Lexington, Kentucky, 1859. After saving John Hunt Morgan from a puma attack, fifteen-year-old farm boy Will Crump joins Hunt’s militia, the Lexington Rifles. Morgan mentors Will and enrolls him in the local university, where he hopes to study law. As tensions rise between the North and South, Will is torn between his loyalty to Morgan and his love for his family. Will’s father, sisters, and … and sweetheart follow the Union, while Morgan and Will commit to the South. As part of Morgan’s band, Will participates in ambushes and unconventional warfare until his first real battle at Shiloh. He fights bravely, but increasingly questions what the war is accomplishing, and whether his devotion to honor has led him astray. And where is God in all this killing?
Will’s sister Albinia, friend of the Clay family, becomes increasingly aware of the plight of the slaves. When she finds Luther, a slave she knows, trying to escape, she must decide between her conscience, and her friends. She becomes involved in the Underground Railroad, helping slaves to freedom – but will it cost her love and her freedom?
Will’s other sister, Julia, is approaching spinster status and despairs of ever meeting a man who can give her more than life on a farm until she meets Hiram Johannsen, a son of immigrants who owns a steamship company. They marry and she makes a new life in the North. When Hiram answers the call to fight for the North, Julia runs the steamboat company in her husband’s absence and uses her boats to help Albinia ferry escaped slaves to freedom. Her business relations put her in the perfect position to spy for the North. When the Confederates capture her, will she survive?
Luther is one of the first slaves Albinia helps flee the South after his master cruelly abuses his mother and sister. He escapes with his family, and when war breaks out, he fights for the North as an auxiliary of the Third Ohio Cavalry, alongside Julia’s husband, Hiram, and against Morgan and Will. Luther has to confront the demons of his past, an abusive master, and a slave catcher that kills his little sister. Will the desire for revenge destroy him?
Throughout the war, Will is forced to examine and question everything he believes in–his faith in God, his love for his family, his loyalty to Morgan, and his worth as a human being.
Will and his family must somehow mend the torn fabric of relationships to find peace, and reach Across the Great Divide.
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Disclaimer: I served as a beta-reader, receiving an advance copy. No incentive was offered for this review by either the author or the publisher.
Across the Great Divide: Clouds of War is a Christian YA novel following the adventures and misfortunes of Will Crump and family during the American Civil War.
Michael Ross crafts this story with action, romance and suspense. I enjoyed it overall, but wished the writing was tighter at times. A few characters struck me as archetypical, wholly good or wholly evil, while others were fleshed-out and nuanced.
Everything considered, Across the Great Divide: Clouds of War increased my knowledge and sympathy for those caught in the conflict.
I read this book after interviewing the author on my website https://suanneschaferauthor.com/interview-michael-ross-author-of/. It’s historical fiction set in Kentucky and follows the early days of the Civil War. Seen through the eyes of the Crump family and set in the neutral state of Kentucky, the book provides insights into both sides of the war and how blurred the lines were between the two sides. Will is a teenager when the novel begins and his sisters (Julia and Albinia) are somewhat older. Luther, a slave that Albinia helps escape, also plays a role as he embarks on the Underground Railroad.
Overall, the writing could have been tighter. For example, though Ross handles his large cast deftly, some (such as Will’s youngest sister) play such a minor role they perhaps could have been cut. It is a “Christian” book, yet doesn’t read as preachy. The historical aspects are well-researched and the issues (states’ rights, the pros and cons of slavery, the religious aspects of slavery, abolitionists, etc) are well-documented.
Across the Great Divide is a history lover’s dream! Michael L. Ross has written a story that is based on true people and actual events and he has successfully paired fact and fiction to give us an exceptional story. I am a native Kentuckian so I know about the Clay family in Lexington, John Parker and the Underground Railroad, John Hunt Morgan and his raids, and the horrible truth that Kentucky was definitely a divided state. Kentuckians were either strongly in favor of freeing the slaves or they were determined to keep them in bondage and just like Will Crump and his father, Kentucky fathers and sons really did fight on opposite sides.
This story covers six years in the life of Will Crump and we watch him change from a fifteen year old boy who was eager to learn and get an education to a twenty-one year old man who had already faced death and endured prison. The eager young man who had looked forward to his future had become a man needing to reconcile his past. There are also many other intriguing characters, some real and some fictitious, who are caught up in this war that divided families, Kentucky, and our nation; Ross has succeeded in capturing the emotions and actions of all involved.
This is the debut novel of Michael L. Ross and I look forward to reading his next book in The Clouds of War series. Across the Great Divide is excellent historical fiction!
I received a copy of this book from the author and Historical Fiction Virtual Tours. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Across the Great Divide is the exciting start to Michael Ross’s series, The Clouds of War. I thought the author did a fantastic job to portray the divisions during the American Civil War. I liked the inspiring themes he used that made me deeply think about those times.
I am giving Across the Great Divide a well deserved five plus stars. I am eagerly waiting for the second installment from The Clouds of War series to release. I highly recommend this one.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
This book was such a great read. Michael Ross kept to the true history of the times. I liked getting to know the characters and what they stood for but what I really loved about this book was the romance involved between some of the characters. So good. Another aspect of the book that I loved was the fact that you always wanted to know what was going to happen in the next chapter. Needless to say, I finished this book rather quickly.
I love historical novels, and “Across the Great Divide” blends fact and fiction perfectly! Like a great rollercoaster, Michael Ross’ debut novel goes up and down with personal crises and national conflict, but it also twists about unexpectedly from character to memorable character in a sprawling story of the Civil War.
Will, an earnest young man whose faith and honor sometimes put him at odds with those he loves, is caught up in the struggles of a country grappling with its own destiny.
The issues that compel and separate people in ‘neutral’ Kentucky as the war breaks out echo our own era. We, too, are caught in a great divide. If you love a good story pulled from history, and if you are person of faith, you will find it hard to put down “The Great Divide” until the last page.
A great tour of the start of the Civil War and its impact on Americans in the fractured state of Kentucky. Lincoln said, “I hope God is on my side, but I must have Kentucky.” Here you’ll see why!