Official Review: War In The Mountains by J. L. Askew

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "War In The Mountains" by J. L. Askew.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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War In The Mountains by J. L. Askew portrays the civil war in North Carolina and East Tennessee between 1864 and 1865. The book documents the war that the Macbeth Light Artillery fiercely fought. The book throws more insight into the facts and analysis about the war and reflects on soldiers who dedicated themselves to bring an end to the war.

War In The Mountains shared in detail how the troops traveled and battled in Charleston, James Island, Antietam, Kinston, and North Carolina (where they fought with the Yankees). They engaged in many other battles which some were led by J.B. Palmer, head of the western district of North Carolina, who was also deployed to aid the situation in the mountains. Askew presented more details of the civil war that were not told; he gave a clear idea of the war, ranging from the fierce battle of both rivals, the courage with which the Macbeth Light Artillery fought, and how the soldiers and other people were affected by it. In writing this book, Askew tried to joggle between accuracy and truth.

I must commend the author for his narrative style, as he painted a picture in his book, making it seem real to the reader. The author's detailed research gave more insights into what happened during the civil war. Askew's creative writing takes the reader to the historical era, evoking fear, sadness, and relief from the occurrences during the war. The overall theme is that war brings loss in the state, death of many innocent lives, loss of home, and grief to those who witness it. This was one out of the many lessons this book would teach the reader about war.

The level of research that went into this work is mind-blowing. There were so many research materials that the bibliography took up nine pages. The study was supported with images of some of the locations mentioned in the book. It would be hard to dispute the authenticity of the events in this book.

The book was professionally edited, as I found a couple of errors that didn't affect my reading flow. I expected to see a plethora of mistakes, considering the book was about 530 pages. Thankfully, I was pleasantly disappointed in this regard.

The only thing readers could be worried about would be the flagrant use of war jargon. It might be difficult for someone unfamiliar with these terms to flow with the narrative ultimately. Unfortunately, there was no glossary to explain these terms; I had to look up some of the words in the dictionary. This was a tad distracting. However, this wouldn't be enough reason to deduct points from the book, as the book was about war.

Putting everything in perspective, I would rate War In The Mountains 4 out of 4 stars. I will recommend this book to readers that love to read war books and fans of history.

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War In The Mountains
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[Smmwallace]

This book sounds like a fascinating account of the Civil War and all its intricacies. Thank you for your wonderful review!

[Kanchan Sharma]

The review is depicting so many twists and turns that I am really wishing to read the book.

[Becca Olsson]

I’m amazed by the amount of research but that it wasn’t so overrun by facts that the author was able to convey emotion in his narrative. Thanks for the great review!

[Ibinabo_18]

This book depicts a kind of global war and war between countries thanks for the review

[PapaLeew3]

Sam Ibeh writes an excellent book review that is an encouragement to anyone who is "on the fence" about reading this fine book. Ibeh 's care and choice of words, give ample evident of his admiration for "War In the Mountains." Furthermore, Ibeh's articulate report shows his scholarly bent. I too have read "War In the Mountains" and agree 100% with Ibeh"s rating of 4 stars -except I would make it 4 Stars +. Ira Lee.

[GNerd]

Your review was timely and exceptional. Making it easy for one with doubt to make this pick. Thank you.