Fixin' Things: A Novel of Women at Gettysburg

By Peggy Ullman Bell

Book Overview

The American Civil War erupts in their yard, leaving the Loren sisters and their friends no choice but to get busy fixin' things. "History viewed through the eyes of people who lived it, with all... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595218415
• ISBN13: 9780595218417
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

War Descended Upon a Little Town ...

For three days in July of 1863, war raged in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. When it was over, thousands of men on both the Union and Confederate sides of the conflict were dead or dying, and the lives of the residents of Gettysburg were changed forever. Fixin' Things, by Peggy Ullman-Bell is a tribute to those residents, especially "all the women who sacrificed their health, their lives, and their sanity to keep the [Gettysburg National Cemetery] from being a hundred times larger." The story centers on the Loren family and their near relations. Like many people who lived close to the Mason-Dixon Line, their loyalties were mixed. The Loren women, Kathin and her younger sister Megan, secretly operated a station on the Underground Railroad. Kathin's sister-in-law, although born in Philadelphia, thoroughly adopted the slave-owning society of Maryland, where she lives with her husband Jason Mercer. Jason, a colonel in the Confederate army, is a kind and intellectual gentleman, while Kathin's husband Edwin, a captain in the Union army, is an abusive and foul-mouthed tyrant. When war comes to Gettysburg, family relationships and loyalties are strained. The Loren farm and their townhome, rented to a female blacksmith and a schoolteacher (tacitly recognized as lovers), become field hospitals and refuges for wounded soldiers on both sides. In this well-researched novel, readers will grasp the immensity of this historic event--and recognize at once how the small community of Gettysburg was devastated. Churches and schools were desecrated and dismantled, overflowing with blood and offal and stuffed to the seams with the dead and dying. Fields and crops were trampled; wells and streams were fouled. Larders were emptied; supplies raided. And rather than fight back or protect their possessions, most residents of Gettysburg gave all they had and more than they could afford. They baked the last of their flour into bread for the hungry men, nursed the wounded in their own homes, ripped up their petticoats and linens for bandages. In turn, many of the desperate soldiers became attached to their resident saviors, who hid them and shielded them from enemy soldiers and, in some cases, from their own army which would have sent them back into action. Even after the battle, the horror continued in Gettysburg. The wounded were legion; the town was bereft of supplies, and thousands of dead needed to be buried. (And, in a few weeks, orders arrived to dig them up and rebury them elsewhere.) In Fixin' Things, author Ullman-Bell explores the impact of this event on the fictional Loren sisters and their friends. Readers are transported back to an event of huge historical consequence in our country, viewed through the eyes of people who lived it personally, with all glamour and patriotism stripped away.

"Where is their representative? Where is their memorial?"

Author Peggy Bell is the worthy representative, and her book, "Fixin' Things" is the fitting memorial. This fascinating and credible story of the Civil War as seen (primarily) through the eyes and experienced through the lives of the women of the time, transports the reader into a ghastly world gone mad with the blood-letting, gut-spilling violence of insane men playing a to-the-death game of "King-of-the Hill." And through it all, the women were there; amazing women, with strength, resiliency, and fortitude. Feeding, nursing, wading through the blood and guts, bandaging mutilated men with strips torn off their petticoats, they fought through the war with unmitigated valor. A wonderful piece of historical fiction, Bell's "Fixin' Things" has everything you could want in a good tale; a unique plot angle with twists and turns, lots of intriguing sub-plots thickening and expanding the story, remarkable characters brought to life, and scene depictions that run the full gamut from tender and lovely to terrifying and horrific. The story of the Battle of Gettysburg as told in this book was the best I have ever read. This book is an excellent tribute to the women who loved their broken country, mended it, and nursed it back to life.

Exceptional

Exceptionally written. Author keeps you 'in' the action. Does a super job of letting you see through words the events of the time. Paints the picture well. The author's rendition of the women of Gettysburg is enlightening, especially since we typically read only of men in times of war.

Real Women in the Civil War

This is an unusual novel about the marvelous ways which women gave comfort and love during the civil war, an ode of love as responsibility in the care of others. While many books chronicle the adventures of males during this war, this is the first I have seen to get to the heart of the woman as homemaker, caregiver, and patriot. It is a book you will remember and ponder long after reading. The characters are diverse and stimulating. As fine a work of historical fiction as I have seen. It has everything from sexual abuse, to burying of body parts after surgery, to helping slaves to get north, to family conflicts. Throughout there is the heroism of women. I highly recommend it.

Excellent Historical Fiction

Peggy Ullman Bell's second book does NOT disappoint! This is an excellent historical fiction from the author of "Psappha, a Novel of Sappho," and will definitely be noticed! Well written, vivid, accurate historically, a fascinating and exciting read. And a most enjoyable story of a young woman's coming of age. Ms. Bell's writing in this book, as in "Psappha", takes you there and you can watch the story unfold! Hope to hear a LOT more from this Excellent author....