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    I Shall Be Near to You: A Novel
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    I Shall Be Near to You: A Novel
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    I Shall Be Near to You: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    I Shall Be Near to You: A Novel

    Written by Erin Lindsay McCabe

    Narrated by Allyson Ryan

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    An extraordinary novel about a strong-willed woman who disguises herself as a man in order to fight beside her husband, inspired by the letters of a remarkable female soldier who fought in the Civil War.

    Rosetta doesn't want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he joins up, hoping to make enough money that they'll be able to afford their own farm. When Jeremiah leaves, Rosetta decides her true place is by his side, no matter what that means, and to be with him, she follows him into war.

    With the army desperate for recruits, Rosetta has no trouble volunteering, although she faces an incredulous husband. Her strong will clashes with Jeremiah's, and their marriage is tested by broken conventions, constant danger, war, and the fear that Rosetta will be discovered.

    Rich with historical details and inspired by more than 250 documented accounts of the women who fought in the Civil War while disguised as men, I Shall Be Near To You is a courageous adventure, a woman's search for meaning and individuality, and a poignant story of enduring love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 28, 2014
    ISBN9780804193986
    Unavailable
    I Shall Be Near to You: A Novel

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    Reviews for I Shall Be Near to You

    4/5

    81 ratings17 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This has to be the most powerful, emotional, and memorable book I have ever read. There are books out there that have touched my heart and moved me to tears, but this time....the tears continued to flow even after reading the last page. The author has written a well researched and beautiful story based loosely on real-life history. The writing is superb and flows seamlessly from cover to cover, but what really stands out is Ms. McCabe's ability to reach her audience. The way she portrays the scenes of battle and times of high emotion to the reader left me speechless. Jeremiah and Rosetta have made a deep impression on my heart that cannot be erased. This book is a rare treasure.
    • 4/5
      This was a fascinating look at a woman's experience as a soldier during the Civil War. Yes, you read that correctly. I believe there were something like 300 women who dressed like men and fought in that war. I Shall Be Near to You is based in fact which makes it all the more fascinating. The letters of the real Rosetta survived and formed the basis of the story. The story of a woman who married just before her husband enlisted in the Union Army she decided she would not be separated from him - for better or worse and all that.I found myself hooked from the start - Rosetta is a fascinating character and I suspect she would have been a firecracker in real life. The world created by Ms. McCabe is quite detailed and true, especially as the story moves to the battlefield. War is not pretty and no army camp is a gentile place. The men are rough, the language rougher and it's all presented as it might have been. The realism of both camp and battle makes for some difficult passages but any book that deals with war will.I found myself lost in the story as the descriptions of time and place had me immersed in the Civil World era. The characters were all well defined and unique in tone. There were scenes that had me just about in tears. It was a good read about a remarkable phenomenon - a woman dressing as a man to join the army to be with her husband. A truly intriguing aspect of a horrible war.
    • 3/5
      I didn't like this book, but not because it was bad, but because it was good... The narrator, Rosetta, dons male garb and joins the Union Army during the Civil War to stay close to her new husband Jeremiah. A remarkable number of people are in on the deception, although they tend to die off throughout the novel (a consequence of war, I understand). While I realized early on that this novel was unlikely to end well for all the characters, I was still caught off guard towards the end.
    • 4/5
      Told in first person from the POV of a young farmgirl who follows her husband into the Civil War, this was an interesting read.

      I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

      The beginning was hard for me to get into. Rosetta was SO emotionally dependent upon her husband, both before and after they marry, and so bereft of an emotional connection with anyone else, that I wanted to chip in to send her to a therapist. I could see why SHE wanted/needed to disguise herself and follow her husband into the Army; missing was what HE saw in her. Their shared desire to own a farm and her tomboyish skills at building fences and milking cows did not seem particularly unique, that Jeremiah would want to marry HER and no other girl in the community.

      Later, in training camp, the character and story grew much stronger. I was fascinated by the dynamics of their little group, who knew the secret and helped protect it from discovery. Some threads were left dangling; for example, it was interesting for "Ross" to sneak into the woods with rags at the start of her menstrual period - but then what? There's no mention of her ever having to change them - did she use fresh rags and bury the soiled, or contrive to wash them, somehow, or what? Either would have been an interesting dilemma, but what she did isn't revealed.

      This was clearly deeply and thoroughly researched, and I truly felt like I was in camp, and worse, in battle, with the 97th Regiment. Gritty, terrifying, heartbreaking, if not 100% historically accurate. By the end of the book, I was hanging on, wondering how the story would end - would she be killed, or him, or both of them? I won't spoil the ending, but it made sense and felt satisfying.
    • 5/5
      This book so exceeded my expectations. I could not stop reading this book. In fact, when it came down to the last chapter, I actually read it really slowly as I did not want the story to end. I loved, loved Rosetta. She is one fierce woman. I love a good, strong woman in stories. I felt as if I was fighting right along side of Rosetta aka Ross. I could smell the blood and gun powder. It is amazing that she went so long undetected as a man. Of course, I am sure back than everyone was really busy fighting. This story is also a love story but a true genuine one between Rosetta and Jeremiah. The love they shared is one that everyone strives to have. However don't get too sappy here as there was not a lot of steamy moments. They were busy fighting a war and trying to keep from being discovered. The ending was just perfect. I could not ask for a better one, well except for one thing. I won't say as I don't want to give anything away. All I am going to say is don't miss out on this book. It is a keeper!
    • 3/5
      I received this through a Goodreads group, and am looking forward to the author talk. This was really a pleasant book. For whatever reason, it was the third book in this half year that I have read that featured a woman masquerading as a man either during or just prior to the Civil War. It was, for my tastes, the best executed one. The main character, having grown up on her family farm as a tom boy with no living brothers to help her father, marries her sweetheart before he enlists. Their dream is to earn enough money soldiering to move to Nebraska afterward to make their own homestead. Suddenly she is alone, distanced from her own family in her new role as a married woman, and looked down on by her new husband's family. A villain lurks in the background. What is a girl to do but to follow her husband? Don't hold out for a happy ending, but with the subject, that would probably be a little naive anyway...
    • 4/5
      Perhaps you're aware of the fact that during the Civil War, brother fought against brother. You probably also knew that boys falsified their age in order to go off and fight. But did you know that women also fought in the Civil War, disguising themselves as men in order to fight alongside fathers, brothers, husbands? Well, they did. And we know this because of the letters they sent home to loved ones. In Erin Lindsay McCabe's debut novel, I Shall Be Near to You, she has imagined what drove one woman to fight for the Union Army. Rosetta Edwards has never felt terribly compelled to act the way a girl is expected to act. She's always preferred farm work with her father to parlor work with her mother. She'd rather be out of doors in nature than trapped inside with mending, and she's always trying to fill the gap her father feels as a result of having no sons. Although she may not meet the usual standards of young women in her small New York community, being mocked and shunned by the conventional girls, including her younger sister, for her less feminine pursuits, she is not willing to be forced into the constraints of her sex. When the love of her life, Jeremiah, decides, with a group of friends, to join up with the Union Army, she is furious. He promises that he is simply joining to earn the $150 enlistment bonus so that when he gets back from the war, he and Rosetta will have the money to head west and buy their own farm. Insisting that Jeremiah marry her before he heads out, Rosetta comes up hard against the chafing expectations for women once more when Jeremiah leaves. As unwilling to knuckle under to convention as a wife and daughter-in-law as she had been as a daughter, Rosetta makes the drastic decision to cut off her abundant hair and disguise herself as a young man in order to follow Jeremiah and join up with the army herself. Going by the name Ross Stone, Rosetta does find Jeremiah and the boys from her home town. But they are not pleased to see her, only grudgingly willing to keep her secret and allow her to stay with them through training. Both Rosetta and Jeremiah struggle with her decision, what that means for them as a couple, and how far either of them are willing to carry her charade. And when they start to see fighting, they are forced to confront their own mortality and the fact that no future is ever guaranteed. McCabe has used the real life experiences of women brave enough to go to war to great effect in creating Rosetta, a woman who knows her heart and happiness depend on her being close to Jeremiah, not waiting at home for news of him and pretending to be the dutiful daughter-in-law. Her stubbornness, determination, and her doubts as well are very realistically drawn. Jeremiah's dismay at his new wife's arrival in the camp is also well done. And the way they have to come to terms with both of their needs and wants, both shared and in opposition to the others', during this horrific and monumental time intensifies their feelings. While they do love each other, they also hurt each other, have disagreements, and treat each other carelessly at times, which makes their relationship very realistic. McCabe doesn't minimize the appalling horrors of the war and she doesn't spare her characters either, forcing them to see the waste and destruction, the devastating loss of life, and the unnecessary and brutal suffering that war creates. There are a few small bits that seem anachronistic but in general this is a well researched and well written historical look at the women of the Civil War.
    • 4/5
      Based on actual letters and reports from the more than 250 woman who fought disguised as men on both sides, during the Civil War.Rosetta is a memorable character, she comes from a poor but hardworking family and Jeremiah is her one true love.They have hopes of moving to Nebraska and buying their own farm. The $150.00 sign up fee for joining is his motivation for joining up. For Rosettathere are many other reasons.In this novel we gain the female perspective on going to war, the hardships of war and we see Rosetta, now called Ross, becoming a much more capable and independent woman. We read about the hardtack and porkbelly, and than less and less provisions as the war continues. The marching and the drills and the closeness of the men, we see the blood and feel the terror, the horror of battle. This is a first novel that is very well done and of course it is always a big plus when a novel is written from actual historic events and sources.Look forward to more from this talented author.ARC from NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      I Shall Be Near to You is the story of a girl who disguises herself as a man and joins up with the Union Army during the American Civil War to stay with her husband, disputing the "fact" that her place is at home waiting for news, believing that her true place is at her husband's side even if that might put her in mortal danger. McCabe brings the Civil War to life in all its confusion and horror. Rosetta is a great character, determined, strong, and sympathetic; and she's as good a soldier as any. Ironically, during her time posing as a man, her character makes an impressive transformation from an impulsive girl to a strong, thoughtful woman. This is a great book that had me just about in tears while reading it in public.
    • 4/5
      In Flat Creek, New York, feelings of patriotism filled the land in 1862.Young Rosetta Edwards falls in love with Jeremy Wakefield. They discuss his enlisting in the army as a way to save for their own farm. Being a younger son, he knows that the family farm will go to the eldest son.Once Jeremy enlists and leaves for military training, Rosetta feels alone. Her love for Jeremy is intense and when she learns that she has even been replaced in her own family, she makes a decision. She used to milk the cows and help at her parent's farm but her father hired someone to help with the farm after her marriage.With this rejection, brave and impetuous Rosetta, cuts her hair, binds her chest and dresses as a man. Then she follows Jeremy to Utica, New York and enlists as Ross Stone. She claims to be Jeremy's cousin so they are placed in the same company.Jeremy is torn in what to do and wants to keep his wife from danger but Rosetta shows her courage and disagrees with him. Then she travels to war with Jeremy and the other soldiers.In a letter to her parents she uses a Bible verse to state that as they say in the Bible, a wife should cling to her husband.It is heart wrenching to see the love between the two and what they must do to avoid detection. Of course, some of Jeremy's friends knew Rosetta at home but they form a protective band around her.Problems arise and some are handled with humor such as when the soldiers decide to go for an impromptu swim. They undress to their skivvies and jump in the water. Rosetta must think of a reason why she isn't joining the fun.The story is told from Rosetta's point of view and becomes more intense when she visits a military hospital and sees what war can do to the severely wounded men. She also had to deal with men in battle when some of Jeremy's old friends thought she was a distraction.This was a well told story, good characters and vivid descriptions of the scenes. It was still a bit hard to see Rosetta/Ross fooling so many people, many who were gruff and supporting beards.
    • 4/5
      This was a fascinating look at a woman's experience as a soldier during the Civil War. Yes, you read that correctly. I believe there were something like 300 women who dressed like men and fought in that war. I Shall Be Near to You is based in fact which makes it all the more fascinating. The letters of the real Rosetta survived and formed the basis of the story. The story of a woman who married just before her husband enlisted in the Union Army she decided she would not be separated from him - for better or worse and all that.I found myself hooked from the start - Rosetta is a fascinating character and I suspect she would have been a firecracker in real life. The world created by Ms. McCabe is quite detailed and true, especially as the story moves to the battlefield. War is not pretty and no army camp is a gentile place. The men are rough, the language rougher and it's all presented as it might have been. The realism of both camp and battle makes for some difficult passages but any book that deals with war will.I found myself lost in the story as the descriptions of time and place had me immersed in the Civil World era. The characters were all well defined and unique in tone. There were scenes that had me just about in tears. It was a good read about a remarkable phenomenon - a woman dressing as a man to join the army to be with her husband. A truly intriguing aspect of a horrible war.
    • 5/5
      " ...there's still most men who can't see a thing a woman does, even when she's doing them right under his nose."Rosetta Wakefield loves her husband dearly, so much that she can not stand to be apart from him. When her husband leaves early in their marriage to join the Union effort in the Civil War, Rosetta soon cuts her hair, dons men's clothing and trudges her way up to his camp in order to enlist and fight by his side.I love stories that tell of strong women throughout our history. In I Shall Be Near To You, Erin Lindsay McCabe masterfully weaves the information we know of the countless real-life women soldiers from the Civil War into the fictional story of Rosetta Wakefield. This was beautifully written and I had a hard time parting with Rosetta's story, even when it was heart-breaking. I felt an instant bond to Rosetta's character within the first few pages. She does not quite fit the role of a women for her time, she can't sit still, she says what she means, she would rather be outside doing men's work and she has strong emotions. Rosetta's love for her childhood friend, Jeremiah is sweet but fierce and the bond is not forced. There are flashbacks throughout the book that give the inside look to their relationship, imperfections and all.One of the things that I have always wondered about women who have fought as males in the Civil War was how they managed to cover up their identities for so long. McCabe tackles some of these issues with Rosetta, it of course helped that Rosetta was with her husband and was able to share a tent, but there were also other men from her town that knew her secret. Rosetta had to bind herself, take care of her business farther away, and deal with her menstrual cycle. She also had to learn how to not stand with her hand on her hip and run with a larger stride. Rosetta's time within the Union Camp and within battles was the most intriguing, giving an inside, intimate look to the time period and a camp during the Civil War. Rosetta drills with the men and learns to shoot, she also uses her limited cooking skills and cares for the wounded, she becomes a valuable part of her regiment.Compelling and unforgettable, Rosetta's story is valuable as insight into just one of the many women who fought in the Civil War under the guise of a male.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      I've always enjoyed stories about women disguising themselves as men in order to do things that wouldn't otherwise be permitted, so it was no surprise that I also liked this story about a woman who disguises herself as a man to enlist as a soldier in the American Civil War and accompany her new husband to battle.This book pulled me in from the very beginning, even before the disguise element came in. I enjoyed reading about Rosetta's life on a farm in the mid-nineteenth century, as she struggled against the constraints imposed on women at the time. She wanted to be working outside, not sitting inside sewing and cooking, and she was teased by other girls at school.In some ways, I'd actually say that I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. Stories of war tend to be bleak and not particularly pleasant, and this was no exception. There was the expected death and bloodshed, without a lot of optimism. I'd still say that I enjoyed this book on the whole, but not unreservedly so. It was a compelling read, just not an uplifting one. As Civil War stories go, I'd say that Geraldine Brooks' March was slightly more satisfying.
    • 3/5
      As a girl, I loved the romance of the song "The Cruel War". I Shall Be Near You is a fictional story based loosely on the letters of a woman who followed her man to battle. There were some elements of this book I liked a great deal, some that were of interest, but not essential to the story, and some that I preferred to skim read. Though the book didn't grab me the way the ballad grabbed my teenage heart, I thought it worthwhile reading, especially to give a more realistic perspective to what life for a woman, passing as a man during the Civil War, might have been like.
    • 4/5
      I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabeCrown Publishers978-0-8041-3772-0$24, 305 pgs“Plenty of things that ain’t usual ain’t wrong.” – Rosetta WakefieldIn I Shall Be Near To You Erin Lindsay McCabe has created a rare thing in this day and age: an unabashed romance, an unironic love story. Of course, she had to go back to the nineteenth century to do so. Our heroine, Rosetta, is spirited and unconventional, a woman ahead of her time, for the most part. A tomboy who preferred harvesting in the fields to sewing in the house, Rosetta refuses to let the social and gender restrictions of the time dictate her behavior.Rosetta and Jeremiah have imagined a future on a farm of their own in Nebraska Territory. In order to obtain the needed funds, Jeremiah plans to volunteer for the Union Army. Everyone is convinced that the Civil War won’t last long and he can come home in no time with the money and they can begin the rest of their lives together. All the Union needs is one good General and one good win. Then this war will be over and we’ll have our country back and be home to our kin before harvest time.Rosetta and Jeremiah are married in upstate New York in January, 1862, and a couple of weeks later Jeremiah and a handful of local boys march off to join the war effort. Rosetta is heartsick without him. When she is attacked by another man fear and desperation drive her to cut her hair, bind her breasts, hem some of her husband’s clothes and set out to follow him. She joins the 97th New York Volunteers as Private Ross Stone, which is a joke between her and Jeremiah; he has often told her that her head is as hard as stone. It soon becomes clear that this war will not be over soon, that they will see plenty of combat and not everyone will make it out alive. I cannot say much more about the plot or there will be spoilers all over the place.As it turns out, many women impersonated men to join the army during the Civil War, most of them following husbands, fathers or brothers. The research that must have gone into this book is tremendous and Ms. McCabe should be commended for her diligence. Someone should hand over a doctorate in American history, actually. The period details of speech, clothing, and technology, among other things, are meticulous. McCabe describes the process of firing a musket, “load charge ram prime aim fire,” and I am amazed that anyone anywhere ever actually managed to fire a weapon, let alone actually hit something.The juxtaposition between the boasting and tough talk at the encampments and the reality of broken bodies and minds in the field hospitals is stark and heartbreaking. Overheard by Rosetta at one of the hospitals: “I was a fool to have such an itch to fight,” Bed Twenty-six says. “It ain’t how I thought, having Rebel artillerymen laying their shells down in front of us. Canister. It tears right through the lines, cuts down whole Companies of men. And if it don’t get you, you got to keep moving forward into it. That’s bad enough. But at Shiloh the trees caught fire. … It was a sight to see. Like a halo over every tree, the way the leaves caught first. Except then the branches started falling.” Bed Twenty-six takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “You ever heard a hog at slaughter?”McCabe has a gift for metaphor and a talent for a particularly affecting turn of phrase. This is Rosetta holding her baby sister for the first time: I held her, thinking of the time I broke Mama’s special china teacup and feeling scared what would happen if I dropped this, the only sister I’ve ever had, if it would be like that baby bird all skin and dark lids and what happened when it fell out of its nest. I couldn’t get to Mama’s bed fast or slow enough…And this is Rosetta on the anticipation of battle: Our bugles sound and voices roar as we march past the stone house and up a steep hill. Our blue Company flag waves ahead of the officers on their horses and the drums roll and my feet move without me even willing them. The air around us is tight like before lightning, and I think of Mama’s pregnant belly stretched out taut.I am reminded of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain and that is a fine thing indeed.
    • 4/5
      ‘Laying there on our bed is Jeremiah’s work shirt where I left it, the map unfolded beside it. And then like a hornets’ nest in the hot dust that you almost don’t see until it’s too late, but once you have, you can’t not see it for the buzzing in and out of the crack in the dirt crust, the idea of it just comes to me.’It’s 1862, and the country is in the midst of the Civil War that goes on for another 3 years. Jeremiah Wakefield, a New Yorker, has dreams of someday owning his own farm and being able to take care of Rosetta and their future family and the Army’s enlistment bonus would be exactly what he needs to do that. Rosetta is a tomboy and helps out on her fathers farm but when she finds out that Jeremiah is leaving her for the war, she insists that if he’s intent on going off to war that he’s going to marry her first. They end up marrying and Jeremiah leaves shortly afterwards. Rosetta finds that life just isn’t the same with him gone and sitting alone in their house day in and day out worried about his safety is more than she can take. So she chops off her hair and enlists in her husband’s unit as “Ross Stone”.Rosetta was the most incredibly memorable and courageous character. I Shall Be Near to You showcases one woman of this time period that defied gender expectations but Rosetta was not the only woman out there fighting alongside husbands, brothers, or fathers. In the Author’s Note, McCabe states that “…the fictional Rosetta’s experience as a soldier is an amalgamation of the experiences of the more than two hundred women who are known to have enlisted [...]“. It’s an aspect of war, not just during the Civil War either, that is not often explored and it was so fantastic to read this beautifully written story bringing these women’s stories to life, women who put their lives on the line when they didn’t have to.McCabe’s time spent researching this period is evident from her descriptions of the camp sites set up, to the foods, and of the deep seated feeling of dread these men (and women) were experiencing when marching into battle. Rosetta’s sacrifice and dedication to her husband is truly inspirational and you’ll be hard pressed to forget their ardent love story. Skillfully constructed and masterfully executed, if you are a fan of historical fiction novels and especially Civil War centered novels, this is a must read. A most impressive debut novel, I eagerly await more from McCabe.
    • 5/5
      If you like Civil War fiction, this book is for you.If you like stories about strong women, this book is for you.Based on over two hundred accounts of women disguising themselves as men and enlisting into the civil war, I Shall Be Near to You brings to life a story that is so often overlooked and forgotten about in history. Women did not always sit back at home and wait for their soldiers to come home. Some put on britches and became soldiers themselves, despite the dangers.This story is full of emotion. I honestly cried and that, I must admit, is a rarity when it comes to books. I could feel Rosetta’s pain and even her fear. I Shall Be Near to You really makes you think about how truly hard these people really suffered and the losses they had to endure all in the name of war. Beautifully written, inspiring, and devastating, this is a book I would recommend to all. Five out of five stars.