Brave Enemies

Comparisons to COLD MOUNTAIN are in order. BRAVE ENEMIES, too, is a love story set during the brutality and misfortune of a civil war. Here it is the American Revolutionary War with patriots and loyalists hanging each other and burning down each other's homes as well as the militia and redcoats doing battle. But while CM is burdened and slowed by literary pretensions, BRAVE ENEMIES is a fast-moving and entertaining tale, without heavy-handed symbolism or repeated flashbacks, of sixteen year old Josie Summers and John Trethman, a young itinerant Methodist minister, who fall in love and then are separated by the war. Being a history buff, I liked the realistic feel of the novel. The descriptions of the time and place, the clothes, food, weapons, homes, all seemed well-researched. And the battle of Cowpens was presented brilliantly. I feel like I was there. My only complaint is that the description of John's religious services went on too long in a couple places but that is a minor quibble. This is a gritty, realistic book, well-written, full of action and with a couple powerful sex scenes from the woman's point of view. Robert Morgan scores a double with BRAVE ENEMIES in that this is a novel I think both men and women will enjoy. Five cannonballs out of five.

Set in the backwoods Carolinas in 1781, this brutal, tumultuous story centers on the narrator, 16-year-old Josie Summers, who murders her rapist stepfather and flees in men's clothing. Rescued (as Joseph) by an evangelical, itinerant preacher who's aghast when he discovers her deception, but then secretly performs a marriage ceremony, Josie embraces religion and love.But calamity is never far away in the war-torn colonies as roving bands of redcoats vie with vigilante patriots in cruelty towards their enemies. When the preacher, John, is seized by the British and his cabin burned, Josie flees again and - still dressed as a man - joins the North Carolina militia, where (as we know from the prologue) she is wounded and her disguise revealed.The story's near-constant fever pitch of danger and desperation is disrupted from time to time by a switch to John's point of view, and a man tormented by his own human frailties is not nearly as interesting as a girl marching to war in the freezing mud without boots, or even shoes. Josie's period-perfect voice and the eloquent immediacy of Morgan's ("Gap Creek," "This Rock") descriptive prose keep the reader immersed in a world of hurt and hardship. The battlefield scenes are a riveting mess of confusion, blood, terror and bewilderment, and the love scenes are transporting. A visceral story, elegantly told.

I am not usually a fan of historical fiction, but Morgan does anexcellent job of describing the details of life in frontier South Carolina in 1789-90 at the height of the internecine civil war between loyalists and rebels, with such colorful figures as Daniel Morgan and Banastre Tarleton thrown in. Yes, there are ambiguities and coincidences which move the plot along, but this was a turbulent place and time, as any biography of Andrew Jackson's youth in the Waxhaws at the same time will demonstrate. This is a great book, worthy of comparison with Cold Mountain, which was set some 75 years later in a nearby place. Even if you are not familiar with the Battle of Cowpens, you will enjoy the dramatic impact of the writing, the vivid if brutal battles and killings, and the balm of religion in that time and place.

You may disagree, but I'll say it anyway...Robert Morgan's writing reminds me of Van Gogh's paintings. From me, this is a huge compliment. Van Gogh had an almost simple way with color and form; he attacked his subjects with raw energy; a child's exaggerated grace leapt from his canvas. In much the same manner, Morgan's words are lean and raw, yet full of life and color and grace."Brave Enemies" follows young Josie Summers as she escapes a horrible situation at home, disguises herself as a man--in part, to avoid punishment for a crime committed--and finds herself walking through the Carolinas as the Revolutionary War takes its toll on everyone around her. She marries, becomes pregnant, and goes to war at the famed battle of Cowpens. Surprises lurk, and lessons are learned, and a vivid history lesson courses through the narrative.With "Gap Creek," Morgan made his way into the public eye. He followed that book with "This Rock," a powerful book, but one lacking sympathetic or central female characters. For this reason, he seemed to lose some of his Oprah-generated audience. Well, "Brave Enemies" races ahead with all the elements that made "Gap Creek" a success. Strong female lead. Obstacles overcome. Tragedy endured. Be warned, some scenes are horrifying in their depictions of war and abuse of women. Yet Morgan imbues even these with his usual grace and his views that try to balance a world gone astray.If you, like me, find Morgan's writing elementary at first, keep reading and discover the economic poetry that runs through every word he pens. Morgan, like Van Gogh, creates masterpieces.

I just picked this book out as one of the books I was going to read on vaction. The problem is that it never made withme on my trip to the Gulf. I finished the book in two days. Because I could not put it down. I am not one who would read a love story. I got the book because of the Battle of Cowpens. I found the love story between Josie and John was my favoir part of the book. I do not what to give anything away. This book gives us many gifts. Robert Morgan gives us poetly, history, and gripping story of love. As well as a taste of the South during the Revolution. I hope Mr. Morgan will write his next book with Joise and John picking up where we last see them. A great book that you well be glad you read. It will warm your heart to the very end.