Title: Today We Go Home by Kelli Estes
Book Beginnings/First Line Friday quote:
April 16, 1861: Wilson Family Farm, Stampers Creek, IndianaThe sounds of gunshots echoes across the field, each one making Emily clench her teeth tighter together until her jaw ached.
Friday56 quote:
Present Day: Woodinville, WashingtonThe moment Larkin climbed out of her car at Gram's house she was met with a wall of sensation. (p.47)
Summary: Larkin is home from her second tour with the Army in Afghanistan with a bad case of PTSD. The firefight which killed her best friend, Sarah, was the cause of return home and now she is left to pick up the pieces and deal with the devil in her head alone as she convalesces at her Gram's home in Washington State. One day she goes through Sarah's things in left behind in a storage unit, Larkin finds an old journal which belonged to a woman named Emily. In the journal Emily recounts her story of disguising herself as a man so she could fight alongside her brother in the Civil War.
Review: Today We Go Home was a our book club selection this month. During our discussion, which focused a lot on females in the military, we all agreed that the topics -- women in combat roles; PTSD in returning female combatants; women disguising themselves as males to serve in the military -- were ones we hadn't read much, if anything, about. The topics led to a lively and interesting discussion. (See discussion questions here.) The whole evening helped me refocus my feelings about the book, for which I was grateful.
Prior to the meeting I was afraid I'd be alone in saying I didn't particularly like the book. I liked the idea of the book but not the execution of it. It seemed over-written and too long. The characters had deep flaws and it took forever for them to get to the point where they could take a look at what was holding them back. Larkin was a tough, gritty, unlikeable character especially. In the notes at the end of the book, the author said during her research she learned about how many women likely disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War and for what reasons. She also highlighted what would happen to these women when they were found out. Then she made her character Emily run through or past all those reasons/situations. Ugh. Too much.
That said, by the end I was satisfied. Both Larkin and Emily made some growth and were moving in the right direction. We had a fabulous club discussion and had delicious blueberry/peach cobbler for dessert afterwards. It wasn't a total bust!
My rating: 2.75 stars.
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