Wedded to War

Heroines Behind the Lines

By: Jocelyn Green

Narrated by: Laura E. Richcreek

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

A 2013 Christy Award finalist (historical fiction and first novel categories)

It's April 1861, and the Union Army's Medical Department is a disaster, completely unprepared for the magnitude of war. A small group of New York City women, including 28-year-old Charlotte Waverly, decide to do something about it, and end up changing the course of the war, despite criticism, ridicule, and social ostracism. Charlotte leaves a life of privilege, wealth, and confining expectations to be one of the first female nurses for the Union Army. She quickly discovers that she's fighting more than just the Rebellion by working in the hospitals. Corruption, harassment, and opposition from Northern doctors threaten to push her out of her new role. At the same time, her sweetheart disapproves of her shocking strength and independence, forcing her to make an impossible decision.... Will she choose love and marriage, or duty to a cause that seems to be losing? An Irish immigrant named Ruby O'Flannery, who turns to the unthinkable in the face of starvation, holds the secret that will unlock the door to Charlotte's future. But will the rich and poor confide in each other in time?

Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured.

Jocelyn Green's debut novel is endorsed by historians and professors for its historical accuracy and detail, by award-winning novelists for its spell-binding storytelling, and by entertainment journalists and book club leaders for its deep and complex content, perfect to share and discuss with others.

©2012 Jocelyn Green (P)2019 Jocelyn Green

Wedded to this Story!

This is the second time I have read this book (I originally read it as an ebook) and it was just as good as I remembered. There are times when you are on the edge of your seat with anticipation. Any book that causes me to have an audible or physical reaction to the story is a good book. It has also encouraged me to do more digging into the Sanitation Committee & the nurses in the Civil War.
Laura Richcreek was PHENOMENAL!! Her accents and voices were great. Her reading voice was very pleasant.

An immersive experience

Writing historical fiction without making the narrative sound like a textbook is hard enough, but merging the lives of so many characters from vastly different backgrounds and situations into one cohesive, engaging story seems nearly impossible! Jocelyn Green has done the impossible! As a lover of good fiction and amateur historian of the Civil War, I can't recommend this enough! The author has done her research admirably and I found myself nodded in agreement to all the snippets of historical accuracy she threw into the story. These characters came alive, flying off the page, and I felt as if I were reading the memoires of these people who braved the trials and struggles of being a woman in the mid-19th century. The flow of the story is excellent, the dialogue engaging, and the narration for all the variety of accents and tones were spot-on, which made it all the easier to follow. Every character's motivation, grief, and joy was believable to the fullest extent. This was the first of Green's work that I've "digested" and it certainly won't be the last!

Waste of time

I will preface with saying I have read hundreds of historical fiction, nonfiction, biographical and autobiographical books from the mid-19th century American history so my bar my bar unrealistically high. Even considering that, I had several issues with this book but will stick with just the main ones for this review.

I’ll start with the unrealistic dialogue. It was quite clear on several occasions that the author wanted to portray the gravity of the emergency at hand for the characters. Rather than cleverly relating to the reader information about the battles, she has characters spout out details they would not have known in real time. I found myself rolling my eyes a few times when the author really wanted urgency or desperation to be the emotion she drew from the reader.
While on the dialogue issue, on a couple occasions, the dialogue was completely unbelievable in the way one class or person spoke to another. There is no way some of these conversations would have happened the way they were written and were another source of annoyance with this work.
The most egregious issue, however, was the hypocritical was the author attacks prejudices at the time yet barrels in with her own apparent ignorance and prejudice against the Catholic Faith. It is completely unbelievable that the Hail Mary is the only prayer a Catholic would know. There are four basic prayers EVERY Catholic knows, even the ones who step foot in a parish once in a blue moon. For Ruby, really all of the “Christian” characters of the book outside of the chaplain, to be portrayed as “more spiritual not religious” is not what happened during that era.

Ultimately, I felt as though I was reading a book that a modern person wrote with a political agenda. A historical fiction isn’t something to feel lectured by but to be offered a window of realistically what could have happened. This book failed on several fronts to meet that goal. This is probably my first and last book from this author.

Amazing

The horrors of the civil war, but the amazing people that stepped forward are brought to life in the story. Even though fiction, several people and instances are based on real history. The narrator’s voice was perfect with so much feeling and emotion which drove the story

God's strength in difficulty

Great story of what men and women can do when strengthened by God. Overcoming cultural barriers, God gives the freedom to serve others.

Gripping Civil War Story

This was an excellent book! Being the first book I've listened to on here I wasn't sure what to expect. The characters were well done and distinguishable.

The writing in this story had me glued to each word. I loved the character of Charlotte. She was a feisty woman for her time and I appreciated her strength. Phineas was ghastly and may be one of my most hated villains thanks to the author's skill with her pen.

Then there was Caleb who I was rooting for, but always seemed to be like a ship passing in the night with a Charlotte. If there hadn't been a Caleb I definitely would have been cheering for Edward.

And lady, but not least was poor, sweet Ruby. Pulling for her to catch a break while watching her struggle over and over again. She was the character that pulled the most on my heartstrings.

Well-researched story with heart and soul

Ms. Green’s research and strong characters shine in this first book of the Heroines Behind the Lines series. It’s an excellent tribute to the nurses who fought to save soldiers on both sides of the fight.

Narrator was supeb- Author brought history to life

Jocelyn Green is an artist – she paints history with lyrical words in settings so real you might cringe or cry as you read. This was by far the very best audio book I have ever listened to. It seemed more like radio theater than just a reader. Narrator, Laura Richcreek, was amazing. I stopped midway thru listening and checked to be sure it was not multiple narrators; she did accents that made the story come alive. I love history and this book is filled with historical nuggets that were fascinating. Jocelyn included a romance and intrigue that kept me listening on and on. It was a very satisfying book in many ways. Truth, with all the very agonizing realities of war, immigration, poverty and human nature were vividly portrayed. This was not a fluffy read, it was totally satisfying ‘listen’, so vividly written it was like watching a movie with your eyes shut. I had read this book when it first came out, hearing it now was a story come to life. This book was offered by the author with no requirement of a review. It was a pleasure to do so.

An intriguing story and an astounding recording!

Author Jocelyn Green has written an intriguing story about a young women that has lived a life of privilege, but decides she wants more out of life and becomes a nurse for the army. This story follows her as she helps in the army hospitals and comes to know and help those less fortunate than herself. This story is full of wonderful historical details that readers of historical fiction will enjoy. Plus there is just a little bit of romance too.

The audible recording was outstanding and well put together. The narrator, Laura Richcreek, has a clear voice and reads with emotion, as well as doing all the unique accents of people from different backgrounds and life situations. All of this enhances the fascinating story that Green has written.

Series: Heroines Behind the Lines
Genre: historical, military history, romance, Christian
Publisher: River North, Moody Publishers Fiction
Publication date: August 23, 2019
Length: 10 hours and 34 minutes

Other books in the series:
2-Widow of Gettysburg
3-Yankee in Atlanta
4-Spy of Richomond

An Audible download code was provided by the author. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

Exceptional

This is my second time reading this book and it was even better than I remembered. I listened to the audiobook this time and Laura E. Richcreek did such a phenomenal job. She really brought this story to life and I wanted to keep listening even after the book was finished. I can’t wait to hear to the last two books in the series!

Green’s attention to detail was stellar, while in no way drying out the story. Rather, all the details about the Sanitary Commission and the nurses of the Civil War really made the story pop. These nurses were the mothers of what is one of the largest, female dominated professions in the United State and to read about the resistance and hostility they faced was fascinating. Charlotte’s journey as a nurse, as well as her personal growth along the way, made her such a compelling heroine to follow. She knew the path she wanted to take and followed it. The subtle romance thread was perfect for this story. You know it’s there, but it didn’t overshadow the main plot.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two entries in the Heroines Behind the Lines series and am looking forward to the last two books. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys Civil War fiction, whether you read or listen to the book. If you are interested in the history of nursing or the modern-day Red Cross, both very interesting subjects and excellently detailed, do yourself a favor and read Wedded to War.

I was given a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the author. All opinions expressed are my own.