Love and War: Volume Two of the North and South Trilogy

Love and War is the dark part of the North and South Trilogy... the storyline is during the deepest parts of the War and therefore has the burden of telling that story.
I appreciate the use of the Horse as a metaphor for the mind numbing losses that took place during the conflict.. it is hard to imagine the wide scope of such an immense happening in our history... but to feel the pain of the loss of your closest companion and most valued and irreplaceable tool brings the loss to a level that can be felt even in such a small increment.

The story at this part shows well the struggle of Love ... love of family.. love of our ideals... right or wrong as they may be... love of friends.. and love of our ways... again... right or wrong.
We also see the destruction and the encroching upon our thought processes of
Evil.. how subtle a game can be played when good men do not stand.

No!!! This is a story that I needed to think about as it unfolds... the depths of the lessons that our history has to impart to us it too widespread to gulp. It needs to be savored and pondered over to actually learn anything.
If we cannot learn from our past......

Start with North and South and take the journey. It is worth the travel.

Captivating, intricate, occasionally predictable

I would compare to Outlander in that both sagas are captivating and the character development is extraordinary.

The series is so in depth it is difficult to pick just one.

Madeline Mayne (funny how on audiobooks you are unsure of spelling of names) is compelling.

I couldnt stop listening to this series

I was literally counting the hours until my pre-order of this book arrived. It was certainly compelling, but not as strong as the first volume, in my opinion.

The plot got very complicated -- yes, the Civil War was complicated, but the battles and plot twists were sometimes hard to follow -- and as another reviewer mentioned, some of the dialogue was long-winded.

What I felt in this book was that characters that were quite well-drawn in Volume One became a bit more stereotypical in this book. The "villains," Ashton and Bent, were somewhat ridiculous in the first book -- I thought heaving bosoms and nymphomania were the stuff of really bad romance novels -- but became very caricatured in this one. The sex scenes were cringeworthy.

But even well-drawn characters like Charles and Orrie lost some luster here.They often fulfilled the stereotype of the Southerner as "hot-blooded" and "impetuous" -- if they'd been horses they might have stomped their feet!

I generally like Grover Gardner as a narrator, but he's pretty weak on accents.

Having expressed these reservations, it's still a really engaging and moving story, and gives a sense of the human bravery and sacrifice that shaped this terrible period in American history.

Now counting the days and hours until Part 3 arrives!

This one is so very enjoyable because it gives an inside view of life during this critical period of history while keeping historic events in order.

Haven't finished it yet.

He has a way of distinguishing his voice to make different characters come to life even in a rapid conversation

The American civil war and its many component intrigues me. I have listened to many books about this era however John Jakes has done a splendid job in his books – North and South, Love and War. Apart from just enjoying the books, I also learned something about the North and South that I never knew.
I love the story lines- mixing history with some make belief. You feel as if you were there. Both books (since they are connected) as a whole have left a deep impression in my heart about valuing relationships. I am glad a few characters in the book got what they deserved and also very sorry that one of the main characters died. I guess the story will not be realistic if this did not happen.
I have already pre-ordered the last book – Heaven and Hell. I would like to see the three books made into a movie :)

The narrator - Grover Gardner could not have done better - good job

When Orie died or when Charles found his son

I loved every part of his performance. Loved the way he could switch from one character to the other

Yes

movie - perhaps?

Let me start off by saying this is a great book!! The book is better than the mini series!! John Jakes does a great job with the civil war and the family events!! I hated to lose some of the main characters but all great things have to come to an end.. With the end of the war and the start of the rebuild of Mont Royal and Charles trying to find his way with his new life and his new love this should be a great way to start the third book!! Can't wait!!!

I will definitely listen to Love and War again. If history class had been this interesting in school, I probably would have paid more attention! This is NOT another factual account of Civil War battles. This is a look at all the things you didn't learn in history class tied together in a story line that will let you see and feel both sides of the the most atrocious event in American history. The characters were so real. You loved them, you hated them, you understood them, and you didn't. You come away from it feeling like you have lived through that period in history.

Obviously, North and South, however, I liked this one much better. Often you think you will be disappointed by a second book in a series, or by a book that has been made a movie or t.v. show, but this one will change your mind.

Without spoiling anything, it involved Sport, the horse.

Impossible due to the length, but I listened non-stop for days!

If you like historical fiction, don't miss this one! I was very moved by it. It is definitely one of the best uses of my credits in recent years. I can't wait for the third installment in this series to be released in Audio!

Yes, I would recommend this audiobook to a friend because of the two families who the novel has been centered around. This made the novel easier to follow. The Hazard's from the North and the Main's from the South. These families become the best of friend's when two young meet at West Point. Their friendship carried over after leaving West Point. Their extended family members were soon included and that two man friendship began to grow. Letters and visits strengthened the bond. That bond would be tested time and time again when the Civil War began. After the Civil War ended the structure of both families had suffered. This audiobook presented an extraordinary description of how the Civil War was fought. The Hazard's and the Main's filled the pages of how these two families had to fight on opposite sides and still try to remain friends when the war was over.

The consistency of keeping the Hazard's and the Main's involved during the war. There were interludes between both of the families on and off the battlefield. When the Civil War ended the two families will have to struggle in order to find their way back to each other. The separation caused by the war will be difficult to fix.

Charles. He was visible during many of the battles. His conscience was frequently tested. Charles is faced with multifaceted decisions when the war ends. The descriptions of Charles during the war and after the war are a worthy listen.

Pitting Friends and Families ...... One Against the Other

The novel provides quite a history of the Civil War. Having the two families to concentrate on, made the listen a good one. The many descriptions of the battles, guns used, loyalties between men fighting side by side, the bond of trust that solidifies the honor of man and country, North or South. These scenes were written in such a way that I found it enjoyable to listen. I didn't get bogged down in too much rhetoric, that I felt enough was enough. I wanted to continue until the book ended. I'm looking forward to the last novel in the trilogy.

I am not a fan of history. The characters were dynamic.

This is a very long book. So its a good value for the money. The narrator is great. The characters fabulous. I am not sure how historically accurate the story is as I am not into history. However I thoroughly enjoyed the series.

United States Nightmare

Charles Maine...the different situation he went through and the way he went through and came out of them.

No, only the North & South Triology

Constance Hazzard...she is very lovely lady and would enjoy her company.

John Jakes Triology - North & South, Love & War, Heaven & Hell. What amazing novels!!! Far much better than the tv show which starred Patrick Swayze (RIP a great actor), it was a wonderful tv show but the books are better because of the more details. The books tell of things that the show could not. Please use your credits to listen to them. They are as good as Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series, which John Jakes quotes in the third book of the series. Also, what I loved about the novels is how John Jakes mention many times Charles Dickens and several of his novels.