I just finished this book tonight. I found it wonderfully horrible. This is the story of an eighteen year old Missouri woman during the Civil War. Though based on the historical excerpts at the beginning of each chapter and the gruesome narrative, I can't for the life of me determine what was 'civil' about it.
Adair Colley is eighteen years old, the oldest daughter of Justice of the Peace Marquis Colley. Adair, her father and her two sisters and brother live in southeastern Missouri. Adair's mother is dead. The Union Militia arrests her father and tries to burn the house down. The brother runs and the girls are left to fend for themselves.
The book takes you on the journey with Adair and her sisters as they walk 120 miles to the Union garrison to inquire as to the whereabouts of their father. From the garrison, Adair is arrested and carted off to a prison in St Louis. At the prison, she develops a relationship with an unlikely man who helps and encourages her to escape.
The remainder of the book is Adair's journey from St Louis back to her home, as well as the journey of the man from the prison.
Enemy Women certainly made me happy to be alive now rather than during those times. I certainly could not see myself surviving in Adair's world. I recommend this book for those of you who want a different historical view of the Civil War era. It is not light reading and is even rather depressing, but it is also intriguing and quite poetic.
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