Synopses & Reviews
Fanny McCoy has lived in fear and anger ever since that day in 1878 when a dispute with the Hatfields over the ownership of a few pigs set her family on a path of hatred and revenge. From that day forward, along the ragged ridges of the West Virginia-Kentucky line, the Hatfields and the McCoys have operated not withing the law but within mountain codes of their own making. In 1882, when Fanny's sister Roseanna runs off with young Johnse Hatfield, the hatred between the two clans explodes.
As the killings, abductions, raids, and heartbreak escalate bitterly and senselessly, Fanny, the sole voice of reason, realizes that she is powerless to stop the fighting and must learn to rise above the petty natures of her family and neighbors to find her own way out of the hatred.
Review
" . . . the family members are vividly portrayed individuals and their relationships are particularly well drawn. An epilogue, an authors note, and a bibliography conclude this thoroughly researched and enjoyable historical novel."--
Booklist"Claire comes across as a strong-willed individual who is not afraid to think for herself. A good choice for fans of historical fiction, particularly the Civil War era."--School Library Journal
Review
"A must-read for those who enjoy historical fiction. Those who have not yet found a love for the genre will be pulled in by this one with its realistic mixture of action, adventure, romance, and scandalous family drama."Childrens Literature
Synopsis
Leigh Ann Conners is spunky and determined. Although she often finds herself in trouble, she loves her two older brothers dearly and would do anything to make them proud.
When the Yankees arrive in Roswell, Georgia, Leigh Ann places a French flag upon the familys mill. She hopes the Yankees will then spare the mill from destruction, but her actions have disastrous results. Sent north with the women and children who worked in the millall branded traitors for making fabric for Confederate uniformsLeigh Ann embarks on a journey that requires her to find her own inner strength. Only then will she be able to rise above the war raging around her.
Synopsis
Claire Louise Corbett and her Confederate family flee their home as Union soldiers shell their town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. They venture out from the safety of a cave only three times a day, when the Union army takes their meals at eight in the morning, noon, and eight at night. Although many of the townspeople suffer from a lack of food, the Corbetts receive extra rations from Claire Louise's brother, Landon, a doctor with the Union army. When Claire Louise discovers her brother tending to a Confederate soldier who is responsible for Robert E. Lee's "lost order" (causing the South to lose the Battle of Antietam), she is forced to make a difficult choice between family and friends.
Award-winning historical novelist Ann Rinaldi paints a story of family, courage, and secrets during the forty-seven-day siege of Vicksburg, a battle that has sometimes been ignored in history because it ended the same day as the Battle of Gettysburg.
Synopsis
Cornelia Greene is fed up with gossip about her mother. Caty Littlefield Greene was once a beautiful young bride who lifted the troops spirits at Valley Forge, but Cornelia knows that rumors of Catys past indiscretions hurt Nathanael Greene, Cornelias adored father. Yet Caty claims that shes just a flirt, and that flirting is a female necessitya womans only means of power.
Cornelias concern with her mothers reputation abruptly fades to the background when she learns that Nathanael Greene may not be her father. As she searches for the truth, she makes unexpected discoveries that lead her to a new understanding of love and family.
About the Author
ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey.