Measure of Devotion
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Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the American Civil War, this intricately woven novel delves into the life of Susannah Shelburne, a thirty-six-year-old woman residing in South Carolina with her older husband, Jacob. Their son, Francis, defies his parents’ wishes by enlisting in the Confederate army, sparking bitter familial discord. In October 1863, devastating news arrives: Francis has been critically wounded near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Susannah embarks on a perilous journey to bring her son home, finding Francis delirious with fever and haunted by the horrors of battle. Their reunion is overshadowed by the conflicts at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, culminating in Francis being captured as a prisoner of war.
As the war exacts its toll and tensions escalate between mother and son, Susannah confronts impossible choices amidst harrowing revelations from home. This gripping narrative explores themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the profound impacts of war on family bonds, painting a vivid portrait of one woman’s relentless fight for survival and reconciliation in a time of unprecedented turmoil.
Praise for Measure of Devotion
"An intense, addictive drama with a hint of light at the end of the tunnel."
-Kirkus Reviews (read the full review)
“Nell Joslin’s accomplished debut novel explores the loss and destruction of war; through her protagonist, Susannah, the reader witnesses the moral depths of what unites and holds people together as well as what tears them apart.”
—Jill McCorkle, New York Times best-selling author
“A female-centered Cold Mountain, Measure of Devotion chronicles a woman’s excruciating journey to save her son during the Battles for Chattanooga and her desperate efforts to retain some remnant of home in a country strewn with war. Brilliantly conceived, exquisitely written, Nell Joslin’s debut novel heralds the emergence of a major new voice in Southern letters.”
—Elaine Neil Orr, author of Swimming Between Worlds
“Measure of Devotion, Nell Joslin’s fascinating novel, captures life beside a Civil War battlefield with harrowing and numinous reality. A devoted mother has come from South Carolina to nurse her Confederate soldier son, who was wounded in the Battle of Lookout Mountain. (In an interesting complication of the story, both the mother and father are abolitionists at heart.) These central characters and a host of others, including Letty, a formerly enslaved woman and Susannah’s closest friend, are richly imagined and convincing, both in action and psychological depth.
This thoroughly researched novel is cinematic, from the sweep of mountains to the glimpses and sounds of the nearby battle and in the gritty particular details of the action inside the house where mother and son have found precarious shelter. Although it was not uncommon for mothers to tend to their wounded sons near battlefields during the Civil War, Joslin is the first novelist to have written about this conflict-rich situation. Joslin’s writing is both lyrical and fearless, making Measure of Devotion one of those rare novels, an elegant page turner. I could not put the manuscript down the first time I read it, and then read it again, soaking in the brilliant prose. I think that this novel will find a large, varied audience. Measure of Devotion is an original and important novel that belongs on the shelf beside the work of Charles Frazier, George Saunders, and Roxana Robinson.”
—Angela Davis-Gardner, author of Plum Wine and Butterfly’s Child
"Joslin’s eye for detail immerses you in the Civil War years so completely, you feel the lurch of a wagon on rutted roads, the weight of mud coating dress hems and boots, and a hunger so deep a half-eaten apple is a Godsend. As I read, the scent of woodsmoke and blood seemed to rise off the page."
—Patricia L. Hudson, author of Traces
“This Civil War-era novel is a richly textured, heartfelt portrait of a mother on a mission. It will leave you with a greater understanding of the issues that divided our country, resulting in profound loss on both sides. Honest and affecting.”
—Susan Rivers, author of The Second Mrs. Hockaday
“With her debut novel, Nell Joslin proves herself as fearless as her heroine, Susannah Shelburne, a Southern abolitionist whose devotion to her son, a wounded Confederate soldier, propels her directly into harm’s way. In vivid, absorbing prose, Joslin brings to life a narrator as steely and resourceful as she is spacious-hearted. Susannah’s story—compelling, unforgettable, wholly original—is a brilliant and necessary addition to American Civil War literature.”
—Kim Church, author of Byrd
“I entered this novel’s world thinking, well, this is yet another Civil War novel. I was wrong. This book will deserve accolades and prizes. Despite the grim wartime story, I left it with hope for the characters’ future. Pay attention to Ms. Joslin—she is a fine writer. ”
—Wayne Caldwell, author of Cataloochee, Requiem by Fire, and Woodsmoke