17 year old Megan Loren's personal and private Battle of Gettysburg.
FIXIN' THINGS is the story of Megan Loren's struggle with past incest between herself and her "trusted" brother-in-law, and her desire to keep it secret from the sister whom she believes loves the perpetrator. The turning point of America's Civil War erupts outside her bedroom window, adding its horrors and triumphs to Megan's already complicated life. Family issues get set aside as two armies clash on her doorstep, only to return in the person of the sister's lascivious husband as soon as the battle winds down.
Excerpt
Megan gnawed a chuck of melted candle wax to keep from gnashing her teeth. She had stared at the Trinity Church window for what seemed like hours before she realized it was dark outside. The eerie light of a dozen torches projected the scene behind her onto the glass. Union doctors had ordered every third box pew dismantled to give themselves room to work. Confederates had placed the removed boards atop the remaining pews and covered them with straw. Refugees from slaughter lay head-to-foot from entry to altar. God's meat tossed on a butcher's block waiting for the cleaver.
Spilled blood obscured the color of their uniforms. The differences no longer mattered. Each time a soldier shrieked for admittance into heaven or hell and got his wish, the ambulance drivers put another in his place but there was nothing left with which to bind their wounds. Megan tried to remember what the sanctuary had looked like on Sunday. Four days ago? The memory escaped her.
Professional Reviews
FIXIN' THINGS
A Review By Barbara Holmes
Peggy Bell's acute eye for detail takes us on an historical journey into the life of a family, devastated by the Battle of Gettysburg.
In this second offering by Bell, we find a novel embellished with characters to love and those we love to hate. From the opening pages we suffer along as Bell's heroine, Megan, is forced to grow up before her time. With both parents gone and a lustful brother-in-law seeking her out at every meeting, her coming of age, enjoyable for most girls, becomes a heart-wrenching obstacle.
FIXIN' THINGS carries its fair share of characters, but we're never to the point where we begin to wish for a map. Sam, the black man taken in by Megan's mother when they were young, the eccentric Aunts who live in the rented house...all wonderfully engaging & delightful to meet.
Like many novels written about this period, the battle begins to surround the family lands, but few have the colorful cast of characters given in this compelling community.
Although this is a novel, Bell's layers of harsh life, hate, bigotry and newfound love come incredibly close to a work of non-fiction. FIXIN' THINGS gives readers a shocking yet enjoyable glimpse into a Gettysburg life. Copyright 2002 Barbara Holmes
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