Customer Reviews:
 Great second novel November 12, 2008
Audrey
First off, if you happen to find this book, do not read the back synopsis, and I would also suggest avoiding the amazon option to take a look inside. The synopsis basically tells exactly what happens. It is so full of spoilers as to almost be ridiculous, so be careful.
To avoid giving away any spoilers, all I'll say is Becoming Mary Mehan centers around a young Irish girl who moves to Washington during the Civil War. That is only the first novel; the second deals more with the aftermath.
The first story, although containing some wonderful descriptive writing, was a little lacking in originality. I have heard many, many war stories with the same ending and I was really looking for something different. That aside, it is not a bad story. I just didn't quite like it.
When I read this it was very late at night, and I planned to finish the first novel, get a little into the second, and then quit until the next day...Bad idea. I had to finish the second half. The first half may have been mediocre, at the least, but the second was extraordinary. I rarely say this, but I was very touched by Mary's relationship with the other characters. And it wasn't until I neared the last twenty pages that I realized how little was left of the story, and it really upset me. This second, unfortunately short novel, I did not want to end. I wished it had been longer.
I know that what I said about the first novel was negative, but when compared to the second half, I don't think it compares. This is a very nice set of novels that, while historical fiction, is comforting, entertaining, sometimes bitter, uplifting, and an enjoyable enough read to where even though I could not bring myself to stop reading, I regretted that the story ended.
Overall: A wonderful story that I highly recommend.
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