"In 1894 Carrie McGavock is an old woman, an old woman who has only her former slave to keep her company along with the almost 1,500 soldiers buried in her backyard. Years ago, rather than let someone plow over the field where these young men had been buried, Carrie dug them up and buried them in her own personal cemetery. Now, as she walks the rows of the dead, an old soldier appears. It is the man she met that day of the battle that changed everything. The man who came to her house as a wounded soldier and left with her heart. He asks if the cemetery has room for one more. Flash back 30 years to the morning of the Battle of Franklin, a battle that was the bloodiest five hours of the Civil War, with 9,200 casualties that fateful day. Carries home Carnton Plantation was taken over by the Confederate army and turned into a hospital; four generals died on her porch, and the pile of amputated limbs reached the second story window. And one soldier came to her house and reawakened in Carrie feelings she thought long dead. Zacharaiah Cashwell was a 32-year-old soldier who had lived a hardscrabble life. When Cashwell, wounded, was brought to her home, Carrie found herself inexplicably drawn to him despite boundaries of class and decorum. The story that ensues between Carrie and Cashwell is just as unforgettable as the battle from which it is drawn."

Picked this up for $1 at a garage sale. I have another copy on Mt. TBR.

(Abridged on 5 CD's; Read by Becky Ann Baker, Tom Wopat, David Chandler, & Jonathan Davis)

10/14/09 -- A very moving book about a nearly-forgotten battle to those of us who have very limited knowledge of the details of the Civil War. This pays homage to many of the fallen soldiers of the Confederate Army, both identified and non-identified. Furthermore, it pays tribute to Carrie McGavock who devoted much of her life to preserving the memory of these soldiers. Many of the historical details are based on fact, interwoven with the author's interpretation of Carrie's relationship with these soldiers & with one in particular. As a reader who is largely ignorant of the facts surrounding the Civil War, I found this book very enlightening and it has piqued my interest into further exploration, with an additional desire to travel to some of these historical sites. Having read the abridged audiobook version, I think this is definitely one instance where an unabridged reading would greatly enhance the reader's enjoyment & appreciation of historical detail, & had I read that, my star rating would've probably been higher.

And this one's off to....(*shh! It's a surprise!*)....winner of Smurphie's Audiobook Sweepstakes. Congrats & enjoy! :')

First, I can't believe I won. Second, I can't wait to listen to all of my new-to-me audiobooks! Thank you, indygo88! This sounds like a good one--especially with Tom Wopat (my favorite Duke brother) as one of the narrators.

The Civil War has fascinated me since I watched Ken Burns' groundbreaking documentary in 1990. I spent $50 of my hard-earned money on the companion book and read it cover to cover, poring over the photographs more times than I can count. What I liked about Ken Burns' efforts was that he humanized the U.S. Civil War for me, taking away the impersonal statistics and results and replacing them with flesh-and-blood victims and heroes. Robert Hicks has done the same with his historical characters in "The Widow of the South." I don't remember ever hearing of Carnton in Franklin, Tennessee, before this book, but I doubt I will ever forget it now.

Carnton has a website with lots of photos of the cemetery and McGavock family home that made this book feel even more real.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This is on its way to ApoloniaX, the next/current winner of the audiobook sweepstakes! Congrats and enjoy!

Thank you so much, grubsneerg!
This seems very interesting - looking forward to listening to it.
It arrived with two other audiobooks
and loads of BC labels and stickers
- I'm overwhelmed :-)

A very well read account of a major battle which occurred in the final months of the Civil War. Sometimes found it a bit hard to follow, but all in all I liked the change of perspectives.
As a real person is portrayed (Carrie McGavock really lived) I would have expected that historic facts are correct, but according to Wikipedia 1750 confederates and 189 Unionists were killed during the battle – so how can thousands have been buried? And the fact that Nathan Bedford Forrest was a slave trader and a member of the Ku Klux Klan is conveniently left out. So I would have preferred a more neutral point of view… did Hicks want to shed a better light on the Southeners? I found the characterizations sometimes a bit too shallow, and lots of things are never explained (especially the relationship between Carrie and Zachariah). Still, this audiobook kept me hooked to the CD player and I think somebody interested in the American Civil War might enjoy it soon …

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

… so it will travel to Vienna now, as part of Gwenindil's Wild RABCK.

I have read the Book "The Black Flower" of Howard Bahr, a stunning novel with the same topic and persons. As a european I've not knowed that Bahrs Anna is Carrie McGavock and she is a real person and so the whole topic.
Now I have to listen to this novel... great!