Annie, Between the States by L. M. Elliott Review

"Annie's home and heart are divided by the Civil War.

Annie Sinclair's Virginia home is in the battle path of the Civil War. Her brothers, Laurence and Jamie, fight to defend the South, while Annie and her mother tend to wounded soldiers. When she develops a romantic connection with a Union Army lieutenant, Annie's view of the war broadens. Then an accusation calls her loyalty into question. A nation and a heart divided force Annie to choose her own course."

Annie, Between the States is actually a great name for this book. Annie, who is a Virginian, lives between the war-torn country. But, like what the author suggest, the title has more than one meaning. Each person will see a different meaning. What I just said a few sentence ago is one of the many ways I see the title.
Anyway, the book itself is quite long. I recommend that you clear up your schedule if you are a slow reader. I manage to finish this four hundred page book in a night and a few periods of school. Not exactly a bright idea for me, because I was reading during lectures. 

Annie, Between the States is a wonderfully written book. It does not make your stomach flip, but it does give you a good lesson on the Civil War. Any student studying the Civil War should read this. It will help because there's several real life events along with some ogling moments. I mean, read over and over and over again moments. Ogling (thank you, Dragonswood for putting that word in my vocabulary). 

The perfect blend of war and romance is totally my cup of tea. I don't always enjoy historical fiction, because authors always mess it up in some ways. Like that marriage never happen. Or that assassination attempt failed. Or maybe a poisoning never happen and the King live much longer than the years on his grave. But this book is mostly true. Just edit out the characters the author made up (thank you, author, for putting which characters are fake and real in the Author's note. I hate it when authors don't do that. Then I have to research everything). 

The plot maybe a little bit confusing to some readers. The time moves by quickly, spanning over a couple years of the Civil War. Timelines and notes are usually helpful, but if you have a great memory (like me) then you'll be fine. 

Annie is a brave girl, living in the right time. In the right moment. She first meets Thomas Walker, (the future ______). Then Jeb Stuart. Now, the history freaks of the Civil War would know who this man is. Just look him up in wikipedia if you don't know. Anyway, I fell in love with Annie (does that sound wrong to you guys? Because I'm a girl...) and Thomas (hottie right there; warning: he loves Keats). But I won't tell you anymore, or else this book will sound like...

The Civil War is portrayed as a war between brothers. Instead of having the issue of slavery being the major part of the book, the author makes family the star of the book. A war between family. A war between brothers. A war between sisters. A war between the states. It's nice to see a different issue take the front page. 

Rating: Four out of Five