A Separate Country

I really enjoyed Robert Hicks' "A Separate Country". This is historical fiction at it's best--through the story of General John Bell Hood and his tragic life after the Civil War, the author provides details of late 19th century life and also provides a great story of love and redemption. Primarily set in 1879 New Orleans, "A Separate Country" is propelled by the fictional diaries of General Hood and his wife, Anna, as well as the voice of Eli Griffin (a former soldier). There are three separate and distinct voices in this novel, and if there's one complaint (a small one), it's that the voices become less distinct as the novel moves forward (perhaps intentionally so?). Hicks uses Griffin and the two diaries to describe the change Gen Hood undergoes as he leaves the Confederate Army (tragically and with loss of leg and use of one arm), sets up life with wife Anna (and 11 children), and attempts to make a go at a peaceful existence. As tragic and depressing as much of the subject matter is, Hicks' novel is ultimately uplifting and encouraging. Hicks (via the "words" of Gen Hood) sums it up nicely when he says "It is an odd realization, to know that the right life is one lived without concern for worldly reputation or success, one that is subordinated to anything good." And "A Separate Country" is a mighty good novel. Highly recommended.

Robert Hicks tells the story of General John Bell Hood, a Civil War general in this new novel. This novel is set in New Orleans, and uses three narrators to tell the story of Hood's life after the guns of war have quieted. The novel is told through the voice of Hood's journals, the journals of his wife, and the perspective of a man who once tried to kill Hood, struggling to make sense of these two stories. This is not a neat, tidy piece of historical biography. Instead, it grabs hold of details like smell, texture and tide. It takes you into the mess that life often can be - ruins made of mansions, fortunes gained and squandered, faith and penitence, sickness and maim. It asks questions like what becomes of a man after failure on a grand scale, where lives are lost because of error? Where are the lines between fame and being a notorious, aggressive fool? What happens to that man's soul? It describes how that man finds passion, and marvels that his eleven children are born without the maiming that is inherent in his body and his soul. This book is a wonderful work of fiction that I enjoyed heartily.

Robert Hick's marvelous historic novel is told by three different voices, which all come together in the end. It's basically a true story - as far as I can tell - and is a sad study of a man - John Bell Hood, CSA - who found himself as a young general, without service, in the years after the Civil War. Hood was born in Kentucky, attended West Point, and served in the US military, seeing service in Texas against the Comanches in the 1850's. When the South seceded from the Union in April, 1861, Hood resigned his commission and joined the Confederate Army, rising through the ranks, to become a general. He saw service in Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. He was wounded and lost most of a leg. Hood had a tangled legacy among both his contemporaries and Civil War scholars later. After the war, Hood went to New Orleans. He was not the only former CSA general to settle there, among others were Generals Early and Beauregard. Hood met and married a belle of the city, Anna Marie Hennen and the two had eleven children in ten years, including three sets of twins. (And this in the years before IVF!) Hood did not do well financially in private life, and the family was reduced to poverty. Both Hood and his wife, along with their oldest daughter, died in 1879 in a yellow-fever epidemic. These are all historical facts. The story told by Robert Hicks may not be completely true; I believe he invents characters, both heroes and villains, who are part of the Hoods' final days. But what characters and what a story. The city of New Orleans and its rather bizarre citizenry is on full display here. Hicks wrote an epic of a book here. If you're a Civil War fan, you'll enjoy the book. Even if you're just looking for a great novel to read, this book fills the bill.

I heard of General John Bell Hood's name in passing a great number of years ago when I studied the Civil War in school. To me, he was just another in a long line of names who participated in a war so ingrained in the American Experience and yet unknown to the public. But the Civil War has so many rich stories from it, and this is by far one of the best. Robert Hicks' first book, The Widow of the South, was recommended to me on a whim and I got hooked by the narrative and story - The Battle of Franklin was a forgotten battle of the war, and the book brimmed with passion and a great story. So when I had heard of another book by Mr. Hicks, I was excited to see if lightening could strike twice. What a tragic story this is! Perhaps tragic isn't the right word. Neither is bittersweet, but it's the best way to describe this. After the Civil War, the infamous General Hood settled down in New Orleans, and tried to move on with his life. A shell of a man from combat injuries and the horrors of war, he ends up married with 11 kids. But he failed at business, and was eventually left broke and lost his wife and oldest daughter to yellow fever and left his other children orphaned. But the tragedy doesn't end there. The past catches up with him along with an assorted cast of characters with dark secrets to try to take advantage of The General. Mr. Hicks' strength is as a story teller. His descriptions of Reconstruction-era New Orleans is nothing short of masterful - the sights, the sounds - even the humid sticky air come through. Lesser writers would have skipped this, but the city of New Orleans becomes a character of the book itself. The characters around General Hood evolve but with a sense of mystery - it's as if you wish you were there to observe the body language of the characters in order to understand what's truly being said. This is an amazing book about a seemingly undiscovered character in American History. I can't think of a higher praise for this book other than wanting to explore the life of General Hood further thanks to this amazing story.