Fair, some mold, "Clarinda B Boltwood Presented by Mr and Mrs George S Boltwood, June 6, 1901"

For the last time, no this has nothing to do with the British Statesman. Winston Churchill was an American Author who peaked in the late 1800's. He was most famous for his historical novels and The Crisis is considered by most to be his crowning work. I enjoyed this book enough that I read two other Churchill books after, so that is saying something. In fact I went to a lot of work to find them as most of his stuff is out of print (probably all of it). This novel is built around the Civil War and is (in my opinion) a very entertaining piece of historical fiction. There is some interaction with the periods greats, some melodrama (it gets a bit soapy at times) but uses real events without being campy. Churchill tends to go over the top in some of his other stuff and the plot lines are a little less plausible (his book on the Revolutionary War Period is ridiculous) but in The Crisis he focuses on developing real characters with understandable motivations. He also manages to weave in actual people for cameo's that are fairly unobtrusive and don't distract from the novel's overall direction. I think the fact that he wrote this book less than 20 years after the end of the Civil War accounts for his ability to accurately present the emotions, the drive and decision making of the characters and plot in such a way that makes it real. I for one, really felt like I was seeing what it was actually like to live through the period. It's not a war book per se, it is more of a romantic thriller and does nothing to glamorize conflict and killing. Overall, I found it quite enjoyable and really wish I would have enjoyed his others half as much. ( )

It is not too surprising that the multitalented Winston Churchill wrote historical novels centering around warfare. "The Crisis" takes place during and after the War of Southern Secession. The book's protagonist, Stephen Brice, is a New England lawyer who has come to the South to practice. He ardently supports the abolition of slavery and buys a young slave girl just so he can set her free. Of course, how she is supposed to survive in a country where blacks and women have no rights is the driving force behind the plot. Stephen falls in love with a pretty young southern belle named Virginia Carvel whose aristocratic family are practitioners of slavery and believe it is the right of a state to decide the question--not the federal government. Virginia also loves Stephen, but she knows that an engagement to him would cause a huge conflict in the family so she becomes engaged to her pro-slavery cousin Clarence Colfax.When war breaks out, Stephen and Clarence are naturally fighting on opposite sides. As it turns out, during one especially bloody skirmish, Stephen saves Clarence's life. Eventually Stephen marries Virginia and the family comes to a sort of agreement on the issue of owning slaves. To give the book authenticity, Churchill weaves in graphic scenes of war from his own experience and dialog between Lincoln and Grant from his firsthand knowledge to add historical interest.

Well researched Historical Novel. NY Times Bestseller of 1901! The entire year. Churchill did much research in St Louis

Best selling book of 1909, sold 20,000,000 copies in a population 76,000,000 ( )