Sharon Poppen Reviews

Added June 12, 2007

After the War, Before the Peace

Author: Sharon Poppen
Publisher: Xlibris
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: Available now
Genre: Fiction: Historical
Format: Trade paper, Hardcover
Price: $26.99
ISBN-10: 1-4010-6545-7
ISBN-13: 9781401065454
Author Email/Website: poppen@citlink.net
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Set within the twilight time after the Civil War, this novel follows four South Carolina brothers as they seek their places in a war-scarred country, while coming to grips with their raw emotions. Excellent characterization and a passionate plot highlight the tensions that sparked trigger-ready responses in this age of adjustments.

When their Southern home was pillaged by Northern soldiers, Pa Farrell and his sons vowed vengeance upon these particular men. In a carefully calculated series of raids, they sought the identity of the soldiers in an attempt to dispense justice and reclaim personal possessions. Their clandestine forays put them on the wrong side of the law, and left them fighting a war that was technically over. Gradually, family relationships, love and a sense of a greater decency permeated their minds and hearts. The elusive peace they sought was found, along with treasures of a different kind.

Expertly written, this novel pulses with the anguish and anger of unresolved war crimes. Readers are quickly shown the motivation for the brothers’ vow of vengeance, while the author determinedly traces the outcome of their years of raiding. The reality of intimate abuse suffered at the hands of Northern soldiers is emphasized in the sexual encounters of the four brothers. From monogamy to lascivious abandonment, these pages serve up some sizzling accounts, which also serve as reminders of the intense emotions of this time period. As the novel progresses, the characters mature according to their code of honor. While the South recovers from the devastation to its land and people, the brothers heal in ways they never thought possible.

After the War, Before the Peace captivates readers with a creative look at the emotional minefields that crippled the South in post-Civil War days.

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