"Harris tells a powerful story of war's destruction of property,
people, hopes, and morals during the Civil War in Louisiana. This is
top-notch historical fiction, thoroughly researched and vividly
presented, revealing the Civil War in all its brutality. Publishers
Weekly
"This story of love, loss, and growing up under some of the most
difficult circumstances imaginable is beautifully written, superbly
researched, emotionally engaging and gripping from first page to last. A
must for old-school fans of historical fiction." Booklist Starred
Review
I killed a man the summer I turned thirteen . . .
Thus begins C. S. Harris's haunting, lyrically beautiful tale of coming
of age in Civil War-torn Louisiana. Eleven-year-old Amrie St. Pierre is
catching tadpoles with her friend Finn O'Reilly when the Federal fleet
first steams up the Mississippi River in the spring of 1862. With the
surrender of New Orleans, Amrie's sleepy little village of St.
Francisville - strategically located between the last river outposts of
Vicksburg and Port Hudson - is now frighteningly vulnerable. As the roar
of canons inches ever closer and food, shoes, and life-giving medicines
become increasingly scarce, Amrie is forced to grow up fast. But it is
her own fateful encounter with a tall, golden-haired Union captain named
Gabriel that threatens to destroy everything and everyone she holds most
dear.
Told with rare compassion and insight, this is a gripping,
heart-wrenching story of loss and survival; of the bonds that form
amongst women and children left alone to face the hardships,
depravations, and dangers of war; and of one unforgettable girl's slow
and painful recognition of the good and evil that exists within us all.
