Susannah

Sunfire #2

by Candice F. Ransom

The South that raised her was at war, while Susannah's own battle raged in her heart....

Susannah had lived her sixteen years as a proper Virginia girl - obedient, dreaming of marriage, leaving the decisions to the men. But when her brother and her fiance are called on to defend the South, Susannah takes the first daring steps of rebellion against the old rules. She must fight for her own life, for her family, and for the secret love born in the flames of war.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical Romance, Fiction, Civil War, Teen

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

About the author

See also Candice Ransom

Ransom has published more than 150 books for children, and she is amazed every day that she's able to do this as her life's work. It's no small thing to discover at an early age (ten!) what one is meant to do, and then pursue that dream. For her, the best part of writing for children is that she can move between writing board books, picture books, easy readers, chapter books, middle grade novels, nonfiction, and biography. She is excited to move into picture book nonfiction with BONES IN THE WHITE HOUSE: THOMAS JEFFERSON'S MAMMOTH (Doubleday, 2020).

AMANDA PANDA QUITS KINDERGARTEN and the sequel AMANDA PANDA AND THE BIGGER, BETTER BIRTHDAY (Doubleday) are her first picture books with animal characters! She is proud of her easy readers featuring a brother and sister having fun throughout the year: PUMPKIN DAY, APPLE PICKING DAY, SNOW DAY, and GARDEN DAY. Look for more titles in this Level 1 series written in bouncy rhyme, plus the popular TOOTH FAIRY'S NIGHT (all Random House).

Reviews

[Joy Shak · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the mid to late 80's, Scholastic had a series called Sunfire. They were simple romances set around a major historical event in US history. I LOVED THESE. I think I almost had the entire series (30+books). This one was, by far, my favorite. I read it multiple times. When I went off to college, I took my entire book collection (probably around 100 books, mostly YA and pop fiction) to the used book store. I really regret that now. On a practical side, I don't know how I would have stored all of them over the years. I did finally rebuy this one and several other favorites from the series off eBay. It felt like I was buying a piece of my naive, pre-teen existence back....and that's ok ;)

[jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was a fun little trip down memory lane. I first read this when it was released, I was 10. I don't even know how many times I read it then but it had to be at least eight. There was one unmemorable re-read about 10 years ago, and now recently I picked it up again fresh off a viewing of Ken Burns' "The Civil War."

I'm a bit of a Civil War buff and so that is what drives my very high rating of this book. Some of the dialogue is cheesy, the plot developments contrived, the romance is ... really hard to put my finger on, they bicker a lot and yet they seem to really care for each other so it was easy to root for them. The descriptions of things like making homespun fabric, curing meat for preservation, the cooking, turning dresses, combined with the hazards of living in the midst of a war zone almost make this more an educational tome cleverly disguised as a teen romance; but the characters are all likable and very easy to identify with, particulary Susannah who is alternately daring, resourceful, compassionate, and just flawed enough to keep her interesting.

This isn't bestselling Oprah lit or anything (and is really nothing like Gone With the Wind despite the image on the back cover), but as a harmless piece of young adult brain candy is succeeds on many levels, the highest of which is entertainment and a certain wistfulness when the story ends. I'm seeking out other volumes in this series which is now sadly out of print - but like when I read these 25 years ago (!!!), I suspect this will be my favorite in the series and that is why I have to give it such high marks.

[Edallia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit up front that I keep going back and forth on my opinion of this book, so if this review seems disjointed, that would be why. I loved this one when I was a kid, and looked forward to it during the Sunfire Re-Read. I actually remembered a few bits from the plot.

Unfortunately, some things about this book bothered me as an adult. Susannah Dellinger turns 16 in 1864, and has nothing to look forward to except the end of the Civil War. Her family lives on a plantation outside of Winchester, Virginia, a city that changed hands several times during the war. They're running out of money and food and all but four slaves have been freed or have left. Make that three slaves, after Susannah helps her childhood playmate Katie escape to freedom.

Susannah's brother and sweetheart are off fighting for the Confederacy, though they seem to make it home for brief visits fairly often. Evan Jones is dismayed more and more with each visit, disillusioned with the losing South and an increasingly less ladylike Susannah.

Daddy soon drops dead, Susannah finds out they've got no money, and the corn crop never panned out. Then the newly-harvested wheat crop gets destroyed by rain. The South is losing. There is no food, and the army stole their animals. Oh, crap.

Our girl has run into Caine Harding, Union soldier, on several occasions, and it's obvious that he likes her. Susannah thinks about him more often than she would like to. Eventually, their attraction develops into a clandestine semi-romance, with Caine giving Susannah much-needed food, much-sought-after news, and a much-appreciated "here, Yankees, use this house as a headquarters instead of burning it down!" In return, Susannah basically just gives Caine grief for being a Yankee. But the South's defeat is inevitable, and Susannah and her family will have to flee.

Yes, I do realize that this is a mere teen romance, but any story about a Southern girl on a plantation during the Civil War is going to draw comparisons to the Big Kahuna. I'm not needlessly carping, folks. It's difficult to form original characters when you've got such iconic ones as those from Gone With the Wind rattling around in your brain.

Susannah steps up and takes charge after her father dies, and after this point, many of her interactions with whiny younger sister Patricia are reminiscent of Scarlett O'Hara screaming at lazy sis Suellen. The "genteel" mother who is the pinnacle of womanly behavior is basically an Ellen O'Hara who gets to live through the book. Evan Jones is a brooding scion of the old South who regards the end of the era with gloomy depression- Ashley Wilkes, anyone? Are these characters so entrenched and universal that they're now archetypes? I don't know, but the similarities were jarring, and the back cover art, in which a Scarlett-looking woman flees a burning Tara-looking plantation, doesn't help a bit.

I did enjoy the character arc of Garnet Jones, Evan's useless, dingy sister who clings to her simpering Southern belle ways until tragedy jolts her back into reality. Yes, she's annoying, but she's so clearly in denial that you feel sorry for the poor thing. She's kind of conveniently disposed of towards the end of the story, so that Susannah doesn't have to be responsible for her anymore, which was fairly disappointing. The descriptions of Virginia, the war, the deprivation- it was all riveting and seemed quite accurate and well done. Susannah herself is a strong character, and despite the slight Scarlett-ness of it all, I liked that she knew how to raise her voice and push to get things done. So many Sunfire heroines are annoyingly passive, but Susannah takes firm charge of her fate.

The major issue I have to take with this story is the not-altogether-convincing romantic relationship between Caine and Susannah. They have no opportunity in which to get to know each other, no major personal interactions, and it seems like Susannah spends half the novel pissed off at him. So at what point am I supposed to sign up for their fan club? Ultimately, the attraction seems mostly superficial. And their idealogical differences are swept neatly under the rug. He was on the opposite side of the battle in which her brother and Evan were killed! That's a big deal! Except... she decides it's not. Because he didn't personally shoot them. Or something.

A historical quibble: Susannah grew up on a plantation in Virginia. They had slaves. She knew they were slaves, and would have referred to them as slaves. Not "servants." The black characters are "servants" up until Susannah helps Katie escape. Then Katie is referred to as a slave. But only Katie. Susannah's father freed his slaves in his will, and after that, the ones who chose to stay were paid *servants.* Having Susannah mentally refer to the slaves as servants before they were servants does not absolve her of belonging to a slave-owning family. Will the Sunfire authors stop pussyfooting around with this unavoidable historical fact: from the early 1700s on through 1865, most of America's agricultural wealth was made by exploiting slave labor. It's reprehensible. But it happened. Now stop trying to write around it.

Verdict: The "ignoring slavery" thing really irritates me, so that's an automatic one-star deduction. And the willful blindness of the romance plot subtracts another. I am not sure what to do with the rest. Three stars it is! It's not the worst of them. Read it yourself and see what you think.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book out of these Sunfire romances. I've read it about 10 times. I saved them all these years for my daughters, and Im glad I did, since they are now out of print. :(

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm on a Sunfire kick right now and have taken it upon myself to reread all of the ones I currently have. Actually reviewing this one without bias is impossible because I love it too much, but I will try my best.

I love this book. Out of all the Sunfires I've read, to me, this one has the best plot. It of course takes place during the Civil War and focuses on Susannah and her family. We follow her for about a year, with a couple of flashbacks at the beginning, and see the pure struggles and horror this war actually brought. There is a scene at the beginning very similar to the hospital scene from Gone With the Wind. You have plantations catching fire, you have armies living with the main characters, you have more than one major characters die. This book brings the plot.

I also think Susannah is one of the strongest protagonists out of these Sunfire books. She's not just a kind, sweet girl who is always doing the right thing. Her choices aren't always perfect. There are consequences to her actions, positive and negaitve. She is an active part of her story and what she does affects her and her family. She's got a real sass to her and you root for her from the get go. You feel her pain and fear, and you go on her journey rushing toward the end of the awful war that has ruined her way of life.

There are also strong characters that surround her. Patricia and Garnet (Susannah's sister and potential sister in-law) are actually developed as characters and have arcs. Garnet in particular is a wonderful foil to Susannah as your typical southern belle who, underneath the polished glamour, is a complex character who hides her real self.

I also think this book has strong romance. Both suitors are believable, both in their relationships with Susannah and as people. Evan in particular, the childhood sweetheart and Confederate, feels like a real example of a young man during this period. He was raised to believe in certain things, and this war tears him apart from the inside. Also, I just LOVE Caine.

I must talk about the elephant in the review, slavery. This is without a doubt, the most cringe worthy part of the book. While this book was written in the 80s, I still don't understand why slavery was tiptoed around as it was. Most of the time, Susannah and other characters refer to them as servants, rather than slaves. All the servants were treated nicely and had good lives. Mr. Dellinger never whipped his servants as far as Susannah was aware. The servants were never ripped apart from their families. Servants weren't raped by their masters.

But I digress.

Yeah, not very historically accurate. It reads more like my Grandma preaching over Sunday lunch that slaves actually needed their masters and most had really good lives. I'm so sure. There was a scene where Susannah helped a slave escape, and I hoped her ideas towards slavery would progress and evolve, but they really didn't. After this, slavery is kind of just put to the side. Even later, after the first character death, we are led to believe that this character had always disagreed with slavery, which is complete BS and out of character. I will say that all of the slave characters are written as good people. They don't seem stereotyped to me, but then again I'm a white women so I might not be the best judge of that.

I've re-read this book more times than any Sunfire. It might not be the best, but it is easily my favorite. I would recommend this this book, despite it's flaws toward the slavery accuracy. However, if that is something that would bother you, totally understandable. Though, believe it or not, there are other Sunfire books that are worse in terms of slavery. Anyway, to me, it's one of my favorite books and I will end up reading it again.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another cheesy Sunfire novel... this should be the last one for awhile.

Susannah is about a girl growing up in Virginia during the Civil War. Little by little her world falls apart, and she finds herself having to be the leader in her family. Along the way, she meets a Yankee soldier with whom she falls in love. There is truly nothing better than forbidden romance.

I feel like Susannah gives a fairly good portrayal of how devastating the Civil War was for the South. It was pretty heart-breaking to read about the family being unable to buy enough food, and the Confederate Army coming along and taking their last horse. I sort of feel like this book is Gone with the Wind lite, as a lot of the same types of characters show up. Susannah isn't nearly as sassy as Scarlett O'Hara though, and probably not as selfish.

I, like other reviewers, was surprised at the lack of mention of slavery. In the beginning of the novel, when the author first mentions the family's servants, I was like, "Wait, are they not slaves?" Then later Susannah helps one of the slaves run away. But other than that, there really is no discussion of slavery, which is surprising for a book that was written in 1984.

Also, I did feel like the romance between Susannah and her Yankee soldier was a little far-fetched. I didn't feel like they had even spent that much time together before she was declaring that she was in love with him. And yes, I can appreciate that she is 16 years old, but really?

Overall, I did enjoy the book. It was entertaining enough.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book as a teenager in the 1980s and found it again at a garage sale. I remembered it as being one of my favorites at the time I read it long ago and enjoyed it just as much reading it again now. Yes, the writing was a bit simpler than I am used to, but the story is a good one. Hope to share it with my nieces and hope they love it as much as I do. Will be part of my library as a nostalgic look back through my reading journey.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books in the Sunfire series were basically starter romance novels for young teen girls. Got to get 'em hooked early. I don't think there was any bodice ripping going on, maybe some kissing, lots of anticipation, that's for sure.

From the looks of the cover, it seems that this particular title was set during the Civil War.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, these books were so good.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Rereading my way through the Sunfire series, in publication order*

Three years into the Civil War, Susannah Dellinger is yearning for the good old days, when there were picnics and balls and attentions from her handsome neighbor, Evan Jones. But those days are gone. Evan and her brother are off fighting for the Confederacy and she waits at home on her Virginia plantation, watching everything crumble around her.

It's hard not to draw comparisons between SUSANNAH and GONE WITH THE WIND, at least in the broad strokes. Spoiled Southern belle forced to grow up and take charge when the war threatens her beloved family plantation. Despite the objections of a whiny younger sibling, she gets the whole family to pitch in working in the field. When her childhood love--a proper, wistful Southern gentleman--returns to visit, he's saddened by the hardening of her character. She meets her match in a spirited, outspoken man.

In the writing, though, there's something sweeter about SUSANNAH, a more fine-tuned loss of innocence. Does Susannah truly love Evan or does she love the lost antebellum world they both knew? Does she love Caine, the Yankee solider she's taken to meet in secret, or does she love the uncertainty and newness of her future after the war?

There were things I didn't care for in some of the characters--Evan's persistent complaints about Susannah's disappearing ladylikeness, for one--but many seemingly stock characters had surprises of their own.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Susannah survives the events of the Civil War from her Virginia plantation.

I remember reading this and a bunch of the other Sunfire romance novels when I was an early teen. I acquired a couple through the ubiquitous Scholastic reading catalogues sent home from school and managed to find a few more at the local public library. I genuinely liked them at the time. They provided a little bit of historical tidbit in with the love stories, and featured young women who fought for what they wanted and didn't just stand by waiting for things to happen.

The Civil War is a hard topic to write about at times. This book is a romance, and while there is some romantic rosying of events here, there are also some very real concerns regarding survival, starvation, and how to keep the family alive when the people know their side is losing. Decades later I remember the scenes regarding the wheat crop in this book. There are problems with the narrative, but it was brain popcorn and a good time for tweenage me.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in, like, 6th grade or something, I read the first Sunfire teen romance, Amanda, which was about a girl on the wagon train going west. I liked it a lot and reread it occasionally. So I was excited to find this one at the library booksale a few years ago, and finally got around to reading it.

In this one, Susannah is a young woman on a plantation in Virginia during the Civil War. She has a beau, her brother's best friend, who's enlisted in the Confederate army. But she keeps encountering a Union soldier, who's with the occupying forces in her town, has beautiful eyes, is very kind and thoughtful, and treats her like an equal instead of a child. So, of course, she falls in love with him. The historical details were all pretty accurate, and showed the hardships endured by civilians throughout the war, though it was fairly southern-sympathizing.

[Skylar Burris]

I devoured much of the Sunfire historical romance series in 5th and 6th grade. That is, I read scores of them, but I think I did a bit of skimming. The formula was always the same - two young men - both handsome - oh my! Whom will she choose? 6th grade me lapped that stuff up. I interviewed Candice F. Ransom for an I-Search (children of the 80's, who remembers I-Search projects?) career paper. At the time, I wanted to be a writer. I still do, actually. Well, I am one, I suppose. I don't recall Ms. Ransom telling me in that interview how hard it is to make a solid living at the trade, however.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waxing Nostalgic #15- It has been awhile since I have revised one of my youthful favs. Sometimes I think the books may have been better remembered in my past. I wanted Susannah to be recognized by her family for the sacrifices she was making for them in the war. They seemed awfully ungrateful. I wanted there to be more of a courtship between she and her beaus. How does she know she loves them? These are all questions that 16 year old girls do not ask. Oh well, these books are such great diversions.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another trip down memory lane, re-reading a book from the Sunfire series which was my absolute favorite series of books as a teenager (and the reason I never saved any of my babysitting money... there were always new Sunfire books to be bought!) Susannah is the story of a young woman from Virginia and the struggles, tragedies and love she experiences during the Civil War. This one is packed with historical names/places/details and isn't quite as formulaic as some of the Sunfire books, in my opinion. Really enjoyed it!

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This always stuck out in my memory of the Sunfire books as one of my favorites. Probably because of how I romanticized the Civil War as a young teen in the 80s (thanks to reading Gone With the Wind at age 10) and adoring the whole notion of star-crossed love between a Yankee and a good Virginian girl.

What surprised me upon reading as an adult was that slavery was actually addressed, that the starving realities of war weren't shied away from, and again, female coming of age meaning empowerment and fortitude, even if they get the guy in the end.

[DMuse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all the Sunfire books as a tween, I even ended up buying them all, and kept them for decades. I thought they were wonderful historical fiction, and they made me want to read more about certain time periods in history. When my daughter came along, she wasn't as enthralled by them as I was, so I guess it all depends on your perspective. I still stand by them as great intros to historical romance

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still reading/rereading some of the Sunfires from the eighties... I did not feel this one gave as much depth to the history and relationship (can't believe I'm saying this about this series, but it's true) as some of the other books. Susannah had some minor similarities to Gone with the Wind, but the story went another way. I did like how it wrapped up-it was the only way it could have gone.

[Amanda-Has-A-Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this crazy time I needed a little brain candy reading sooo I busted out my old collection of Sunfire romance books! These were my favorite back in the 90's. A young girl with a boy choice that centers around an important part of American history. With Susannah this takes place in the South during the Civil war. She falls for a Yankee solider and overall I enjoyed the story/romance.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It was way intense as Susannah tries to take her family across the country. I liked how she had to decided what guy she liked better and who she wanted to live with for the rest of her life. I would recommend this to anyone!!!

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as I remembered it being when I got my first copy from the Scholastic book order in 4th grade! What a great nostalgia read! I'm still captivated by the tragic romance of the South and the swoon-worthy forbidden love between a Southern Belle and a Yankee soldier. Sigh.

[Norah Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another favorite of mine from my childhood. I found a lot of these books just recently at the thrift store and today I've been reliving my preteen years. Historical facts are a little off in this book but the storyline is good.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in junior high and liked it quite well. I'm not sure how well it would hold up to a reading now, but it's a decent young adult romance novel.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my jam when I was 11 years old. That's why it gets a big rating; purely for nostalgia.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

good story

[Christina]

I had no idea that the author of the Time Spies series (one of my kids' favorites) wrote this series of books. I read them in high school and remember loving them!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good, better than I expected and the historical aspect was very accurate.

[Beth Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the Sunfire series.

[Reading with Cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Hip-length hair and smoke-purple eyes!

[Lisa Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just books aimed at teen readers, the Sunfire series speaks to the history of the land while addressing issues that can be found in any generation. This tale is set during the Civil War and in Virginia, where part of the state turned to the Confederates, while the western part of the state sought out the Yankees.