An absolutely amazing novel about a rich, Southern woman, who--after the loss of three children--becomes more a mother of the South when her home Carnton, which is on the edge of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War (The Battle of Franklin), is turned into a hospital. Carrie McGavock finds the strength to care for the wounded men, and later to transplant all the dead men into her own cemetery, where she mourns for them during the tremulous reconstruction years. Carrie McGavock builds a relationship with Zachariah Cashwell, one of the soldiers who has lost his leg. Both of the characters are extraordinary in the fact that they both have such a strong and odd (in that the quality of their lives is questionable) desire to survive and to live. The story, which is more than just about the South or the Civil War (in fact, sometimes I forgot that I was reading a Civil War novel), is about survival during the most horrible moments of life. It isn't so much about the war and why it was fought, but about the people who were forced to fight it, and lost. The most amazing part of this novel is the brilliant style, which is absolutely modernist and psychologically driven (perfect for the end of the Civil War as style and system broke down), capturing the characters and making them real, poetic, beautiful, and fascinating. Carrie and Zachariah are a beautiful romance, but more beautiful people, because they are so odd, yet so driven, broken, yet surviving. One of the best novels I've ever read. Grade: A+