Title: A Becharmed Callie Christmas: A Story of The Civil War
Author: J.D.R. Hawkins
Publisher: self-published
ISBN: 979-8866387212
Pages: 90
Genre: Historical-Fiction
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
Hollywood Book Reviews
A bestselling, award-winning author of Civil War fiction, J.D.R. Hawkins adds another installment to her well-received The Renegade series, which focuses on the life-altering effects of the Civil War on a family from Alabama. To which, this book, A Becharmed Callie Christmas adds to the atmosphere and perspective of the war and those touched by it.
To begin with, the characterizations are intrinsically realistic as we get to meet the central character, Callie Copeland. She is young, pretty, and spoiled. Also, she comes from an affluent family; her father is a wealthy landowner. Callie is often indulged by her well-to-do-father, who gives in to her whims most of the time. Set during the midst of the second year of the Civil War, while a war wages on Callie’s world revolves around friends, their concerns hover around the perfect dress, parties, especially an upcoming planned Christmas party, and of course, attention from males. Additionally, the other characters are also realistically presented according to the time period, as their interactions and conversations portray the sentiments and culture existing at that time.
Meanwhile, as the time for the long-awaited Christmas party approaches, life for Callie becomes fraught with a mix of emotions as events in her life bring on both sadness and happiness. However, Callie’s world is completely rattled, when she has a near death experience and experiences a change in conscience when she realizes not only her own mortality, but the mortality of the confederate soldiers fighting in the war were dying.
Overall, I enjoyed A Becharmed Callie Christmas, as it made for an artfully written read. Author J.D.R. Hawkins did a wonderful job of detailing the lives and landscape of the Civil War South, making this a brief but altogether, impactful read. Throughout the narrative, I found myself engaged in this story, fraught with elements of life, loss, and love, from a time long past. Moreover, this book presents thoughtful exploration of the effects of the Civil War – told from the Confederate viewpoint, offering readers a brief exploration of the Southern perspective. Also, adding an intriguing touch interspersed throughout the story are letters from confederate soldiers offering peeks into the way the war affected those out in the fields of war.
Ultimately, this was a poignant book which would make a great fireside read, and I would definitely recommend it especially to those readers interested in literate as well as engaging historically based fiction.