Enemy Women

I love this book mainly because the main character is an ordinary young woman with grit who defies all hostility in Missouri during the Civil War, including neighbors who turn against her.

I went through lots of emotions with this character during her journey to finding love, from anger and trepidation to wonder and exhilaration. The setting, historical context, and unsentimental yet tender and poetic writing make this book a triumph. 

This book took me somewhere new for a Civil War novel—the border state of Missouri.

Jiles is a poet, which is evident in her evocative prose. Visceral and unexpected details in every sentence put me right into the story of the young women from Missouri whose father was taken and whose home was destroyed by Union militia despite the family’s neutrality.

I found the excerpts from real letters and newspapers at the beginning of each chapter intriguing. Readers will be captivated by eighteen-year-old Adair, who is courageous, smart, and spirited.

Set during the Civil War, this novel of Adair Colley, a young Confederate woman in a Union prison who falls in love with her jailer, proves that love can thrive even in the midst of horrific suffering.

The book also has one of literature’s most compelling portraits of a horse, who is just as much of a character here as the humans.

This story takes place during the Civil War, a complex time, which makes this a complex story. It’s a beautifully written novel, and Jiles’ experience as a poet serves her well. I love nothing more than beautiful sentences, and add to that a likeable main character such as Adair Colley, and those two combinations equal win/win. While Adair is reminiscent of Scarlett O’Hara, her background is quite the opposite. What made the story also stand out for me was each chapter began with actual correspondences, diary entries, and accounts taken during this timeframe. It enhanced my reading in that I… show more.