Greetings Earthkind!
As part of this Readers’ Advisory class, I am required to read and annotate five books from five different genres.
This week, I am annotating a book from the Historical Fiction genre.
Author: Jennifer Chiaverini
Title: The Spymistress
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: October 9, 2013
Number of Pages: 351 (I read a hardcover version from the library)
Geographical Setting: Richmond, Virginia.
Time Period: 1861-1875
Plot Summary: Elizabeth Van Lew is the 40-something year old unmarried daughter of wealthy slaveholders. After her dad passed away, Lizzie, as she’s called, and her mother had hoped to free them, but part of her father’s will had legally prevented their freedom. Though she lives in the south, Lizzie’s family has Union ideals. When the Civil War breaks out and Richmond allies itself with the Confederacy, Lizzie finds herself trying to help the Union in anyway she can.
She eventually forms a sort of network of spies that smuggles news from prisoners of war and Jefferson Davis’s house to the north. Additionally, she weasels her way into the prisons where prisoners of war are kept. She’s able to care for them, feed them, and eventually help several of them escape.
In the novel, the stakes are high, and history comes alive as the Civil War is told from the perspective of a female Unionist sympathizer in the heart of the Confederacy.
Subject Headings: (Some pulled from the Novelist Plus listing)
- American Civil War
- Spies
- Van Lew, Elizabeth L., 1818-1900
- Female Spies
- Abolitionists
Appeal: With its strong sense of place in Richmond, Virginia as it changes throughout the Civil War, this novel takes us through the Civil War through the eyes of a strong woman as she fights for the Union as a spy. Though the times are tense, this novel walks us through the years of the Civil War as though we were reading them slowly over the course of those years. We understand Lizzie’s wish for the war to end because we feel and see the effects of the war on Richmond.
3 terms that best describe this book: Civil War, Spies, Women
My Personal Thoughts:
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from a Historical Fiction novel. Perhaps I expected more cheesy-ness or a more dry read, but this book was exciting. I enjoyed getting to read Lizzie’s journey from wealthy lady to Union Abolitionist Spy. It was interesting to see just how much of a toll the war had on Richmond, and it was encouraging to see her stand up for her ideas in the best way she could, given her situation.
The pacing was slow and the chapters were long, but this novel kept me going to find out how Lizzie was going to fight the Confederates next. It was fun reading her witty remarks and to see her plans be created and unfold.
By the end of the novel, I really felt like I understood Lizzie and her situation. Overall, this was a great introduction for me to Historical Fiction.
Thanks for taking time to read this review, and until next time, Happy Reading!
The Alien Librarian 