Coal Black Horse

By Robert Olmstead,

Book cover of Coal Black Horse

Book description

When Robey Childs's mother has a premonition about her husband, a soldier fighting in the Civil War, she does the unthinkable: she sends her only child to find his father on the battlefield and bring him home.

At fourteen, wearing the coat his mother sewed to ensure his safety—blue on…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Coal Black Horse as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love this book because I was emotionally blown away by this beautifully written tale of a fourteen-year-old boy’s journey across the war-driven South. I experienced his change from a naïve young boy to manhood. How can something so tragic be written so poetically yet simply? I want and need to feel strong emotion when I read, to be connected to the character(s). I certainly was here.

This was the first book I read by Robert Olmstead, but it hasn’t been the last.

Simply a beautifully written book. Few writers can accomplish so much and get across so much in as few pages as Robert Olmstead. This is a story of the Civil War, of a son and a father, of a mother and a son. The ending of this novel is among the best I’ve ever read.

From Kevin's list on surviving war (or not).

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