of war behind them without much though.
August 1, 2012
As is my tendency, I found that I liked one of the main characters much more than the other. Lizzie I found to be much more my type of person and I preferred her story as well. This made every entry by Rosanna feel like an interuption and often made me skim-read. I imagine that there are those who would prefer her story instead, but I just didn't like her as well.
To be honest, I didn't particularly like this book overall. It wasn't bad, but I'm not that fascinated by the Civil War and I had other things that I would have preferred to do rather than read this (which is why it took me more than a day to finish). The writing was decent, but I just couldn't get into the story or feel excited for the character's excitement. It was a bit too close to our time for my liking of historical fiction to play a role, I suppose.
Not a bad book at all, I just didn't like it. It was quite average, and I imagine that there are those out there who would vehemently disagree with me on my opinion.
To be honest, I didn't particularly like this book overall. It wasn't bad, but I'm not that fascinated by the Civil War and I had other things that I would have preferred to do rather than read this (which is why it took me more than a day to finish). The writing was decent, but I just couldn't get into the story or feel excited for the character's excitement. It was a bit too close to our time for my liking of historical fiction to play a role, I suppose.
Not a bad book at all, I just didn't like it. It was quite average, and I imagine that there are those out there who would vehemently disagree with me on my opinion.
February 16, 2009
After a slightly slow start and some flat dialogue, I was transported back to Civil War PA, MD, and VA, the three states in which I've lived and to the battles fought there. When people talked to me as I read this book, I had to apologize for my distant expression. "I'm in Gettysburg," I'd explain. I liked the contrast in personalities of Lizzie, the Gettysburg native, and her cousin Rosanna who traveled north from Richmond before marrying a Confederate soldier and nursing rebel soldiers.
The research for this story was amazing, and having visited Gettysburg several times, I could really imagine how the battles unfolded and the emotional toll on soldiers fighting on both sides and especially on the civilians.
Since middle school, I've been a fan of historical fiction with light romance, so this book was just the sort of thing I like to read.
The research for this story was amazing, and having visited Gettysburg several times, I could really imagine how the battles unfolded and the emotional toll on soldiers fighting on both sides and especially on the civilians.
Since middle school, I've been a fan of historical fiction with light romance, so this book was just the sort of thing I like to read.
February 23, 2013
awhile ago I was really into the civil war. Something about that era just seemed to fascinate me. But for some reason my interest stopped. It took this book to awaken me once more the the devastating, and critical time in America's history.
I'm so excited that I still love learning about this era, and can't wait to read more books on the civil war.
I'd say this book is one of my favorite books that I've read on the civil war so far. There were a few minor things I didn't like, but overall I loved this book.I just loved how the author wrote from both girls perspectives. I personally felt the book was more about Lizzie but that didn't' bother me at all since she was my favorite character.
I couldn't decide what to rate this book so I gave it 4 stars but really I would like to call it 4.5 stars.
I'm so excited that I still love learning about this era, and can't wait to read more books on the civil war.
I'd say this book is one of my favorite books that I've read on the civil war so far. There were a few minor things I didn't like, but overall I loved this book.I just loved how the author wrote from both girls perspectives. I personally felt the book was more about Lizzie but that didn't' bother me at all since she was my favorite character.
I couldn't decide what to rate this book so I gave it 4 stars but really I would like to call it 4.5 stars.
February 5, 2009
This book has a lot of side stories going on, but they are all relevant to the overall theme of two girls, cousins and best friends, experiencing the Civil War from opposite sides. The story remained interesting, both in its fictional account of the girls, and the telling of the real events of this tumultuous point in America's history. If you know me at all, you know I occasionally (okay, regularly) read ahead in books, spoiling them for myself. I usually stop reading the book at that point, but even after I skimmed a few pages ahead in this book I had to go back and read it all. It was engaging enough that I had to know the whole story, not just the bare bones I could pick out every couple of pages.
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February 7, 2013Two Girls of Gettysburg is a book about two girls who are cousins and when the civil war starts they find theirselves siding on different sides. I really liked this book because the way the author did the book it is just not one girl talking. After each chapter it switches off between the two girls perspectives. My favorite character is Lizze because she cares about her family and is not so caught up with herself. Rosanna is very caught up in herself and who she will marry. I recommend this book to anyone who likes history and romance.
July 21, 2017
I like how the author valued the accuracy in the history for her story. I also appreciated that although she could've gone downhill inappropriate and detailed very quickly in some scenes, she didn't, (Like one character gave birth in a scene, etc.). She also did a good job upping up the stakes for her characters. My favorite character was Lizzie, although I wasn't sure I'd like her in the beginning. The middle lagged, but I still enjoyed it.
April 30, 2014
Going into this book, I honestly didn't think it'd turn out to be that good. I had a couple friends who'd started reading this and just couldn't get into it. However, I was surprised to find that I loved it! This book was amazing! I loved the characters, and there were many shocking events that occurred that I didn't see coming! I can't wait to read another book of Lisa Klein's.
July 19, 2010
Quick easy read that was fun and a simple review of some of the events leading up to the battle at Gettysburg. I'm a sucker for historical fiction!
September 26, 2020
If shopping for a Young adult book, perhaps for a girl of 14, or even 18 you can't beat this. By using two friends (who wind up in Gettysburg( she explores both sides of being young during the Civil War.
I found myself reading it at 3 PM- hard to put it down! The older of the girls, Rosanna had a brief romance in Virginia, and was only 16 so her parents, scandalized, shipped her to the town of Gettysburg. There, her Aunt Mary, who had married a Yankee lives, and also Rosanna's widowed sister. So Rosanna living with her older sister befriends Mary's daughter Lizzie. The back- and-forth way Lizzie and Rosanna relate the way is wonderful. Lizzie is based on a real girl, revealed by the huge research done by Lisa Pierce. In real life, Matilda Pierce spent the 4 days of the Gettysburg battle just as Lizzie did....from p. 222 to 323 of this book tells this in detail.
Since the Civil War had many roots, and since slavery is dealt with head-on in the story, I recommend this to any school librarian, parent, or other family member of a child ages 12 to 25. It is totally realistic and appropriate. And, I enjoyed it!
I found myself reading it at 3 PM- hard to put it down! The older of the girls, Rosanna had a brief romance in Virginia, and was only 16 so her parents, scandalized, shipped her to the town of Gettysburg. There, her Aunt Mary, who had married a Yankee lives, and also Rosanna's widowed sister. So Rosanna living with her older sister befriends Mary's daughter Lizzie. The back- and-forth way Lizzie and Rosanna relate the way is wonderful. Lizzie is based on a real girl, revealed by the huge research done by Lisa Pierce. In real life, Matilda Pierce spent the 4 days of the Gettysburg battle just as Lizzie did....from p. 222 to 323 of this book tells this in detail.
Since the Civil War had many roots, and since slavery is dealt with head-on in the story, I recommend this to any school librarian, parent, or other family member of a child ages 12 to 25. It is totally realistic and appropriate. And, I enjoyed it!
August 5, 2017
I love this book so much! It's a YA Historical Fiction that follows the lives of cousins Lizzie and Rosanna from 1860 to 1863. It's written from Lizzie's perspective for the first thirteen chapters, then alternates between the two girls. Rosanna is kind of annoying for awhile before her coming-of-age journey. Lizzie has her own coming-of-age story too. And of course there are love stories. While Rosanna's is hurried, Lizzie's love story doesn't start until halfway through the book. I wasn't really invested in Rosanna's relationship because I didn't like the her as much yet and I didn't fully trust him. Lizzie's relationship, on the other hand, I was rooting for the whole time. You get to see them become friends and then Lizzie gradually starts to like him. It's so cute! Overall, I really liked this book and I would definitely recommend if you like Historical Fiction.
September 5, 2018
The book took me a while to finish, not because it wasn't good but because life took over.
The book was an overall good read! I personally like reading about the civil war.
In the book, there is talk about separation amongst family members, but it is not as bad as what I would imagine back then. I'm glad everything worked out for the girls in the end, even though they two girls had to go through some hardships.
It's a good book and in how the girls even through the worst parts of war stayed true to themselves and figure out what they want to be after the war.
This book was okay for me. In a sense that it didn't full fill my need for a historical-fiction book on the civil war, but it was a great book.
The book was an overall good read! I personally like reading about the civil war.
In the book, there is talk about separation amongst family members, but it is not as bad as what I would imagine back then. I'm glad everything worked out for the girls in the end, even though they two girls had to go through some hardships.
It's a good book and in how the girls even through the worst parts of war stayed true to themselves and figure out what they want to be after the war.
This book was okay for me. In a sense that it didn't full fill my need for a historical-fiction book on the civil war, but it was a great book.
March 9, 2022
This is one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read. It centers around two cousins, Lizzie and Rosanna, and begins on the eve of the American Civil War. Lizzie works to keep her family's butcher shop open after her father and twin brother head out to fight for the Union, and Rosanna works as a nurse after marrying a Confederate soldier. Both endure loss and hardship and are finally reunited when the two armies clash in the climactic battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. My favorite parts were those from Lizzie's perspective, since I found her to be a much more down-to-earth, relatable character, although I did enjoy the chapters about Rosanna as well, especially as the novel progressed and she matured. Two Girls of Gettysburg is a touching novel about war, love, and loss.
May 21, 2017
The story is told in two points of view, Lizzie and Rosanna who are cousins. Rosanna (from the south) goes to live near Lizzie to go to a preparatory school there. Both become best friends, but soon fall apart. Lizzie later moves to back to the south and marries & becomes a army nurse. Lizzie stays in her home taking care of her fathers shop, since he is in the army. Both friends later meet up again at Gettysburg. The book is slow and doesn't get ins testing until around half way into the book. It also seems kind of boring to me. Lizzie narrates the story, while Rosanna tells her story in journal entries.
August 28, 2023
I enjoyed reading the book and I appreciated the author's ability to portray the emotions and thoughts of people loyal to opposite sides of the Civil War without making one seem more at fault than the other. The relationship between Lizzie and Rosanna is sweet and complex. The plot and character ideals seemed historically accurate. However, I was disappointed at how poorly the book was edited. There were several instances in which a word would duplicate itself in a sentence and sentences at the end of one page were completely absent/missing. The sentence was incomplete, which is a shame considering that it might have made a wise quote.
July 29, 2018
The Girls of Gettysburg was a fantastic read and it portrayed both sides of the war fairly with a focus on the personal hardships during the time and less focus was on the political hardships. This was a very good read and it had a great deal of information. It provided a great look into how many families were torn apart during the civil war and how many people were affected personally.
Tarot CArd - Temperance - Sasuraibito Tarot- The balance of family, politics, and life has an art that this card represents.
https://beckodagecko.wixsite.com/mysite
Tarot CArd - Temperance - Sasuraibito Tarot- The balance of family, politics, and life has an art that this card represents.
https://beckodagecko.wixsite.com/mysite
August 9, 2021
Absolutely one of my favorites!
I'm always a sucker for any book based on the Gettysburg War. Don't know why, but I am!
Lizzie is absolutely an amazing character! And I'm so glad most of the book is from her perspective! I think I skipped to her parts!
Rosanna is your basic pretty girl, which isn't a horrible thing, bu she just isn't Lizzie!
The story is simple and the romance (between Lizzie and Martin) is the sweetest. This isn't a fast paced book, it's more like getting snippets of a person journal.
Despite its flaws, this book is one of me favorites!
I'm always a sucker for any book based on the Gettysburg War. Don't know why, but I am!
Lizzie is absolutely an amazing character! And I'm so glad most of the book is from her perspective! I think I skipped to her parts!
Rosanna is your basic pretty girl, which isn't a horrible thing, bu she just isn't Lizzie!
The story is simple and the romance (between Lizzie and Martin) is the sweetest. This isn't a fast paced book, it's more like getting snippets of a person journal.
Despite its flaws, this book is one of me favorites!
April 30, 2023
This story will keep you page turning as you read about the pivotal and bloodiest battle of the Civil War. This is the story of the cousins during the civil war- a northern girl and a southerner. Two different points of view are told as one war and one battle change their lives, torn apart by war and then brought together by it, what will remain of their once close friendship? As someone who grew up visiting the modern day town of Gettysburg I really appreciated the details depicted within this story as the events of the Gettysburg battle unfolds.
November 15, 2024
I MUCH preferred Lizzie over Rosanna and was delighted more of the book was from Lizzie’s POV lol. To be fair, Rosanna had some great character development over the course of the book...I just still didn’t like her. She just stopped being insufferable at least. Lizzie was such a fun character and I’d happily read more about her tbh.
A very solid enjoyable Civil War historical fiction novel! While there is plenty of action (for obvious reasons), the overall plot feels more character-focused which I loved. I’m so glad I picked this book up on a whim at the thrift store:)
A very solid enjoyable Civil War historical fiction novel! While there is plenty of action (for obvious reasons), the overall plot feels more character-focused which I loved. I’m so glad I picked this book up on a whim at the thrift store:)
November 10, 2018
Content: a couple swear words (a**, sh** I think), mild kissing, mild reference to husband and wife sharing their night, some war violence.
Lizzie was very likable, but Rosanna, not so much. I enjoyed the historical information as well as the perspective from a teenage girl. It started a bit slow, but was much better near the end. A few "feminist" moments, but nothing too overbearing.
Lizzie was very likable, but Rosanna, not so much. I enjoyed the historical information as well as the perspective from a teenage girl. It started a bit slow, but was much better near the end. A few "feminist" moments, but nothing too overbearing.
July 23, 2019
A very good book depicting both North and South, the horrors of war, and great details of the town of Gettysburg before, during, and after the battle. All told through the eyes of two teenaged girls who grow up in 2-1/2 years. Highly researched and well done!
September 5, 2020
This Young Adult novel about two cousins who find themselves on opposite sides of the Civil War was a good look into the civilians whose lives were forever altered by the battle in Gettysburg. I found this novel especially intriguing since one of the storylines took a character to Richmond as well. I love reading about the daily lives of civilians, particularly women, during a war. Much of the focus in Gettysburg is on the horrific battle but as this book makes clear, the women and children who were in the middle of the battle also suffered tremendously. The main character of this book is even based on a real teenager! While the writing is tailored to the YA audience and some of the language is hard to hear from a 21st century perspective, I did enjoy the story and think it is especially worthwhile to read before visiting Gettysburg.
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