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I Shall Be Near to You

Erin Lindsay McCabe

Why we're reading this: The story of a woman who dresses up like a man to join her husband in the civil war. More than just a lov…more
[close] The story of a woman who dresses up like a man to join her husband in the civil war. More than just a love story, its about a woman finding her own way and self identity, inspired by real women during this time period

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Jan 04, 2014 Amy (Bossy Bookworm) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I adored this book, which was inspired by the existence of real-life women soldiers posing as men in the Civil War.

The writing style is wonderful, the voices and characters vivid, details of the mid-1900s made the story come alive, and the Civil War setting and mayhem felt immediate. Loved!

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Mar 16, 2014 alana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: females-and-feminists, historical-fiction

Apparently I've never read Civil War fiction written from a Northern perspective. Or perhaps I just haven't read any book that uses a first person perspective to describe fighting as a soldier during the Civil War. Either way, this book is a gritty look at fighting as a solider in the Union forces in the middle of the war and reveals the diverse reasons soldiers enlisted. The author used historic texts to craft a story in which a newlywed woman disguises herself as a man to enlist in the militar ...more

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