The Glory Cloak

The Glory Cloak is an empowering book that shows what women can accomplish under the worst of circumstances. This novel centers around Clara Barton and Louisa May Alcott during and after the Civil War and ties their stories together through a fictional character named Susan that portrays a cousin to Louisa. This is the story of a lifelong friendship, women surviving and thriving while cleaning up the messes made my men and most importantly chronicles the accomplishments of women smart enough to stay single and childfree despite the pressures of society. I only wish I had read this book thirty years ago...

Patricia O'Brien has written a great story about women who responded to the call for duty during the Civil War. She skillfully recreates the horror and heroism experienced by young Louisa Alcott through the eyes of a friend, Susan Gray. Together they work in deplorable conditions that test their personal strength and friendship. Not only do readers get to know Louisa May Alcott and and her family, but we also learn about the political and social battles fought by Clara Barton and other dedicated women of the times. They were all women who made a difference and Patricia O'Brien does a great job of telling their story.

This book will delight lovers of historical fiction. Ms. O'Brien has clearly done her homework. Her novel is well researched and rich in historical detail. I found this the most gripping account of conditions in Washington DC during the Civil War since Gore Vidal's "Lincoln."

This is a great story set in a time of great history with great characters. Pat O'Brien has skillfully woven the lives of Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton into a novel that's exciting to read. As historic events unfold, the friendship between Susan Gray, the fictional narrator of the book, and Louisa May Alcott is tested, broken and finally restored.The insights into the personalities of Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton were an extra bonus. I especially appreciated the "Afterward" at the end of the book where Ms O'Brien explained where the true facts ended and the fiction began.I LOVED THIS BOOK!

The recent discovery in a building in downtown Washington, boarded up for more than one hundred years, of an office where Clara Barton had been seeking the whereabouts (and burial sites) of thousands of missing Civil War soldiers, led Patricia O'Brien to write this tender and exciting tale of what might have happened if Louisa May Alcott--as a volunteer nurse--had met Clara in a vile Washington hospital, and had apparently fallen in love with a wounded soldier who was to move mysteriously through both their lives. No wonder Gore Vidal gave the book such high praise!