Book Review of Homeland by Barbara Hambly
Fictional Intimate Tale of Two Women During the American Civil War
In Homeland, this stoic but intimate story deliberately unfolds through a chronological collection of letters between two young women who met once before the Civil War with a shared secret and continue their correspondence detailing their personal difficulties throughout the war. In 1861, Susanna Ashford, a true Southern Belle, lives on a Tennessee plantation while newly married Cora Poole enjoys big city society in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband Emory, who originally hailed from Tennessee.
Women's Suffrage in the United States
In April 1861, Cora's letters tell of the burgeoning women's suffrage movement and urges headstrong Susanna to consider the benefits of equality for women. Protected by her family and servants, Susanna has not had the political background that benefits Cora, but her desire to develop her artistic talents compels her to listen with an open mind to what begins as an abstract position but quickly becomes a much longed-for dream.
Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Early Fiction
Meanwhile, Susanna devotedly reads as much fiction as possible and advocates Maine native Cora to discover Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and other popular writers for herself. Cora argues that such literature is frivolous but slowly begins to escape into the novels as her reality changes from decadence to desperation.
Wartime Effects in Northern and Southern Societies
Hambly ably describes how both northern and southern societies completely changed during the rather uncivil war. Susanna and Cora evolve from being chatty, coddled girls who passionately dissect proper etiquette and rate parties into young women concerned with survival. Susanna’s intense, potentially shattering first-hand experiences and Cora's slow evolution towards self-sufficiency lead to each becoming stronger, albeit number, as the war drags on, leaving their letters as their only outward sign of vulnerability.
Throughout the novel, Cora pines for her beloved Emory, who has secretly returned south to fight against the North because, as Cora’s copperhead friend Will notes, "'Tis hard to justify fighting for your homeland, if the fighting will change that homeland into something it wasn’t before.” Cora hears nothing of him while Susanna shamefully debates whether or not she should tell Cora what has actually happened to Emory.
Secondary relationships involve Susanna's servants, whose own reactions to the war vary, leading to some agonizing decisions made by these who were seen as silent members of the family in spite of their previously enforced presence.
Excellent Civil War Story and Novelization of Women's History
Masterfully told, Hambly’s previous work in Civil War fiction and science fiction are evident in the sparely-told complexity of the characters and their realistically adverse situations and deeply-held secrets, making it easy for readers to fully inhabit both Susanna’s journey and Cora’s experience without being jarred by anachronisms or being overwhelmed by a moroseness of the inherent horror. The story of a war-torn country, so disturbingly recounted during the Battle of Vicksburg, remains relevant with modern wars and what the resulting devastation means for average families caught in the middle.
Homeland would be an excellent Christmas gift for those interested in American history themes such as the Civil War, women’s history, social history, and those intrigued by Hambly's unusual literary device using dedicated correspondence by two devoted friends or those readers just looking for a well-told story of truth, hope, and determination.
Book Information:
Homeland by Barbara Hambley. Bantam Books, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-553-80552-9
Homeland by Barbara Hambly
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