Review of Emma’s War

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Emma's War" by Stephanie.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Emma was raised by her father on their small farm from birth, as her mother died while giving birth to her. He took good care of her, but he was not the type of man who showed any emotion or affection. She spent her days working with Ruben and her father on their farm. Emma and Ruben grew closer and closer and spent their days together until Ruben enlisted in the war and moved away. Emma regretted not telling Ruben how she felt about him and opted to join the war as a man. Read Emma’s War: One woman’s journey as a Civil War Soldier by Stephanie Zinn to learn more about her destiny.

Before reading this book, I thought women’s roles in wars were to tend to the sick and cook. I was thrilled to learn of the women who joined the war to fight. Reading about how Emma had to adapt and the measures she took to disguise her true identity was fascinating. Zinn did an impeccable job of portraying women soldiers as equally capable as their male counterparts.

The language was easy to understand, and the storyline was easy to follow. I only noticed a couple of typographical errors, but they did not hamper my reading experience. Emma was a multifaceted character who drew me in because of her unconventional ways of doing things. I liked how I could relate to her character as a girl who found solace in books and how she was determined and strong-willed.

The war was a prominent feature of the storyline; however, it was overly stretched, and there wasn’t much progress. I did not enjoy the lack of action in the camps.

My overall score of the novel is four out of five stars. I deducted one star because of the war storyline that was overly stretched. However, I enjoyed the story despite it ending on a cliffhanger.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction novels, novels about war and patriotism will enjoy this novel. I recommend it to readers who enjoy novels about farm life and are curious about how women disguised as men survived in war zones.

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Emma's War
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