Voices From the Century Before [Hardcover]

Mary Clay Berry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 1996

The story of the Clay and Field families of nineteenth-century Kentucky is drawn from a treasury of letters written between 1845 and 1870 and considers everyday life in the era and the challenges of the Civil War. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A remarkable family album unfolding as a personal drama of slavery, Civil War and the turmoil of Reconstruction, these letters were written between 1843 and 1867 by freelancer Berry's ancestors, who fought, variously, for both the Union and the Confederacy. Her great-grandfather Brutus Clay, one of Kentucky's major slave owners, was a staunchly conservative yet pro-Union, border-state congressman whose anti-abolitionist stance was diametrically opposite that of his brother Cassius Clay, outspoken opponent of slavery and emancipationist newspaper publisher. Cassius, a Mexican War hero and quixotic adventurer who served as Lincoln's ambassador to Russia, became a folk hero because of his violent public brawls with supporters of slavery. The chatty letters, skillfully linked by Berry's commentary, yield an unvarnished account of the brutal realities of slavery. Punctuated by personal tragedies, the letters are a window on Lincoln's election and the war's outbreak and bloody course, the 1849 cholera epidemic and medical practices, cattle shows and revival meetings. In short, they are a microcosm of the political and moral fissures that transformed the nation. Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

It has sometimes been said that real life reads better than a fiction. Through actual letters of the Clay family, gathered here by a descendant, this work chronicles one family's views on slavery, politics, war, and the daily occurrences of farm life during the Civil War period. Letters in the book are from the years 1840 through 1870; Berry intersperses her own words to provide a context. The account begins during the summer of 1843 with the letters of Brutus Clay, a wealthy widower and the largest slave owner in Kentucky, to his beloved, Ann Field, the sister of his dead wife. The 30 years that follow portray the life of the Clay family as they marry, have children, and die. However, the work becomes a profoundly moving portrait of a family, a state, and the country during the Civil War period. The beauty of this book lies in the juxtaposition of the commonplace and intimate against the larger force of war. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Vicki Leslie Toy Smith, Univ. of Nevada, Reno
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing; 1st edition (November 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559703423
• ISBN-13: 978-1559703420
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,369,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kentucky for Kentuckians, February 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Voices From the Century Before (Hardcover)

A well written book interspersing genuine letters from her family with observations and historical details provided by the author. It is interesting from a "slice of life" perspective but also for the historical record of the Civil War as recorded by those actually experiencing it. It should especially captivate those living in Kentucky and familiar with the towns and families discussed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a real-life "family saga" of the Civil War, September 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Voices From the Century Before (Hardcover)

This absorbing book, which consists mostly of the actual letters of the Clay family, draws the reader in as well as any fictional account ever could. Few of the letter writers actually see combat, so the book is largely an account of ordinary life against the backdrop of the war. Though some letters offer insight into the political realities and trade-offs of the period, it is the intimate details of everyday life and human relations that fascinate. Mary Clay is never intrusive in her comments that bridge and sometimes explain the letters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Civil War History Voices from the Century Before, August 19, 2011

By 

THing4CSA - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Voices From the Century Before (Hardcover)

Great History book that was brought to my attention by a rider on my commuter bus. He visited some of the houses and cities just to get a better feel of the books background. Highly recommend this book to all that are interested in Civil War History. I bought my copy via Amazon.com.