Review of All Other Nights A Civil War Novel by Dana Horn

Dara Horn has written a novel set in the Civil War. We are given a view of the Jewish community of that time through well developed characters who are pulled and pushed by the conflict.

We meet Jacob Rappaport, our protagonist, at his father's New York city dinner table. Jacob has just reluctantly agreed to his father's demand that he marry the addled daughter of a rival businessman in order to cement a business deal. Jacob escapes by joining the Union army.

Jacob's superiors pull him out of the ranks and send him on an undercover assignment to New Orleans. Posing as a Confederate soldier, he is to find his way to the home of his uncle, Harry Hyams. It appears that there was sufficient evidence to prove that Mr. Hyams was planning an attempt on the life of Abraham Lincoln. Jacob's is welcomed there by his aunt and uncle.

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Book Review of Lincoln and McClellan: The Troubled Partnership Between a President and His General by John C. Waugh

Waugh's "Lincoln and McClellan" promised to be a study of their relationship that broke new ground. By extensively using McClellan's letters to his wife Nelly, I believe it accomplished what it set out to do.

The reader is also treated to a glimpse of the two men working together before the war. In 1857, McClellan was Vice President of the Illinois Central RR and Abraham Lincoln was the line's attorney. It might be said that Lincoln the lawyer, in fact worked for McClellan.

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Review of The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War by Donald Stoker

Of the thousands of books written about the conduct of the American Civil War, precious few have devoted any space explaining how each side sought to achieve its political objectives: the strategy employed to win the conflict. Donald Stoker devotes this study to fill that gap.

When a war breaks out, leaders of the belligerent powers must identify the political objective they desire: the why of the conflict. Once this is done, the stage is set to develop a grand strategy for success: a formula for achieving that political objective. This is followed by the identification of the specific military tactics needed to achieve that victory.
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Book Review of Henry Clay: The Essential American a Civil War Novel by David S. Heidler & Jeanne T. Heidler

David and Jeanne Heidler have applied their excellent scholarship to a biography of a giant political figure of the pre-Civil War era, Henry Clay. They begin their descriptive journey by leading us carefully through the geography of early Virginia and its western county of Kentucky.

Born there to a prosperous family, Henry Clay became an orphan early in his live. His mother remarried to a kindly man who placed Henry in a retail apprenticeship in the city of Richmond. As soon as a position opened he became a law clerk. As a young lawyer, he moved to Lexington, KY to join his mother new family in 1797. There he successfully became a competent and prosperous attorney. He not only gained the reputation of being an excellent orator and a determined attorney but also that of a gambler and a drinker. Nevertheless, he was able to arrange an advantageous marriage in 1799. Initially it might have been considered a marriage of convenience, but Henry and his wife Lucretia produced ten children and brought position and prosperity to the Clay family. The young family settled in a Lexington home he built and called Ashland. And so it would remain the Clay home for the remainder of his life.

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Historical Novel Book Reviews

Hi Everyone

Just in case you haven't noticed, I have completed eight reviews of historical novels and one non-fiction history book. It is great fun. Those of you who are American history enthusiasts should not turn up your nose at fiction. It can be great entertainment as well as historically well founded. You can see my reviews at www.civilwarnovels.com

One I just completed is: "All the Tea in China": by Sara Rose. This is a great non-fiction read about the fight over tea & opium between the two empires of England and China.

Another review is a Civil War era work of fiction: "The First Assassin": by John Miller. This work of fiction tells of an assassination attempt on President Lincoln just after his first inauguration; a compelling and fun read.

I'll tell you about others in future blogs. Dr. Michael J. Deeb

Paintings

Hi Everyone

A 'PAINTINGS BY MIKE' page is being added to my website at www.civilwarnovels.com These are paintings both oil and watercolor, that I have 'finished' over the last 20 years. I hope to get back to that enjoyable pastime soon. But, for now, I am completely occupied with writing Civil War era novels, marketing them and preparing for live presentations for my book tours and a new focus, cruise lines.

Civil War Novel sales

Hi Everyone

Just received figures showing sales of the trilogy, The Drieborg Chronicles as of 12-31-09.

Duty and Honor,sold 815 copies. Of that number, I personally sold 536 copies, 279 were purchased over the Internet, through book stores and other sources.

The second volume in the trilogy, Duty Accomplished, sold 430 copies. Of that figure, I sold 223 while 207 were sold through the Internet, book stores et al.

The third novel in the trilogy, Honor Restored, has only been out since November but has sold 215 copies total. I don't have the breakdown from the publisher on that one, yet, but I do know that I sold 100 copies minimum during November and December.

I certainly hope that sales continue to mount. You can see photographs of book buyers for each of the three novels at www.civilwarnovels.com Just go to each of the novels in turn and click on the photo array to see them all.