Across Five Aprils

Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. Berkley, reprinted in 1986. ISBN 0425102416

Slow-paced in the beginning, but overall an excellent read. The book was published in the 1960's and the author draws upon stories her own grandfather relayed to her about life during the 1860's. Extremely well researched, this book brings to life the family struggles, heartaches, and triumphs of the "five Aprils" that spanned the American Civil War.

Might be difficult for young readers due to the slower pace and the verbiage (the author captures the speech patterns and poor grammar of backwoods families in Southern Illinois). However, a stronger reader would enjoy it immensely, especially the coming-of-age elements found in the main character as he grows from a young boy of nine to a teen who is forced to become the "man of the farm." His self discovery (when he first realizes his speech could be a source of ridicule, when he decides to keep difficult decisions from his ailing father, when he struggles between being the "baby" of the family while also being on equal terms with his older siblings, when he learns that gossip is not always true...) is appropriate and believable. I was a bit disappointed at the abruptness of the ending. The story seemed to simply run out of steam.

Civil War battles, generals, and events are woven in and out of the tale, making this work of fiction and wonderful companion resource for anyone learning about the Civil War.