ARA Review by Deborah Russo 1 of The Deserving
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ARA Review by Deborah Russo 1 of The Deserving
[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, The Deserving.]
The Deserving is a historical fiction book incorporating the fictional story with real events and documented real people of the Civil War and later 19th Century life in the United States. The book follows Emile, a teen from Louisiana who at 15 leaves his native state to escape an abusive stepfather still loved by mother. Ultimately Emile, sympathetic to the Union cause due to early childhood experiences, finds himself in the Southwest using his skills against the Confederate cause as a combination scout/spy for the Union Army. Experiences during this part of his life set the stage for his later years where old conflicts are resurrected and seriously threaten his well being.
The book was an enjoyable way to experience and learn about history, and I would recommend for young adults with keen interests in the Civil War and years that followed. Gifted younger readers will especially enjoy rich details, intense geographical imagery and interesting weather atmospherics. Detailed battle scenes are sure to interest Civil War buffs. For the reader who has rudimentary knowledge of the Civil War’s timeline in the Southwest at the beginning of the conflict this book does bring in interesting aspects of how Texas and other nearby states reacted to the beginning of the war; as well as the goals and projections of either side for success in that area.
I am giving this book 4 stars out of 5 for the following reasons including being a fairly long book but chronologically easy to follow and still managing some suspense as to what might happen. I liked author’s note at beginning saying that times were different and people were different then.
I did not give 5 stars for these reasons: Lots of new characters are constantly arriving and departing. A major improvement for this book would be a list of characters with brief identification either at the front or back of the book for the reader to refer to so as to enjoy the book better. I enjoyed the pictorial back sections with listing of personages with details. It is refreshing to read about real historical figures rarely spotlighted in modern media or entertainment. Another reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the book starts 1852, jumps to 1858, then back to 1852, right at the beginning. This is softened somewhat by frequent use of year reminders and date reminders which are very helpful. Also, Emile leaves Louisiana to escape an abusive stepfather still loved by his mother. That interesting point is never really followed through but is used well as part of the explanation for his desire to escape. In 1858 Emile is 15, on a wagon train, remembering next when he was 14 and details about his sister Sarah Mae, again not thoroughly followed through. There are several typos and grammatical errors but not an unexpected number in a book as long as this one.
The war soon starts, interesting characters set the stage for the reader wondering what will happen to Emile. He is brought back into the scene soon with his creole experiences rooting his anti slavery mindset, so it does not seem too preposterous that he goes against most of the rest of the population he lives among to become a Union sympathizer. The author gets 4 stars out of 5 for setting stage for that well, earning a rating above 3 stars. A nice touch is that he talks it over with his priest. Having the character exhibit aspects of spirituality in various ways greatly enhances his characterization. An engrossing section about the war follows.
Then the book jumps from 1862 to 1872. From the end of the war until Emile’s special life event, the prose becomes a bit repetitious but begins to flow well again with the detailed description of the occasion. The coincidences of character encounters are a bit of a stretch but the real problem after the Civil War is over is that no matter how skilled a writer is the Civil War is just far more interesting than the decades which followed and the book might have benefited from that section being a little shorter.
The book has a few pockets of repetition but also long sections of writing which suggests the writer is engrossed in his subject and endeavoring to give the reader the best experience possible.
***
View The Deserving on Bookshelves
The Deserving is a historical fiction book incorporating the fictional story with real events and documented real people of the Civil War and later 19th Century life in the United States. The book follows Emile, a teen from Louisiana who at 15 leaves his native state to escape an abusive stepfather still loved by mother. Ultimately Emile, sympathetic to the Union cause due to early childhood experiences, finds himself in the Southwest using his skills against the Confederate cause as a combination scout/spy for the Union Army. Experiences during this part of his life set the stage for his later years where old conflicts are resurrected and seriously threaten his well being.
The book was an enjoyable way to experience and learn about history, and I would recommend for young adults with keen interests in the Civil War and years that followed. Gifted younger readers will especially enjoy rich details, intense geographical imagery and interesting weather atmospherics. Detailed battle scenes are sure to interest Civil War buffs. For the reader who has rudimentary knowledge of the Civil War’s timeline in the Southwest at the beginning of the conflict this book does bring in interesting aspects of how Texas and other nearby states reacted to the beginning of the war; as well as the goals and projections of either side for success in that area.
I am giving this book 4 stars out of 5 for the following reasons including being a fairly long book but chronologically easy to follow and still managing some suspense as to what might happen. I liked author’s note at beginning saying that times were different and people were different then.
I did not give 5 stars for these reasons: Lots of new characters are constantly arriving and departing. A major improvement for this book would be a list of characters with brief identification either at the front or back of the book for the reader to refer to so as to enjoy the book better. I enjoyed the pictorial back sections with listing of personages with details. It is refreshing to read about real historical figures rarely spotlighted in modern media or entertainment. Another reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the book starts 1852, jumps to 1858, then back to 1852, right at the beginning. This is softened somewhat by frequent use of year reminders and date reminders which are very helpful. Also, Emile leaves Louisiana to escape an abusive stepfather still loved by his mother. That interesting point is never really followed through but is used well as part of the explanation for his desire to escape. In 1858 Emile is 15, on a wagon train, remembering next when he was 14 and details about his sister Sarah Mae, again not thoroughly followed through. There are several typos and grammatical errors but not an unexpected number in a book as long as this one.
The war soon starts, interesting characters set the stage for the reader wondering what will happen to Emile. He is brought back into the scene soon with his creole experiences rooting his anti slavery mindset, so it does not seem too preposterous that he goes against most of the rest of the population he lives among to become a Union sympathizer. The author gets 4 stars out of 5 for setting stage for that well, earning a rating above 3 stars. A nice touch is that he talks it over with his priest. Having the character exhibit aspects of spirituality in various ways greatly enhances his characterization. An engrossing section about the war follows.
Then the book jumps from 1862 to 1872. From the end of the war until Emile’s special life event, the prose becomes a bit repetitious but begins to flow well again with the detailed description of the occasion. The coincidences of character encounters are a bit of a stretch but the real problem after the Civil War is over is that no matter how skilled a writer is the Civil War is just far more interesting than the decades which followed and the book might have benefited from that section being a little shorter.
The book has a few pockets of repetition but also long sections of writing which suggests the writer is engrossed in his subject and endeavoring to give the reader the best experience possible.
***
View The Deserving on Bookshelves
