Resounding
Acclaim for The Widow of the South
"A
wonderful read...Hicks blends the historical and the personal
with a master storyteller's skill."
San Francisco Chronicle
"Hicks
has perfected the art of mixing fact and fiction, and turned
the book into a sustained, profound meditation on what it means
to live, to love, and to die. Congratulations to Robert Hicks
- he has written a moving and magnificent novel."
Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with a Pearl Earring
"A
sensitive account of an era that seems to fascinate readers
ceaselessly." Entertainment Weekly
"Hicks
spins a glorious story about the Civil War heroics of Carrie
McGavock, 'the most famous Southern Woman you've never heard
of.' What happened during and after a late-war battle in Franklin
forms the sweeping basis of this tremendously engaging novel
based on actual, if unfamiliar, history. You'll swear you were
smelling gunpowder and blood, and you may shed real tears." Jeff
Guinn, Dallas TX Star-Telegram
"Engaging...a
big, brawling Civil War novel...The characters' voices ring
so true." Philadelphia Inquirer
"An
entertaining and often moving work of fiction...Hicks is a
shrewd author who knows and loves what he's writing about,
and that gives his book its narrative drive and emotional impact." Kansas
City Star
"Remarkable...moving...I've
been captivated by this haunting story...Hicks has masterfully
made the leap from history to fiction." Winston- Salem
Journal
"An
intensely moving and wholly believable novel." Historical
Novel Society
"Carrie
McGavock takes it upon herself to tend after the Confederate
wounded; later, she and her husband will rebury 1,500 of the
fallen on their property. 'I was not a morbid woman,' Carrie
allows, 'but if death wanted to confront me, well, I would
not turn my head.' An impressive addition to the library of
historical fiction of the Civil War." Kirkus Reviews
"When
Oscar Wilde toured America in 1882, he demanded to visit 'sunny
Tennessee to meet the Widow McGavock, the high priestess of
dead boys.' Hicks' debut novel is based on one of the great
and forgotten Civil War stories: how Carrie McGavock tended
the wounded, then created a private cemetery after the one-day
Battle of Franklin in 1864." USA Today"What
a wonderful story Robert Hicks has told. It speaks powerfully
to us today." Anne Rivers Siddons
"The
citizens of Cape Girardeau, Missouri have selected The Widow
of the South for our fifth annual city-wide literacy focus.
Each year a committee reviews many titles as we seek to find
a "fit" for our readers who participate in Cape Girardeau:
United We Read. The fine writing and compelling story sold
us on The Widow of the South." Julia Howes Jorgenson,
librarian, Cape Central High School, Cape Girardeau. Cape Girardeau
Mayor Jay B. Knudtson declared March 3, 2006 "Robert Hicks
Day" for his role as leader of Franklin's Charge for battlefield
and open space preservation and for his success as the author
of The Widow of the South.
