I’m so excited to share with you one of the best books I’ve read this year! When I finished reading it, I was in the midst of seriously thinking about and planning the launch of this blog. It made such an impression on me that I knew my first “official” review (I’ve been posting some reviews on Goodreads for a while now) had to be for this book!
I haven’t read much of Tamera’s work, but I WILL be buying any other books she releases related to this one, and even other future works. If they continue to be as enthralling as this book was, Tamera Alexander will definitely earn a spot on my favorite authors list.
With This Pledge centers around the events and aftermath of The Battle of Franklin during the US Civil War, and the real life people who were at the epicenter of the conflict. The bloody battle, which served as the final downward turn for the Confederacy, was waged in the “backyard” of Carnton Plantation, owned by Colonel John and Mrs. Carrie McGavock. When Loring’s Division of the Army of Tennessee took over their home, the McGavocks, their children, and their governess, Lizzy Clouston, were called upon to assist in the care of the wounded. In the days following this tragic conflict that cost the lives of over 7,500 soldiers, Lizzy fell in love with Captain Roland Ward Jones, a wounded sharpshooter from Mississippi.
The basis of this entire book, including Lizzy and Roland’s love story, comes straight from the pages of history. Even every letter written or read by a character (with the exception of two, as noted by the author), is an authentic, historical piece of correspondence! I love history in general, but I especially love learning about the human side of history, “regular” people that truly lived, and other little-known aspects of the generations that have gone before us. That is one of the reasons I had to get my hands on this book. The other was the fact that I have been to the real-life Carnton Plantation twice! Just knowing I have walked the land these characters walked and viewed some of their graves is fascinating to me.
Pictures I took of Carnton Plantation in 2015
I loved every chapter of With This Pledge. Tamera’s way of describing the battlefield and gruesome scenes of pain and suffering at the Carnton hospital were heart-rending. I found myself shedding tears over the deaths of men who lived over 150 years ago, whether fictional or historical. Her way of bringing the good and evil of the Civil War to life, spotlighting the good and the bad on both sides of the conflict, was gripping as well. I’ve never been one to highlight certain passages in novels–I usually only do this with non-fiction–but I found myself highlighting numerous poignant lines or paragraphs that I wanted to remember.
There honestly isn’t anything I can say I didn’t like about the book, whether related to the plot, pacing, characters, etc. When I finished the last page, I was only happy to have read such a beautiful story and sad to see it go!
One bonus little tidbit that made me love this book even more: the author included the actual 19th century recipes, or receipts as they were called back then, for all of the food mentioned in the story! I’ve made two of the recipes so far, and plan on trying out the others! I’m sure I will share those with you on here or on my Facebook and Instagram at some point (if you’d be interested in that!).
With This Pledge fully earns 5/5 Stars from me. If you are a fan of books based on true stories, Civil War history, or other 1800’s settings, you would enjoy this story! And if you read it, I hope you love it as much as I do!
Link to purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/this-Pledge-Carnton-Tamera-Alexander/dp/0718081838/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1571691866&sr=8-1
