I Shall Be Near to You
One of the most inspiring stories ever told. McCabe shows us a world, through the eyes of secret female soldier, that is little known, and she digs deep into the complexities and loneliness of this world. The first half of the novel focuses on Rosetta's childhood and pre-service, which helps us get to know this character well, to see her strong will and her devotion to her young husband and the lengths that she will go to stay with him, even in the battle's harsher moments. The second half of the story focuses on the Union's side and it is written effectively so that the reader believes that he is actually there in the Civil War. In fact, I kept finding myself wondering if this were written during that time because it was so believable. In the end, McCabe works hard to recreate a piece of history that is based on truth (she consulted actual letters, journals, documents, and so forth) and to remind us of what has been forgotten.
