The Glory Cloak

Zusatztext Gore Vidal Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton are splendid protagonists in this vivid and revealing story of our Civil War. Informationen zum Autor Patricia O'Brien is the author of the critically acclaimed novel The Glory Cloak and co-author of I Know Just What You Mean , a New York Times bestseller. She lives in Washington, D.C. Klappentext From childhood, Susan Gray and her cousin Louisa May Alcott have shared a safe, insular world of outdoor adventures and grand amateur theater -- a world that begins to evaporate with the outbreak of the Civil War. Frustrated with sewing uniforms and wrapping bandages, the two women journey to Washington, D.C.'s Union Hospital to volunteer as nurses. Nothing has prepared them for the horrors of this grueling experience. There they meet the remarkable Clara Barton -- the legendary Angel of the Battlefield -- and she becomes their idol and mentor. Soon one wounded soldier begins to captivate and puzzle them all -- a man who claims to be a blacksmith, but whose appearance and sharp intelligence suggest he might not be who he says he is.Through the Civil War and its chaotic aftermath to the apex of Louisa's fame as the author of Little Women and Lincoln's appointment of Clara to the job of finding and naming the war's missing and dead, this novel is ultimately the story of friendship between women -- women who broke the mold society set for them, while still reckoning with betrayal, love, and forgiveness. Leseprobe Chapter One He was so little, the colored boy wedged in Abba's oven. I couldn't believe my eyes. He sat with his knees to his chin, shaking like a blob of jelly, and after a horrified moment I shrieked and slammed the door shut. Louisa flew into the kitchen, swooped me up and clapped her hand over my mouth. She smelled of cinnamon apple tea. "You naughty girl," she hissed. "You were told to stay out of the kitchen. Why do you pay so little heed? We could go to jail if he were found." I bawled in mortification. I adored Cousin Louisa. She was the nicest of the Alcott sisters, even though at eighteen she was ten years older than I and almost a grown-up. She put on wonderful plays and I didn't want her to be angry with me. She paused in the act of giving me a good shake, and I could see she was trying mightily to control her temper. "It's all right, Susan, don't cry," she finally said. "He has to stay in there until dark and we don't want to be making a fuss over his presence. Don't be afraid." "He won't be cooked, will he?" "No, no, you silly little goose. He will be taken somewhere safe." I was getting more interested now, and dying for another peek. "Why does he have to go?" Louisa's chin, already square and formidable, grew even more so as she replied. "Because he is escaping slavery, which is an abomination. You hear me, Susan? Say it." "Slavery is an abdom -- " I faltered. I could see the Brown girls watching from the doorway, and hoped their father would not come storming in the room, for he was a glowering man with fierce eyes and dark hair that stood straight up in front: his hair is as much afraid of him as I am, I thought. "It is evil." I nodded, clutching Louisa's hand. She softened and smiled at me with a hint of forgiveness, so I dared to ask more. "Can he play with me before he leaves?" "He won't have time to play." "But I want to be his friend," I said, thinking of those sad, fearful eyes. Louisa leaned over and kissed the tip of my nose. "I will be your friend, Susan," she said. "I promise...if you obey me." "Oh, yes," I breathed, delighted. "Always." And so, on a fine spring day in 1850, it began -- a pledge of friendship that took us through thirty-eight years, warming my life even through pain; now she is gone and I sit here alone at my desk,...

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Patricia Brien, O&apos, Patricia O'Brien, O'Brien Patricia
• Editore: Simon & Schuster USA
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 01.05.2004
• EAN: 9780743257503
• ISBN: 978-0-7432-5750-3
• Pagine: 368
• Dimensioni: 127 mm x 197 mm x 25 mm
• Categorie: Narrativa > Romanzi; FICTION / Historical / General, Historical fiction