From School Library Journal
Grade 8-10?Elizabeth Stafford, 16, daughter of a plantation owner, has been sent to boarding school in Charleston, South Carolina. Her father has definite ideas about the proper role of women and Elizabeth feels restrained under his authority. At school, she learns much more than sewing and meets girls from very different backgrounds. She witnesses the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, falls in love with a Northern soldier, and feels the strain of her sympathies being pulled in two directions. Later she moves to Washington, D.C., to live with a cousin and is witness to the Battle of Bull Run. Readers will be caught up in the drama and watch Elizabeth grow from a flirty teenager to an independent-thinking woman capable of making valuable contributions. The novel combines factual information with a sensitive treatment of young people at the time and the problems and life-and-death decisions they faced. In addition, through the heroine's relationship with her personal servant, the story demonstrates the differences between the lives of owner and slave. A quick read with dramatic action and memorable characters, this book will appeal to YAs who enjoy romance in a historical setting.?Sandra L. Doggett, Linganore High School, Frederick, MD
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Inside Flap
Elizabeth Stafford, a plantation belle from Virginia, dreams of breaking away from her father's grasp and of being more than a proper Southern lady and wife. Her dreams seem possible at Madame Corday's Charleston boarding school, where Elizabeth learns to do a lot more than just sew. And when Elizabeth meets Union lieutenant Adam Cranfield at the Christmas ball, she is instantly attracted to his boldness -- instantly swept up by the promise of love and adventure. But to marry a Yankee would be unthinkable. The lines have been drawn between North and South. Which side will Elizabeth choose?
Be swept up in the lives of Elizabeth, Victorine, Hannah, and Rosamund as they fight for their beliefs and the men they love through the raging years of the Civil War.
