Agnes Canon’s War
“Seize the day” could well be Agnes Canon’s credo, as she yearns to do more than watch men live and decide things for themselves while the opinions and acts of dependent females matter little. Leaving behind the rivers of Pennsylvania, she travels with her brother and his wife to the west, specifically pre-Civil War Missouri. On her journey to that pivotal state, she meets Jabez Robinson, a man who has lost love but is not so wounded that he doesn’t admire a fiery female spirit. Later they marry, and their romance is deep and sweet, spiced by the astounding fact that Jabez treats Agnes like an equal in all matters.
However, the crux of this novel involves the intensifying debates and sides taken for or against slavery and secession, as well as the devastating terror and destruction that occurred before the actual Civil War began. Citizens who were for or against slavery form their own bands, and thugs hired by local politicians try to force the neutral or opposed families to choose a different side. The consequences of refusal are brutal, tough and shocking to Agnes and Jabez. While Jabez writes journalistic articles recommending neutrality, Agnes grows to cherish this land with its beautiful fields, crops and mountains.
While many novels have been written about the actual Civil War, fewer have focused on the Kansas-Missouri debacle that proved to be a microcosm of the powder keg that would explode as a result of decisions made in that initial conflict. The characters are likeable, intelligent, humorous, spunky and passionate people whose zest for adventure is met and then some! Superb historical fiction this reviewer highly recommends.
