The Sands of Pride: A Novel of the Civil War [Hardcover]

William R. Trotter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2002

In this grandly ambitious masterpiece of Civil War fiction, noted novelist and historian William R. Trotter has created nothing less than an epic re-creation of the whole experience of the war—from secession to Gettysburg—within the microcosm of North Carolina, a theater of war never before brought to life in a major novel of the Civil War. Trotter's powerful story follows the intertwined fates of over two dozen major characters—real and fictional, Union and Confederate, combatants and civilians—swept up in the hurricane of war. In The Sands of Pride, he chronicles the exploits of bold blockade-runners like Southerner Matthew Sloane, intrepid naval warriors like Federal officer William Barker Cushings, sadistic bushwhackers like Cyrus Bone, and spies like the Confederacy's seductive Belle O'Neal. The novel's center of gravity is the beautiful coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina, in the midst of a vibrant, bawdy "Golden Age". It was the South's most vital port and guarded by the largest, most formidable earthen fortress ever built in America, Fort Fisher, a stupendous feat of engineering and a symbol of Southern defiance. After every other significant Rebel port had been vanquished, Fort Fisher's guns kept open Wilmington's boisterous docks, which poured supplies from Europe that kept the Confederacy alive. The Sands of Pride tells a story both vast and intimate. Civil War buffs will be stunned by the stirring events depicted here. All readers will be fascinated by its colorful, passionate characters and swept along by its page-turning momentum.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Historian Trotter provides an epic novelization of the Civil War set primarily along the windswept coast of North Carolina. Using Wilmington, North Carolina, as a geographical focal point, the author interweaves the fascinating stories of more than two dozen fictional and historical characters whose destinies are forever altered by the vagaries of war. Pivotal to the action is Fort Fisher, the formidable earthen fortress that provides cover for the daring blockade runners willing to risk everything for both personal profit and Confederate glory. Naval officers, plantation owners, merchants, politicians, and spies are all represented in a sprawling narrative that combines a number of self-sustaining tales into a superlative overview of a city and a lifestyle under siege. Definitely a page-turner, jam-packed with an abundance of adventure, romance, tragedy, and historically accurate information about an often-overlooked arena of the Civil War. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"The Sands of Pride is vividly rendered and swiftly paced."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 758 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graff; 1st edition (April 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786710136
• ISBN-13: 978-0786710133
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,981,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Author "not quite dead"...yet, July 28, 2003

By 

William R. Trotter (Greensboro, N.C., USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sands of Pride (Paperback)

The two most recent reader reviews of the trade paperback edition of SANDS OF PRIDE were very gratifying; my thanks to the readers. For reasons too opaque to explain here, the book's hardback publisher made a plausible *marketing* decision NOT to include the words "Volume One" anywhere in the text (although the clear implication at the end is that there MUST be a sequel coming.) This was my only serious argument with Carroll & Graf and my superb editor, Mr. Philip Turner, during an intense four-year relationship, so I did not dig in my heels about the matter.
But, just so you'll know: Yes, there is a sequel; I just finished revising the ms. on July 27, and yes indeed, it will carry the story of these heroes, rogues, and Steel-Magnolia ladies through the second half of the Civil War. The title is THE FIRES OF PRIDE, and hardback release date is mid-November. All the myriad strands and characters' fates do finally converge in the epic battle for Fort Fisher (late Dec. 1864 - early Jan., 1865), the largest amphibious campaign in US Navy history until Guadalcanal. I hope you'll find the climax suitably thunderous...
... Thank you for your kind attention.

Bill Trotter

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never too many Civil War Mariners!, January 6, 2004

By 

Eldin - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sands of Pride: A Novel of the Civil War (Hardcover)

It's fascinating to me that a small charge of nautical (and semi-nautical) Civil War novels has recently reached the book store shelves after the subject's near neglect for decades. Mr. Trotter's first book of a new series does justice to the subject and alongside of James L. Nelson's "Glory in the Name" will serve to sate any Civil War nautical buff on the subject. Mr. Trotter quite obviously has the historical chops as well as a the knowhow to construct an engaging characters and a moving, riveting plot. The follow up to "Sands of Pride" is due out any day now, so grab them both. The second in Nelson's series is also due soon, so now is the time to cast anchor with a host of great American characters and two great writers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Read, August 20, 2003

By 

Jay B. Patterson "meijay" (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sands of Pride: A Novel of the Civil War (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading about the Civil War from the perspective of North Carolina since most of the attention in books from this era is usually focused on Virginia or South Carolina. The only problem I had was the number of characters to keep track of--good thing there was a "Cast List" in the front. Even though the text was a bit technical at times, the prose was refreshingly adult. Can't wait for the conclusion!