The Road From Chapel Hill

by Joanna Catherine Scott

Book Overview

Eugenia Mae Spotswood, the daughter of a failed aristocrat, longs to regain the life she lost. The slave Tom wants one thing: freedom. After becoming the property of Eugenia Mae, a dangerous affection... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425212521
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Berkley
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.0" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

A Damn Good Read

The Road from Chapel Hill dazzles with its range of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances in the border state of North Carolina during the Civil War. The author's subtle yet constant attention to accurate, historical, details help bring the reader deeply into the story while feeling as though revisiting a familiar time period. The horrors of war, the endurance of love, the repercussions of slavery and the human ability to understand and change--all push the story forward at an exciting pace. A damn good read!

Gripping -- Couldn't put it down!!!

There is something about Ms. Scott's writing that makes you feel like you are right there. It transports you into this other world she's created for you and before you know it -- your own worldly responsibilities are out the window and you're a slave to her tale. I felt Tom. I felt Eugenia. I felt I was right there in the tale. And then I felt really bad that I couldn't write as well as Ms. Scott. I can't wait to read her other books.

A Vivid and Compelling Story

I was delighted with this book and found it completely absorbing. A page turner with an impressive grasp of historical detail, The Road From Chapel Hill takes on the ambitious themes: love, war, slavery, and brings them alive with human longing, shame and frustration. The characters are haunting. Tom the slave shot in the legs trying to escape, never gives up his quest to be a free man. His white mistress, Eugenia Spotswood, loses her place in the world yet continues a search for a life of usefulness. Clyde, the son of a cruel tobacco farmer dreams of escaping his harsh life. The dignified abolitionist Aunt Baker and her helper Henry, who risked their lives daily to save other lives, stayed in my mind long after I finished the story. Scott paints vivid portraits of slavemaster and slave, general and thief, mine boss and turpentiner. The rich details of everyday life during this Civil War drama set in the border state of North Carolina, come alive. Descriptions of the southern army are stunning. The pathos of war and the tragedy of lives torn apart by war prove deeply compelling. This is an excellent, highly-readable book.

A Fascinating Look into History

My favorite way to learn about history is from good fiction. THE ROAD FROM CHAPEL HILL, sure does fill the bill. Ms. Scott whisked me away to that tense period of the Civil War, when so many lives were wrecked and so many hearts broken. The main characters, socialite Eugenia, now destitute, Tom the runaway slave seeking true freedom, and the wounded Clyde, the farm boy must make life changing and heroic decisions, and while they fit so well into their time period, the reader can see the problems they face are universal and always relevant. For a peek into history while meeting unforgettable characters, I recommend this fascinating book. I, for one, couldn't put it down.

Mr. Pat Riley

While reading The Road From Chapel Hill, I couldn't help but wonder was the author alive during the American Civil War? Maybe this novel is a reprint of an earlier work? Or, did some publisher find old diaries and piece them together for a novel? It's hard for me to believe this, but my reserch tells me the author is alive, well, and living in North Carolina. Turning pages in this book is like watching a movie in your mind. Sometimes in dusty smelly black and white, other times in HD Technicolor. The detail to surroundings,the spirit of the main characters, the accuracy of life as it was during the building of America are stunning achievements.