Savannah: Or a Gift for Mr. Lincoln
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4.1 • 7 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
"A gem . . . John Jakes personalizes (Sherman's March) with his trademark talents: brisk plotting, exhaustive research, realistic characters and generous humor." —Cleveland Plain Dealer
Georgia 1864: Sherman's army marches inexorably from Atlanta to the sea. In its path: the charming old city of Savannah, where the Lester ladies-attractive widow Sara and her feisty twelve-year-old daughter Hattie-struggle to save the family rice plantation. When Sherman offers the conquered city to President Lincoln as "a Christmas gift," Hattie and the feared general find themselves on a collision course that will astonish both of them.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A starred review indicates a book of outstanding quality. A review with a blue-tinted title indicates a book of unusual commercial interest that hasn't received a starred review.SAVANNAH: Or, A Gift for Mr. LincolnJohn Jakes. Dutton, (304p) The final leg of Sherman's march from Atlanta to Savannah provides the backdrop for Jakes's latest Civil War novel (after Charleston), focusing mostly on the fate of a comely widow. Sara Lester is the owner of the magnificent plantation Silvergrass, but her continued possession of the place is threatened on two fronts: by the Union soldiers steadily advancing on Savannah ("a gift for Mr. Lincoln") and by corrupt Judge Drewgood, who pressures her to sell the property. When the retreating Confederate army lays waste to Silvergrass, Sara and her feisty 12-year-old daughter, Hattie, take refuge with Sara's best friend, Miss Vastly Rohrschamp. Hardly are they settled at Vastly's house in Savannah when a band of rogue Union soldiers breaks in and wreaks havoc. Thankfully, an unlikely rescuer comes to their aid: Stephen Hopewell, a journalist traveling with the Union Army. Stephen's subsequent wooing of Sara is pleasing, but other story lines are contrived: an African-American slave named Zip attaches himself to a Union officer and comes to his aid, and Hattie befriends Tecumseh Sherman after an unfortunate encounter with the Union leader in downtown Savannah. Jakes continues to explore the nooks and crannies of American life during the Civil War, and while this isn't one of his best efforts, it's an enjoyably lighthearted take on an otherwise underexplored stretch of Sherman's march.
