Amazon Author Kellie Doyle Author Kellie Doyle Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Lazy Stroll Press ISBN-10:  1466360631 Pages: 320 Copyright: Sept 12, 2011 ISBN-13: 9781466360631 Georgia reinvents herself as George in order to survive the American Civil War. This epic follows Georgia as she fights in the war as a soldier. This is the story of Georgia, a young woman living a bucolic life on her father’s prosperous Virginia farm … until the Civil War explodes all around her. In short order the slaves flee; Georgia’s father commits suicide; and her dissolute brother Thaddeus runs off to join the Confederate Army. Jolted from her complaisance, Georgia quickly realizes that she is a traitor twice over: a Union sympathizer and a discontented debutante. Emboldened by tragedy, dreaming of a more meaningful life, she moves to Washington City. There desperation and determination compel her to attempt the unthinkable: reinvented as “George,” she secures a position first as an apprentice telegraph operator, then as a civilian “brass pounder” in the newly formed Union Army Balloon Corps. Georgia discovers that life as a man has its own injustices when she is drummed out of the Balloon Corps, but her restless search for fulfillment compels her to accept when a general recruits her to the front lines of the Union army. The cost of her convictions is hardship, capture, and cruel confinement in notorious Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Her sole comfort there is her comrade in arms Archibald, who soon succumbs to death … only after revealing that his heart saw through her deception long before. Georgia is narrowly rescued from the same fate by her Aunt Flora, a Richmond aristocrat. Weary, wiser, but undaunted, Georgia recovers and returns to Washington City, accompanied by her oldest friend and confidante, the wealthy dandy Borley. He soon secures them a place among the beau monde of Washington, but Georgia still aches for something more. When she rejects his suit, Borley settles a sizeable fortune on her and returns to Richmond, leaving Georgia with the courage of her convictions … finally free to work, live, and love as an equal.     Excerpt Aunt Flora was one of Georgia’s favorite people. She had a quirky humor and, while still a servant to the many social constrictions of the time, she, at least, had the good sense to openly complain about them. She was also not quick to judge others, a quality that seemed sorely lacking within most of their circles. Aunt Flora was gifted at making her opinions known without disrupting the flow of social graces. Georgia knew there was much she could learn from her aunt’s refinement. Later that evening, Georgia stood in the narrow hallway that connected the morning parlor where the ladies sat, with the library where the men had congregated to smoke their cigars and have their evening brandy wine. She leaned against the wall just out of sight of the chattering women with her eyes fixed on the library door. Georgia watched Uncle Clem as he strolled past the opening, puffing large smoke rings into the stale air. She could hear the impassioned speech of one of the men talking about war. “A house divided cannot stand,” she heard one of men utter with the fervor of a preacher. “Then why are you dividing it?” she mumbled to herself. Behind her, the parlor was a sea of flapping fans. Flora, who usually looked like she was moving effortlessly through life, appeared uncomfortable. Most of them kept adjusting themselves, subtly, in their seats, as if their corsets were digging into their flesh. “Our tea will be here soon,” assured Flora. Margaret Finch was the biggest blabbermouth in Richmond high society. In a town where the reputations of many of the wealthiest residents had risen and plummeted on as little as one well-established rumor, it was widely suspected that Margaret Finch started them all. Such suspicions, whether true or not, had caused her to be quite feared. She sat in the largest and most comfortable chair in the room with each of her flabby limbs draped across the folds of her belly, her hands still as stone in her lap. The self-gratified expression on her face made her look every bit the Queen of Ladydom. Her layers of ivory watered taffeta and rolls of fat around her middle, made her look rather like a large layer cake.

A female view of the war
If you are expecting another book purely about Civil War battles, you will not get what you want. This is a book about a woman who not only experiences life in harm's way as a civilian, but also, and more importantly, what it was like for a woman masquerading as a man while in the Army. Yes, there are battles, and you see it from her eyes, but much more is about her life before and after being a soldier, being a woman in a very difficult time. This book is for readers who want to know the female perspective on life during that time as well as while Army life and imprisonment was like from a female point of view.


Not Just for Civil War Buffs
Sure, those interested in various aspects of the Civil War will find this novel rewarding, but it will appeal to others as well, including women readers who appreciate a strong female character and a story that does not revolve around romance. Also interesting is that, while there's plenty of battlefield action, we have the opportunity to experience an evolution in Georgia's character. Back to the historical setting: Doyle includes plenty of detail, most of which does not stray far from fact, so armchair Civil War experts needn't fear they'll be irritated by major inaccuracies. The depiction of the prison in Richmond is especially compelling. Don't expect the same-old, same-old from this novel.


Out of the Parlor and Into the War
This book grabs you at page one and keeps you on a wild ride until the end. It is such a good read that you wish it could have lasted longer and barring that, that there could be a sequel. The basic premis of this book is a Civil War middle class woman who is swept up in the Civil War, only she wasn't rolling bandages and visiting the wounded, she was in the thick of the action. While this story is fiction, I am sure that it was based on the true accounts of many women who did fight for their country under assummed names and male disguises. The author of this book has crafted a colorful and interesting novel showing a lady from the Civil War period in many guises. She begins the book as a normal young woman with the usual dreams of a woman of her age and class. But, pretty early in the book her life gets very, very interesting! I will say no more because I would not want to spoil all the surprises that await the reader. I would highly recommend this book by Ms. Doyle. I am sure that there will be many more books from this author and I, for one, won't be missing any of them. A GREAT read!