This is a very gritty book; it's very well written, but I had to skip over some of the more graphic parts of it. The story of courage in the most terrible of circumstances is well told, and the author's descriptions of the days of the USA Civil War are enlightening. The effect of war on people, on good people as well as bad, is gripping. The book is not for the faint of heart, yet ultimately is a tale of triumph. ( )

I didn't make it past chapter 3. It was very slow paced and extremely detailed. While the premise intrigued me, the execution was underwhelming.

Dark, depressing, and overlong. Wouldn't have finished if it hadn't been a group read. ( )

Two orphaned teens and a noble horse flee bounty hunters, renegades, the desperate, the displaced, the hungry, and a terrible prophecy. Brilliant. As others have noted the writing and story are reminiscent of [b:Cormac McCarthy: All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, The Road|7970748|Cormac McCarthy All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, The Road|Sara L. Spurgeon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348807161s/7970748.jpg|12087793] and yet in may ways this is a more powerful read. The writing is more poetic, the characters more likable. It was very hard to put this book down as I fell in love with the three (yes, 3 - I loved Reiver!) characters on the run.

In the bleak landscape of this war ravished part of the South there is danger and horror at every stop and yet there is kindness and dignity as well. This is the first time I have read such a moving and devastating accounting of what the region was like during this terrible war. It was hard not to imagine and cast the amazing movie this could be - but definitely read the book first! ( )

It was a good tale, at first. Lots of action and conversation. After halfway thru the book, I started getting tired of endless days of travel where they don't meet anyone and don't have anything to eat. I wonder how anyone can endure starvation so long. I wonder how they can ride on trails in the middle of the Civil War and rarely meet anyone. I got real tired of the evil-hearted men pursuing them, even tho one of them is shown to have a good heart but just doesn't have the guts to do anything about it. Too many close calls. Too many injuries which Callum just lives with, continuing to ride & do what needs to be done, apparently healing without infection. Having just read "Her Name is Mary Sutter", I'm more willing to believe that the military surgeon who removes a bullet from Ava should have been without sufficient supplies & infected her. The ending is another incredulous occurrence.
Since the dedication mentions how much Brown owed to the traditional ballads, I was disappointed that there was no direct mention of ballads or songs in the novel. ( )