Overview

An extraordinary novel about a wife who disguises herself as a man and goes off to fight in the Civil War She calls herself Ash, but that's not her real name. She is a farmer's faithful wife, but she has left her husband to don the uniform of a Union soldier in the Civil War. Neverhome tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the battle for the South. Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk legend, a madwoman, and a traitor to the American cause. Laird Hunt's dazzling new novel throws a light on the adventurous women who chose to fight instead of stay behind. It is also a mystery story: why did Ash leave and her husband stay? Why can she not return? What will she have to go through to make it back home? In gorgeous prose, Hunt's rebellious young heroine fights her way through history, back home to her husband, and finally into our hearts.

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9781478956921

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Reviews

Narrator Mary Stuart Masterson offers a finely crafted portrait. She makes it clear that where Ash is intrepid, Bartholomew, her husband, is fearful. She makes it seem natural that Ash should go to war, leaving Bartholomew to tend the farm...Hunt's impeccable research provides insight into society's historically restrictive gender attitudes, and Masterson's performance keeps the energy high and the characters believable. -- AudioFile An exquisitely wrought vision of the terrible ravages of war-on the land, on the human body, and on the mind-as encountered by a tough, clever woman. -- Booklist A haunting meditation on the complexity of human character, the power of secrets, and the contradictions of the American experience...Hunt's characterization of Constance transcends simplistic distinctions between male and female, good and bad. The language of her narration is triumphant as well: sometimes blunt, sometimes visionary, and always fascinating. -- Publishers Weekly A novel that takes us there and back again, 'there' being the Civil War and back again, a farm in Indiana...Hunt keeps the pace brisk and inserts some new feminist twists into the genre of the Civil War odyssey. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A particularly beautiful novel...Hunt brings an especially bittersweet and lyrical tone to this forgotten part of Civil War history...Historical fiction fans will not be disappointed by this wonderful story of Ash's struggles with her identity and of her personal ties to the war. -- Library Journal (starred review) This trim volume, with its straightforward and earthy narrative, presents readers with a slice of Civil War history. Hunt draws the reader into his novel using his heroine's clean, clear, and powerful voice and manages to depict moments of life, death, courage, and the small details that make this story real, poignant, and unforgettable. -- RT Book Reviews (4 stars) Rendered in [Ash's] own words, this stunning historical novel reveals war-and its happily married narrator in totally unexpected ways. -- Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review How I felt reading Neverhome: I was marching alongside Ash, eager for more of her well-guarded secrets....Hunt says he was inspired by the real-life tale of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, who disguised herself as 'Lyons Wakeman' and enlisted with the Union Army. Ash, however is entirely Hunt's own creation. His ability to evoke her demeanor and circumstances in a gorgeously written sentence or two is one of the book's many pleasures. -- New York Times Book Review The novel's cadence is deceptively low-key-it lulls, then startles with its power-much like the miraculous Ash. -- O, The Oprah Magazine Inspired by true stories of women who fought, this plainspoken story packs firepower. -- People Traces the mesmerizing odyssey of a singular woman, who stretches and shimmers from these pages and stakes a piercing claim on our hearts. You won't soon forget Ash Thompson's voice or this astonishing novel. -- Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife

Author Information

Laird Hunt is the author of several novels. His novel Neverhome was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice selection, an IndieNext selection, winner of the Grand Prix de Litterature Americaine and The Bridge prize, and a finalist for the Prix Femina Etranger. He is on the faculty in the creative writing PhD program at the University of Denver. Mary Stuart Masterson is an Earphones Award-winning narrator and an accomplished screen and stage actress perhaps most recognized for her roles in films such as Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny & Joon, and Bed of Roses. She won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1989 film Immediate Family and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the 2003 Broadway revival of Nine.

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