Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Welcome to the buddy read of Enemy Women, which will begin on September 15th, 2021.

I am in for this one. Thanks, Sara!

Me too!

Yes! Me too.

Ooh, I'm super tempted to join in! I think life may settle down enough by then for me to do so!!

I'm also tempted to join in.

I'm in for sure! I'll be starting early because I realized that I've already read all of the September group reads!

Sounds like we will have a good group!

Sue, how lovely to be ahead of schedule. I'm not sure I even vaguely remember that feeling. :)

I’m going to try and join in too as I own the book and really want to read it.

Anne (On semi-hiatus) wrote: "I'm also tempted to join in."

You should Anne! She is such a great writer.

Sara wrote: "Sounds like we will have a good group!

Sue, how lovely to be ahead of schedule. I'm not sure I even vaguely remember that feeling. :)"

It's rare for me too, Sara!

Antoinette wrote: "I’m going to try and join in too as I own the book and really want to read it."

That's great, Antoinette! The more the merrier.

I plan on starting in the next few days as soon as I finish Oliver Twist

I would love to have you join the read, Anne and Antoinette. As Sue says, the more the merrier.

I picked the book up at the library today. I really enjoy Paulette Jiles' writing so I have to squeeze this one into September too.

Thanks for reminder Connie. I am planning to read along/read along at times as I listen to the audiobook. I still have time until mid-month. I probably will start about then. Looking forward;-)

Question: am I supposed to start reading it on September 15 or finish it by then? Something I’m never sure of with buddy reads. Only started doing buddy reads recently, so a true novice;)

Antoinette,
This is hoping that Sara will not mind too much that I answer your question as she may be busy right now. . . . . Officially we start reading on the 15th. I will likely start a day or so afterward. Some will start a few days earlier. This and more you may recognize from other buddies reads you have been on. . . .Looking forward to meeting you Antoinette at the buddy read!

Always fine to answer any question you can, Cynda! I take the 15th to be the date we will begin discussing the book, so I try to have at least started reading it by then. Everyone has their own considerations, Antoinette, and I never think of the date as anything hard and fast. I've never participated in a buddy read where everyone started or ended at the same time, so you cannot do this wrong. 😊

If you do read early and want to get your thoughts down here, please use spoiler brackets.

Thanks so much Cynda and Sara. Looking forward to it.

Welcome Connie and Jillian! It's great how much this group has expanded since The Way West thread.

Thanks, Sue. It should be a good read!

Started reading this one today. Starts off very strong for me. I love Civil War settings.

I also started this today. I’m really liking it so far. I had no idea it was 575 pages until I opened it. At least on Hoopla.

I suspect that I will start in about three days, which is when I predict that I will finish The Tin Man.

I have a paperback and Kindle and they are both around 325 chapters. it's a quick read because there are lots of chapters 10-15 pages long. I just finished and loved it!

Lori, for perspective, my hardback copy is 320 pages.

I meant pages not chapters. had those short chapters on the mind!

Yeah, thanks guys. Ive noticed that Hoopla adds pages. I’m glad to know you loved it Sue and that it read quickly.

My Kindle copy is 325 pages as well, Lori. I think Hoopla is just fooling with you. :)

I'm also glad to see you liked it 5-stars worth, Sue. I'm only 47 pages in, but I'm really liking it so far.

It was definitely 5 stars for me, Sara. I love the way Paulette Jiles delves into unfamiliar aspects of the civil war and reconstruction in her books. It's so cool here how she uses 2 or 3 historical quotes to start each chapter. They really add weight to story. I'm in awe of this woman.

I love that device as well. Makes even the fictional aspects seem like history. The initial entry she cites is so chilling, it started me off full of emotion.

Sara wrote: "I love that device as well. Makes even the fictional aspects seem like history. The initial entry she cites is so chilling, it started me off full of emotion."

It started me off full of emotion too, Sara. Even though Missouri is a neighboring state, I never really heard much about them in relation to the civil war before. Most history books focus on the big battles in PA, VA, TN, GA etc.. It's well known that civilians are always victims in war, but she's bringing attention to the fact that they weren't just collateral damage, they were targeted. It's very sad. I'm amazed by how well balanced she is too. She doesn't make one side evil. She shows bad actors and good people on both sides in a historically accurate way. It's refreshing.

She did this really well in The Color Of Lightning too. There is a really brutal scene that book that reminds me of one in this one. In the Color of Lightening it's an Indian attack on a homestead. They were called savages. She shows us here that we weren't that different.

I was immediately drawn in with the quotes in the beginning of each chapter as well. Some of them are very shocking and sad but I think it’s important to know about the realities and this is the best way to show them - with first hand accounts or primary sources. I’ve read the first 6 chapters and hate to put it down. I just can’t read while my husband watches tv - ugh! And I’m so engrossed in what’s going to happen to Adair that I’ve forgotten that my poison ivy itches. 🤪 She is quite a character. I am glad that so far the women haven’t been (so far) portrayed as gentle or submissive because this situation requires them to be able-bodied and unafraid. Adair is feisty and I really like her a lot!

It would be interesting to know if the women were generally targeted or if it was mainly in Missouri.

Lori wrote: "I was immediately drawn in with the quotes in the beginning of each chapter as well. Some of them are very shocking and sad but I think it’s important to know about the realities and this is the be..."

I'm so sorry you're dealing with poison ivy Lori! I'm extra allergic to it to where I was put in the hospital with it as a kid. I am super cautious about it and never got it again.

I was wondering whether it was widespread too, Lori. I think it's likely since it came from the army, not just the militia.

I love Adair also. The other books of Jiles's that I've read focus mostly on men and it's nice to see she can create a great women character also.

Missouri was, perhaps, the worst scenario in the Civil War, because it was a state that was completely split. It had two governments and was claimed by both sides. It is somewhat famous for having marauding gangs of jayhawkers and red leggers. If you have ever seen Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales, it gives a pretty good depiction of the situation, and Jesse James sprang up from this conflict and was counted an outlaw by some and a hero by others.

I knew this would be interesting when I realized she had set it there. Hard to imagine the cruelty that was present at this time in history. I also love Adair and the strength she has.

I'm truly sorry about the poison ivy as well, Lori. It is very interesting to me that you were hospitalized with it, Sue. When I was a child I was extremely allergic to it and had convulsions with it when the neighbors burned off a field of it and it got into the air. I had never heard of anyone else who had such a severe reaction to it before I read what you had written.

I haven't heard of anyone having a severe reaction either, Sara. I didn't have convulsions but was never around a burning field of it! My whole body swelled up and my eyes were swollen completely shut for over a week. I missed two weeks of school. I don't recall any breathing problems, but the Dr had never seen such a strong reaction to it and thought I should be under observation.

Sara wrote: "Missouri was, perhaps, the worst scenario in the Civil War, because it was a state that was completely split. It had two governments and was claimed by both sides. It is somewhat famous for having ..."

I'm going to have to try and watch that film. I think I may have seen it long ago, but I don't remember much about it if I did. My husband will be thrilled if I tell him I want to watch a Western.

Oh my goodness, you two had a terrible time. I’m sorry to highjack the thread, but today this book has helped me forget I’m covered and bright red. We found a poison sumac vine but didn’t know what it was until now. I was swollen on my neck and face and one eye last week. Got a steroid shot but it never went away. I actually thought I was having an allergic reaction to a face cream until I went to the dermatologist this week. Boy was I surprised. I am definitely allergic to poison ivy and all of its relatives! We will definitely not be burning the plant to kill it.

Well, now I will need to read some background on Missouri, Sara. Thanks for the info. Missouri was a very important state for both sides as was Kentucky which was neutral. Both states had access to the south via rivers.

I looked up the bushwhackers and learned about their antics and Jesse James when that came up in the reading. They were like vigilantes, I guess. Hill jacks was another term I had to look up. Another term for hillbilly but apparently thought of as lazier. One source says it’s a hillbilly + a Jack of all trades. Competent at doing many things but master of none.

Sorry to hear about your poison ivy attack. Coming from the Sierras, I had a very unfortunate encounter with poison oak as a teen with very bad blistering of my legs. But I have never brushed up against poison ivy or poison sumac.

I am still making my way through the TIn Man, almost half way through.

Lori wrote: "Oh my goodness, you two had a terrible time. I’m sorry to highjack the thread, but today this book has helped me forget I’m covered and bright red. We found a poison sumac vine but didn’t know what..."

I haven't reached the part where discussing Jesse James comes into the story, Lori. Not surprised she would touch on that, however. I had to sideline my reading because my tablet died on me and wouldn't charge. Turned out to be the cord, so all charged up now and ready to resume the read.

Ugh I hate when I have stop and recharge. Sara, I’ve not gotten to any part about Jesse James yet either. I read about him in connection when I looked up the term bushwhackers online. Sorry if I mislead. Enjoy your reading!

Besides Josey Wales, another good movie to get background on the Civil War conflicting sides in Missouri, specifically on the Bushwackers and the Jayhawks, is director Ang Lee's 1999 film called Ride With the Devil.

This is Wikipedia and IMDb on it,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_wi...
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134154/...

Thank you for that link, Brian. I need to add Ride with the Devil to my watch list now too. I've seen a few of his films and he's a talented director.

Sue wrote: "I've seen a few of his films and he's a talented director."

Of course he's talented. Most people with degrees from the University of Illinois are.

I am racing through this book. It is so compelling. Thanks for the history information you have provided. Will definitely be doing some research.

I will start reading Enemy Women tonight!

Brian wrote: "Sue wrote: "I've seen a few of his films and he's a talented director."

Of course he's talented. Most people with degrees from the University of Illinois are."

Ha! My dad and my sister both went there.

Sue wrote: "Ha! My dad and my sister both went there."

Well, now we know who the 'brains' are in the "H" family. :)

Ha! it's my maiden name "L" family hehee. They were both very intelligent and my dad and uncle played football there too.