High Hearts

By Rita Mae Brown

Book Overview

From the celebrated author of Rubyfruit Jungle and Bingo comes a stirring novel of the Civil War, a tale of true love and mistaken identity. Brimming with colorful characters and vivid settings, High Hearts is Rita Mae Brown at her most ambitious and entertaining.

April 12, 1861. Bright, gutsy and young, Geneva Chatfield marries Nash Hart in Albemarle County, Virginia, the same day Fort Sumter's guns fire the start of the Civil War. Five days later she loses him as Nash joins the Confederate Army. Geneva, who is known as the best rider since Light Horse Harry Lee, cuts her hair, dons a uniform, enlists as "Jimmy Chatfield," then rides off to be with her beloved Nash. But sensitive Nash recoils in horror from the violence of war, while Geneva is invigorated by the chase and the fight. Can she be all the man her husband isn't? She'll sure as hell try. But there is a complication, and his name is Major "Mars" Vickers. This macho major, to his own shock and amazement, finds himself inexplicably attracted to the young soldier named "Jimmy." And this is only the beginning of a novel that moves with sureness and grace from the ferocity of battle to the struggle on the homefront, and brings passion and sly humor to a story of dawning love. High Hearts is a penetrating, delightful and sweeping tale that gives fresh life to a fascinating time.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553278886
• ISBN13: 9780553278880
• Release Date: May 1987
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Marvelous book!

Well, I read "Rubyfruit Jungle" and loved it, and rated it "5 stars". Now I've read another Rita Mae Brown book, and it's even better, so I suppose it goes without saying that it's also a five star effort."Rubyfruit Jungle" was five stars purely on the basis of a fascinating main character; the plot was nothing to get excited about, and the supporting cast was mediocre. This book, while it does not have a character as marvellous as Molly Bolt, (sorry, Geneva) nonetheless is strongly character-driven; it has a dozen characters more interesting and memorable than the second-best character in "Rubyfruit Jungle". More, it has a significantly more interesting plot, and just as much to say about life and how to live it.A must-read for anyone who has enjoyed anything written by Rita Mae Brown, anyone who enjoys stories about strong female characters, and anyone who enjoys historical novels set during the civil war.

"High Hearts"

This book is beautifully written, thrilling, entertaining and heart warming. Set during the Civil war, it is filled with love, honor, courage and fine horsemanship. The characters are people you want to know more about. It brings the reader into the unbelievable horrors of the Civil War as the characters find our what they are made of and what is important in life. This book is both romantic and exciting as well as filled with philosophic treasures. It is one of the few books I have read twice!

A Personal Look at the Civil War

What a shocking book. The toll of the our most bloody war has never been so real. The descriptions of the battles and aftermath made me want to put the book down and yet never put it down. It made me want to read more about the war.All of Rita Mae's characters are real, with their fears and flaws. Even though the central charater is Geneva, the depth of each character and their role in the dynamics of the politics of the time is brought forth. There is no minor character in this tale. Everyone, as in the war, has a story and a purpose. WONDERFUL.

Rita Mae Brown with a historical novel and at her usual best

This author has proven in many of her books that she will know her subject well before writing about it. The book shows the horrors of the War Between the States from a different viewpoint: a newly married woman whose husband tries to help his southern community in one of this country's worst moments. Ms. Brown's research into the lives of the different people that constituted a southern plantation, gives the reader a new perspective on the relationships between owners, slaves, overseers and the other participants in southern life. Lest this review seem too focused on the educational view of High Hearts, the book is thoroughly enjoyable as a story and easy reading. Rita Mae Brown at her superb best.

Enter the historian

Not only breaking out of the stereotype that cast her as only being able to write lesbian novels, but also showing her mettle as a historical researcher, Brown, delivers a story with a twist -- war loving female and her poetry loving husband who is in but can't stand war. A good behind-the-battle-lines (Southern battle lines) civil war book that nonetheless escapes the usual one-side bias of American writers. The ending is a bit too convenient though.