Juliet's Moon

In my last book review - of The Color of the Soul - I said there were many different sides to the Civil War. And there were. You can find the stories of the life and times of southern gentlemen, northern ladies, children caught in between, slaves who wanted freedom so badly that they risked dying to get it. There are stories of northern politicians who debated how to stop the war, southern generals with men to command, and even the stories of presidents who were trying to hold the country together. When you pick up a book about the Civil War, not all the characters were real people. But in Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi you'll find the story of real people who lived through the split and reunification of a nations.

Juliet Bradshaw has nothing left. After seeing her father shot and killed by Union soldiers and watching as her family's beautiful farmhouse burns to the ground, she wonders where she can go. She is not completely alone; she has her older brother Seth. But he is always away fighting the Union army with a group of renegade bushwackers. There is also Martha, a friend who has been like a mother to Juliet. But even with what's left of her family with her, Juliet still feels alone and completely lost in the chaos of the war around her. She finds hope and friendship in a woman soldier and spy named Sue Maudy, but what happens when Sue Maudy entrusts Juliet with a terrible secret, one that could cause the death of everyone she loves?

I have read a book by Ann Rinaldi before and enjoyed it very much. Rinaldi's writing style is interesting and really engages the reader in her story. Sadly, I think that this book fell short of that former book. The chapters in this novel felt choppy and a little unfinished, with some chapters being only two if three pages long. Parts of this book moved too fast and I found it hard to catch important details. On the other hand, though, the story was very intriguing and I found myself wanting more of it. It was also very interesting how Rinaldi had some made up characters interacting with real people who lived through the Civil War. One note for parents: there is a character in this book who is a man but dresses as a woman; he is not transgender but only dresses as a woman because he is undercover. Also, there are some very intense chapters and the author didn't shy away from graphically describing the drama, including the use of vile language. Use caution when letting younger children read this. In a nutshell, this could have been a great book, but it was a little jumbled and it was hard to understand in some places. Yet the story is an interesting one and the book is good once you get use to the writing style.

*****
RJ