When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (Dear America Series) [Hardcover]

Barry Denenberg (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

The peaceful Southern life that Emma Simpson and her family have always known is shattered when the Civil War begins. Emma's father and brother are called to battle, but her family believes the Confederacy will quickly win the War between the States. However, as the months drag on, the harsh realities of war set in: Supplies, medicine, food, firewood, and ink for Emma to use in her diary become increasingly scarce as troops from the North march deeper into the South. Finally, even Emma's home is commandeered by the Yankees. Though she faces many hardships and the horrors of death, Emma never loses hope, and, with a brave spirit, she comes to realize what things in life are most important.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8?This book could greatly mislead readers, as the cover implies that it is the diary of a 14-year-old girl in Virginia during the Civil War, and nothing within the book would lead them to think otherwise. Upon first reading it, one is likely to attribute the many lapses in character and plot development to the fact that this was a teenager's diary. Even the epilogue telling of the young woman's life after the war adds to this illusion. So it is likely to come as a great surprise to read in the "About the Author" section at the end that this is fiction. The book is disappointing. One never gets a true feeling for Emma Simpson, and it is often difficult to follow the thread of the story. The factual information on daily life is good, but is not well incorporated into the plot. This offering does not measure up to other fictional works about this era.?Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Praise for When Will This Cruel War Be Over? “Impressive [and] illuminating.”—Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; Edition Unstated edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590228625
• ISBN-13: 978-0590228626
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A southern teen experiences many hardships in the Civil War., July 24, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

Born into a wealthy Southern plantation family, Emma Simpson had every luxury she desired.... until the outbreak of the Civil War. Her father, brother, uncle, and the young man she loves go off to war - her brother and uncle to die early on. But the hardships are not limited to the battlefield - they reach out to touch Emma's sheltered, quiet home in ways she never imagined possible. There are rumors that the slaves she thought faithful to her family plan to run away. Deserters from both sides raid the farm, stealing the food Emma, her mother, and her aunt and cousin, who have come to stay for the remainder of the war, need in order to survive. And when her already frail mother becomes desperatley ill, and soon dies, Emma has only her aunt and cousin to turn to. But things become even worse when Yankees invade the peaceful countryside and take over Emma's house to use as headquarters. Confined to an upstairs room, Emma has now lost the one thing left of her life before the war. But she is determined to never give up and wait for the day her father and sweetheart will return home to her. I highly reccomend this book. It showed how the Southern families lives' were torn apart by the Civil War and how a lot of them practiced slavery simply because it was what their families had been doing for generations and they knew no other way of life.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, November 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

I have been reading a book called When Will This Cruel War be Over? The Civil War diary of Emma Simpson by Barry Denenberg. This book is a diary of a little girl named Emma Simpson who is living through the Civil War. She writes all of her thoughts, hopes and dreams in her diary. She has a very hard life during the civil war. Her father, brother and uncle have all gone to in to the war to fight the Yankees/Negroes. At the beginning of the book her family and she found out that her brother/Brother Cole has just been killed. Her aunt and cousins come out to take care of her and her mother. A little bit later in the book her mother dies. So her father writes her and tell her everything is going to be OK. After a few chapters the Yankees make Emma, her aunt, and her cousins live on the 3rd floor so the Yankees can use their house as a hospital. Emma helps out but wishes they will just leave her family alone. When they do finally leave they trash the house. The only room on the 1st floor that isn’t trash in the library because that is where the general’s office was. Emma has gone through a lot but she goes through a lot more. When the war is over Emma and her family has gone through a lot of pain. (...) This is the war that a few days after President Abraham Lincoln got killed.
This is a very historical book. I would recommend this book to 7th and 8th graders across the USA and in other countries too. If you don’t like books that are about wars or suffering then I wouldn’t recommend this book. I liked this book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ BOOK!, May 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

I read a book en-titled, When Will This Cruel War Be Over? A diary of Emma Simpson. This is a very good book. You learn alot of interesting facts about the Civil War.It is about a girl named Emma Simpson and her and her family get attacked by the Yankees. They have to move all of their stuff up to the top floor. When the Yankees invade their house, they eat all of their food, take all of their stuff and burn and ruin all of their furniture. I like how the author has most of his characters have a dialect, each character has his or hers own personality. This book is an A+, 100%book! You must read this book.