Denise Clark, of Denises Pieces Book Reviews, has reviewed my novel, 'Fathers, Sons,and Brothers'!
Fathers, Sons, and Brothers
By James ‘Gus’ Filegar
PublishAmerica Book Publishers - 2002
ISBN:
Reviewed by Denise M. Clark
Denise’s Pieces Book Reviews
http://www.denisemclark.com
Fathers, Sons, and Brothers is essentially a novel revolving around the life of Nathan S. Clark and his experiences with the 20th Maine Regiment during the War Between the States. Based partly on diary and pension records on Clark, author James Filegar employs his writing expertise to fill out this life, employing his vast knowledge of the customs, feelings and cultural ancestry of his subject to breathe life into the historical Nathan.
Told through the eyes and letters of newly married Nathan, the reader experiences and shares everything within the young man’s daily existence and ventures on a journey with him into the horrors and privations of war. Beginning in 1862 and culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, author Filegar displays a thorough understanding of military campaigns and uses accurate research to evoke a no-holds-barred narrative describing battlefields and expressing the emotions of those involved.
The pages of this book provide hours of reading enjoyment and what this reader terms ‘painless history lessons’ to one of the most riveting moments in American history. Filegar’s ability to immerse the reader into the atmosphere - evoking every sense while he does so, is a sensory treat. Smelling the campfires, the stench of blood and gunpowder - literally sensing the ground rumble beneath the traps of thousands of marching feet - it all climaxes in an astounding battle scene from a place called Little Round Top, where Colonel Joshua Chamberlain attempts a gallant defense of his exposed flank, and elicits a rash of goose bumps and military pride.
Action, romance and historical accuracy and a very well balanced blend of narrative and dialog make Father, Sons and Brothers a definite keeper. Keep an eye out for further works by Mr. Filegar, for he’s a storyteller in the truest sense of the word, and hopefully has many other stories yet to tell.
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