Glorieta Pass [Hardcover]

P. G. Nagle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

As the Civil War tears its way across America four lives are swept up and forever changed: an illiterate Colorado miner who captains a volunteer Union company; a young Texan who becomes a quartermaster in the Confederate Army; a Union lieutenant with a terrible secret; and a young Boston lady in the care of her uncle, who arrives in the New Mexico territory at the worst possible time. These four lives will become intertwined by the bloody battle of Glorieta, and irrevocably changed by the shattering experience of war.

Written with passionate intensity and impeccable attention to authentic historical detail, Glorieta imbues the previously unsung battles fought in the New Mexico territory with a profound sense of humanity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Recounting the adventures of five people caught in a quandary of allegiances and passions brought on by the Civil War, this engrossing debut dramatizes the preamble to the 1862 battle between Texans fighting for the South and Union troops reinforced by ragtag Coloradans at Glorieta Pass, just outside Santa Fe, N.Mex. The characters, whose paths cross on the trail from Colorado to Texas in 1861, include an illiterate miner who dreams of becoming a gentleman by commanding a company of Colorado Volunteers; an orphaned young Bostonian woman adjusting to life in Santa Fe; the son of a Texas rancher who fights for the Confederates; a Tennessee man torn between conflicting loyalties; and a young Colorado officer with a murky past. Although at times the pace is slowed by a superfluity of characters and subplots, Nagle's tidy prose evokes memorable protagonists, vivid landscapes and high suspense, not only in the gut-wrenching action but also in the relationships between her characters.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The Civil War in the West is rarely described, but its bloody battles were as devastating as those in the East. Events surrounding the battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico form the backdrop for Nagle's historical romance. Jamie, a Confederate quartermaster, is blooded in a vicious battle; Laura Howland, newly orphaned, finds herself stranded near the battlefield when her dissolute guardian abandons her. Union captain O'Brien, illiterate but intelligent and thoughtful, sees military service as his route out of poverty while resenting the wealth and charm of his young protege, Lt. Charles Franklin, who has a secret of his own. A host of unmemorable supporting players are woven into the plot, sometimes confusingly. The descriptions of the soldiers' daily activities are fascinating, but otherwise this is a standard historical drama complete with expected stereotypes. Readers who guess Franklin's secret early will lose patience with his melancholy behavior. For historical fiction collections, especially in the Southwest.?Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Information Svcs., Inc., Ridgecrest, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312865481
• ISBN-13: 978-0312865481
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,430,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent debut, October 29, 1999

By 

Rick Wilber - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glorieta Pass (Hardcover)

If you like Civil War novels you'll really enjoy this one. Nagle's first novel follows the characters involved in the under-appreciated battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico. Her writing is sharp and clear, the details of the time and place perfectly wrought, and the convolutions of plot and character engaging and thoroughly enjoyable. I'll be first in line for the sequel.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GENTLEMAN'S BATTLE, June 8, 2000

By 

luther d butler sr "lbutler" (Stephenville, Tx USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glorieta Pass (Paperback)

Since I also wrote a novel with a Glorieta battlefield connection, I really appreciate P.G. Nagle's careful research about what happened. Although my concept of the Texans who fought the battle are more brutal, I'm sure there were tea parties and shopping among the officers' wives. A little mild but this novel deserves five stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, March 5, 2009

By 

Top Dragon (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Glorieta Pass (Paperback)

I have to say, books like this one are the main reason I read historical fiction. Most of us know quite a bit about the major battles of the Civil War, fought in the East but few know of just how far west the action stretched. I grew up in New Mexico but never knew much about the state's role in the Civil War. I have driven near Glorieta often but never knew the history of that place. So it was with great anticipation that I began reading this novel.

The novel itself seems to have been well researched. We learn of the basics of the situation: elements of the army in Texas pushing northward through New Mexico along the Rio Grande, leading to a great battle against Colorado volunteers at Glorieta Pass. The goal of the Texans was Pikes Peak gold but they were held off because of this bloody battle.

While the writing was well done, I found the characters to be pretty standard stock issue types. The male characters were mostly governed by their brutish behavior while the females were honorable, intelligent, and courageous to the point of being foolhardy. I don't know if that is because the author is female or that's just the way she wanted certain characters to behave...I make no judgements. Having said that, I did still enjoy seeing the history evolve through their eyes and I am interested to see what happens in the next book. This is what draws me to historical fiction...living the experiences through characters. I like reading text books to get the facts but historical fiction makes it come alive.

I also have to mention a twist at the end of the novel concerning one of the main characters (no spoilers here). I feel like I should have seen it coming but in retrospect it was such a ridiculous twist that I wouldn't have noticed the clues anyway. Readers of this novel will know what I mean. This is Ms Nagle's debut novel so hopefully she won't stoop to such tricks in the future. Her prose is worthy of greater things.