Widow of Gettysburg

Heroines Behind the Lines Series, Book 2

By: Jocelyn Green

Narrated by: Laura E. Richcreek

For all who have suffered great loss of heart, home, health or family; true home and genuine lasting love can be found.

When a horrific battle rips through Gettysburg, the farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is disfigured into a Confederate field hospital, bringing her face to face with unspeakable suffering - and a Confederate scout who awakens her long dormant heart.

While Liberty's future crumbles as her home is destroyed, the past comes rushing back to Bella, a former slave and Liberty's hired help, when she finds herself surrounded by Southern soldiers, one of whom knows the secret that would place Liberty in danger if revealed.

In the wake of shattered homes and bodies, Liberty and Bella struggle to pick up the pieces the battle has left behind. Will Liberty be defined by the tragedy in her life, or will she find a way to triumph over it?

Inspired by first-person accounts from women who lived in Gettysburg during the battle and its aftermath, Widow of Gettysburg is Book 2 in the Heroines Behind the Lines series. These audiobooks do not need to be listened to in succession.

©2013 Jocelyn Green (P)2019 Jocelyn Green

Captivating!

Jocelyn Green never disappoints, and the Widow of Gettysburg is among her very finest work. The characters are deeply complex, the drama soul-stirring, and the rich historical details will plunge listeners into the very heart of the Civil War. With more than a few surprising twists and turns, the Widow of Gettysburg reminds us that God not only mends broken hearts...He makes them completely new. He sees what men try to hide, loves the unlovable, and births hope in the darkest places. A treasure of a story!

Amazing

This book was hauntingly beautiful. Though I’m not sure that adequately describe how I feel after listening to it. I’m not a fan (at all) of civil wartime stories. The treatment of blacks alone turn me off from the tales. Honestly I thought at times I wouldn’t make it through this one. But I did. And I’m glad. I was hooked....thoroughly engrossed in the lives of the characters. Jocelyn has written a story not soon forgotten and the narrator did an awesome job conveying the sounds, emotions, and personalities of each character. I can’t wait to get my hands on another of Jocelyn’s books.

I received a complementary copy of this audio book by the author. All opinions and views are my own.

Excellent Historical Fiction

Jocelyn Green paints a vivid picture of what life was like for women in Gettysburg during and after the Civil War, and their contribution to provide help to all who need it. The unspeakable suffering for the soldiers, and the difficult circumstances in caring for all the wounded, were meticulously researched and realistically portrayed. Gettysburg and it's people were changed forever because of that three day battle. The author also gives a glimpse into the lives and horrific backgrounds of some of the freed women slaves. We are reminded that the integrity of mankind, and the evil of mankind, co-exist in all time periods, and situations. The back cover calls this series "an inside look at women's contributions during times of war". Narrator Laura E. Richcreek did a wonderful job with all the different characters in this story.

Behind the Scenes: The Civil War

AUDIO Review
The Civil War was a trying time for this nation, as Union and Confederate forces divided our country like a ripped bed sheet torn for bandages in a field hospital. Liberty Holloway, a Union widow, has to abandon plans to make her home into an inn when the Confederate the army commandeered her farm. They simply took over her home, barn and property and demanded her assistance when they became overwhelmed with wounded Confederate soldiers. It was a difficult task for her to take on nursing soldiers that actually fought against her fallen husband.
Silas Ford comes upon the farm just prior to the takeover with a reputation as bruised and battered as the war itself. He takes a liking to Liberty and becomes protective of her. His stint in the seminary had been cut short by the war -- and by the rumors about his spotted reputation.
Bella is Liberty’s hired hand and has secrets of her own that could destroy Liberty in a heartbeat. As a former slave, she walks a tight line in order to keep her free status. Together they must learn to carry on regardless of which side they are on in the war.
I thought the narrator was very good and did a believable impression of any voices she needed to replicate, even male ones. There is a fine line between narrating well and getting on the listener’s nerves. I felt like she did an awesome job of not becoming too monotonous or shrill. The Civil War was a bloody, awful conflict and that is magnified in the field hospital setting at Liberty’s farm. There were numerous amputations and the description is quite gruesome, but is very accurate to the medical procedures of the era. I honestly wished the story had less gore, but I am quite certain that the descriptions were very true to life. Phantom limb pain was a common problem back then before more was learned about nerve damage during amputations. It is sad that her home and property were pretty much destroyed being used as a field hospital, which was a common problem of post war reconstruction. Everything seems to be well documented in the epilogue, and the author describes and makes note of her references for the novel more than once. Some of her characters are based off of real historical figures and some are fictional. I feel like she blends the historical characters and fictional ones quite well.
Note: This is Book 2 stand alone in The Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War series.
I received a complimentary Audible code from the author. I am in no way required to give a positive review. All of my opinions and the review are completely my own and are not swayed by the complimentary Audible code.

Heartfelt Historical Fiction

Jocelyn Green has woven historical facts about the horrific battle of Gettysburg into the lives of a young widow, other women, doctors, and injured soldiers. The descriptions of the battle’s aftermath and deep emotions of the characters pulls the reader into the events. The reader feels like these are real people living in the midst of tragedy, just trying to survive.

In this book the author is able to turn the hatred, lies, prejudice, fear, pain and loneliness so many experienced during the Civil War into a story of the power of forgiveness, faith, hope and love.

The audio of of this book is done extremely well with the correct emotions, accents and pauses where appropriate. It was like sitting in a room having the characters relate their story to me.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire Heroines at War series and any others written by Jocelyn Green.

Powerful Story, Wonderful Narration

I read this book when it was first released and it became one of my all time favorites. I've always heard about wars during history class, but it never occurred to me the impact these had on the people who lived in the area. Jocelyn Green totally opened my eyes to a whole new perspective and truly brought history to life for me. Her use of actual letters and diaries reinforced the story she created, and her research must have taken forever. I was excited to see this become and Audible title and I couldn't wait to listen.

Laura Richcreek did an amazing job. Her pacing, array of voices, and even singing truly made this a masterpiece. I could hear the horror in her voice as she discussed severed limbs from wounded soldiers being discarded, and it was easy to imagine I was right in the midst of the sights and smells of post-battle Gettysburg.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical novels!

Mesmerizing historical fiction

I received a free copy of this audiobook thanks to the author. Opinions shared are mine.

This story brought history to life for me! My husband grew up near Gettysburg, so I’ve visited the area many times over the years. I will have a new perspective on the sites when we travel there again.

This book covers the days just before the battle all the way through November 1963. It’s quite a long book! I learned so much about the time period, slavery, and the aftermath of the battle. The story inspired at least a dozen Google searches!

Author Jocelyn Green’s trademark style makes this a standout. Descriptive and almost poetic, the story comes to life through her writing. It’s obvious that extensive research went into this book.

The audible narrator did a great job of pacing and using inflection. She used different voices and accents, and even sang a couple of songs! Sometimes the timing of pauses was a little off, making it hard to follow dialogue, but overall it was a great listening experience.

Excellent Civil War story

Excellent storytelling with an intricate plot and a cast of layered characters made The Widow of Gettysburg one that kept me enthralled. Liberty is an orphan and a widow when the bloodiest battle of the Civil War comes to her doorstep. Loyal to the Union, she is dismayed when her home is taken over to be a Confederate hospital and she is asked to tend men wearing the same uniforms as those who killed her husband. Jocelyn Green does and amazing job of highlighting the complications of the Civil War with multi-faceted characters who have to examine their faith, their loyalties, and their own pasts and prejudices.

Green weaves an intricate plot with the people affected by the battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath. Not only is the amount of research and details from history clearly evident, Green is a master at making both history and story leap from the page. With complicated characters, vivid scenery, an intricately woven plot, and her ability to stir the reader’s emotions, Green has crafted a phenomenal tale that highlights her exceptional writing and is one historical fiction fans simply can’t miss.

The narrator is excellent in this audio version. The range of voices makes each character distinct and the cast truly come alive. Well-paced and entertaining to listen to, this is the perfect story for the on-the-go reader.

Wonderful!

This book was already in my list of things to be re-read this year so when Jocelyn Green asked if anyone would listen and review the audio version, I jumped at the chance. I already knew the story was fantastic. A young woman living in Gettysburg was widowed in the early days of the Civil War. After figuring out how she would survive and setting out on that path, the Battle of Gettysburg takes place. We see her learn more about herself and what she might be capable of, despite the obstacles that are thrown in her path. The narrator was wonderful as well. Most narrators attempt to give each character their own sound/voice. Some do not do this well. Laura Richcreek did. Each character had their own sound so it was easy to distinguish who was having conversations when I had to put my earphones down and come back to it later. Wonderful overall experience.

Rich In History!

I was spellbound as I listened to Widow of Gettysburg. The narrator, Laura E. Richcreek, did a fantastic job communicating the unique characters created by the author, Jocelyn Green. Because the narration accurately reflected the pace of the story, it added to my enjoyment of this moving historical fiction. I admire how Green intricately weaves layers of plot while skillfully developing her characters. When faced with horrific circumstances, these characters were reminded of their faith and specific Scriptures to spur them on, which encouraged me as well. I also appreciated the lessons of faith included throughout the book. It is obvious the amount of research behind this incredibly rich story. I was surprised at how much I didn’t know about one of the most famous battles of the Civil War and the aftermath that followed, which is another reason that I highly recommend this audiobook. I was given a copy of this audiobook by the author. All opinions are mine.