ABL Review At-A-Glance
Ø Title: With This Pledge (Carnton #1)
Ø My Rating: 4
Ø Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian
Fiction
Fiction
Ø Author:
Tamera Alexander
Tamera Alexander
Ø Format:
Paperback*
Paperback*
Ø Publication Date: January 8th 2019
Goodreads Synopsis
History takes on vivid life in the stunning first full-length
installment of Tamera Alexander’s new series, The Carnton Novels.
installment of Tamera Alexander’s new series, The Carnton Novels.
On the night of November 30,
1864, a brutal battle in Franklin, Tennessee, all but decimates the Confederacy
and nearly kills Captain Roland Ward Jones. A decorated Mississippi
sharpshooter, Jones has a vision on the battlefield and, despite the severity
of his wounds, believes his life will be spared. But a life without his leg, he
can’t abide. He compels Elizabeth “Lizzie” Clouston—governess to the
McGavock family at the Carnton mansion—to intervene should the surgeon decide
to amputate. True to her word, Lizzie speaks on his behalf and saves not only
the captain’s leg but also his life.
1864, a brutal battle in Franklin, Tennessee, all but decimates the Confederacy
and nearly kills Captain Roland Ward Jones. A decorated Mississippi
sharpshooter, Jones has a vision on the battlefield and, despite the severity
of his wounds, believes his life will be spared. But a life without his leg, he
can’t abide. He compels Elizabeth “Lizzie” Clouston—governess to the
McGavock family at the Carnton mansion—to intervene should the surgeon decide
to amputate. True to her word, Lizzie speaks on his behalf and saves not only
the captain’s leg but also his life.
When a fourteen-year-old
soldier dies in Lizzie’s arms that night, the boy’s final words, whispered with
urgency, demand that Lizzie deliver them to their intended recipient. But all
she has is the boy’s first name. And, as she soon discovers, there’s no record
of him ever having enlisted. How can she set out alone across a land so divided
by war and hatred to honor her pledge? Even more, does she dare accept Captain
Jones’s offer to accompany her? As he coalesces at Carnton, romance has
blossomed between him and Lizzie—a woman already betrothed to a man she does
not love.
soldier dies in Lizzie’s arms that night, the boy’s final words, whispered with
urgency, demand that Lizzie deliver them to their intended recipient. But all
she has is the boy’s first name. And, as she soon discovers, there’s no record
of him ever having enlisted. How can she set out alone across a land so divided
by war and hatred to honor her pledge? Even more, does she dare accept Captain
Jones’s offer to accompany her? As he coalesces at Carnton, romance has
blossomed between him and Lizzie—a woman already betrothed to a man she does
not love.
From the pages of history and
the personal accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin, Tamera
Alexander weaves the real-life love letters between Captain Roland Ward Jones
and Elizabeth Clouston into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the
shadows of war.
the personal accounts of those who endured the Battle of Franklin, Tamera
Alexander weaves the real-life love letters between Captain Roland Ward Jones
and Elizabeth Clouston into a story of unlikely romance first kindled amid the
shadows of war.
My Thoughts…
This is why I love historical fiction. I got to spend some time in a period I am not
super familiar with, and learned about people I did not know existed. What I really loved about this story was the
ambiguity. No one seemed to know how
exactly to feel, because their world was in a constant state of change. It was interesting to read about the end of a
war, as I’ve mostly read about surviving during a war. Here, you get a glimpse of the losing side of
a conflict, and how they dealt with their losses.
super familiar with, and learned about people I did not know existed. What I really loved about this story was the
ambiguity. No one seemed to know how
exactly to feel, because their world was in a constant state of change. It was interesting to read about the end of a
war, as I’ve mostly read about surviving during a war. Here, you get a glimpse of the losing side of
a conflict, and how they dealt with their losses.
I have never seen beliefs confronted and dealt
with in such a way. The characters each reacted differently to moral
questions. Some held fast to their
assumptions, while others became defensive but contemplative. Change is a difficult but inevitable part of
life, and in some books, it is made to look easy. In With This Pledge, the author seems to
deliberately explore how hard it must have been to confront your way of life,
and the principles you have killed and been willing to die for, only to discover
you were wrong. This book almost forces the reader to confront their own
beliefs as well. If this book had been
written from a Union perspective, I would not have felt any sympathy for the
wounded, bed-bound Confederate soldiers, and would have rooted for them to all
be thrown in jail, whether or not they would have survived. Sometimes fiction can force us to examine our
own humanity by forcing us to live others shoes.
with in such a way. The characters each reacted differently to moral
questions. Some held fast to their
assumptions, while others became defensive but contemplative. Change is a difficult but inevitable part of
life, and in some books, it is made to look easy. In With This Pledge, the author seems to
deliberately explore how hard it must have been to confront your way of life,
and the principles you have killed and been willing to die for, only to discover
you were wrong. This book almost forces the reader to confront their own
beliefs as well. If this book had been
written from a Union perspective, I would not have felt any sympathy for the
wounded, bed-bound Confederate soldiers, and would have rooted for them to all
be thrown in jail, whether or not they would have survived. Sometimes fiction can force us to examine our
own humanity by forcing us to live others shoes.
I’m not able to speak to the accuracy of the
research done, but I can say that WTP is so detailed that I can only assume it
was thoroughly researched I got a peak into the reality of living in Carnton
without ever feeling like I was reading a textbook. This is not a boring recitation of facts, but
a beautiful examination of finding love and
justice in the most trying of times.
research done, but I can say that WTP is so detailed that I can only assume it
was thoroughly researched I got a peak into the reality of living in Carnton
without ever feeling like I was reading a textbook. This is not a boring recitation of facts, but
a beautiful examination of finding love and
justice in the most trying of times.
* Special thanks to Tamera Alexander, Thomas Nelson, and TLC Book
Tours for providing a copy of With This Pledge in exchange for an honest review.
Tours for providing a copy of With This Pledge in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks for being on the tour!
Thank you so much for the detailed article