Two Girls of Gettysburg

Fifteen-year-old Lizzie Allbauer lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1861, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. When her sixteen-year-old cousin Rosanna McGreevey comes to visit from Virginia, Lizzie thinks the girls couldn't be more different. Lizzie is shy and doesn't feel she is pretty, while Rosanna is beautiful, outgoing, and flirtatious. However, the two girls develop a friendship. When war breaks out, Lizzie's father and brother enlist in the Union Army, and Rosanna returns to her home in Richmond, Virginia. From that point on, their lives diverge sharply. Lizzie helps support the Union cause that her father and brother are fighting for, and helps run the family business while the men are at war. Meanwhile, Rosanna marries a handsome young Confederate soldier and follows him to war, nursing the wounded soldiers. Eventually the girls reunite and witness the Battle of Gettysburg. Two Girls of Gettysburg is a wonderful historical novel that does a good job at showing both sides of the Civil War and how the conflict destroyed lives and tore families apart. The novel is told through the alternating voices of the two girls. Lizzie's chapters are told from a standard first-person point of view, while Rosanna's are told through diary entries, similar to a Dear America book. As a result Lizzie's story was more detailed and her character was a bit more developed than Rosanna`s as a result. I highly recommend this novel to teens with an interest in history, as well as older readers who still love young adult historical fiction.

I picked up this book because my 14 year old daughter and I are going to visit Gettysburg this summer, and I thought this book might provide some interesting background. I found the book very well-written and well-researched, and liked the way the author used the theme of cousins from North and South to highlight the way the war literally tore families apart. The characters grow and mature over the course of the novel, and Klein does not shy away from the human cost of the war. The reader also gets to see the battle of Gettysburg from the point of view of a civilian from the town, rather than a soldier. I thought this was a worthy addition to historical fiction about this endlessly fascinating period of our history. While the protagonists are both girls, there are plenty of male characters as well in addition to military details that might appeal to boy readers to.

Two Girls of Gettysburg was a farily well written book. I personally love civil war history and there are few books on the market about this impoant event directed for teens so you can imagine how overjoyed I was when I saw this book. The historical accuracy was excellent but the book did not really grip ahold of the reader and refuse to let it go till the last chapter. Since I am fascinated with that period in American history it was easy for me to read through but if someone was not so interested in the Civil War, they might enjoy it as much. I also thought the story seemed more centered on Lizzie instead of Rosanna. This may have been the purpose of the author but I would have liked it better if if was more equal. Rosanna's side of the story is told through diary entires while Lizzie's is through regular first person narration. Although I do like novels told through journal entries, it made Rosanna's story seem distant and not like you were in the middle of excitment like you were with Lizzie's side of the story. Overall, I reccomend Two Girls of Gettysburg if you know at least some background on the Civil War.