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A review by mary_soon_lee
Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce
4.0
This slim book contains, as the title suggests, short stories about the American Civil War, several of which appear to be memoirs rather than fiction. Bierce fought in the war on the Union side. Although I have read a number of Civil War books, I think this is the first that was written by a veteran of that war. (Shame on me.)
The sixteen short stories form a striking and illuminating set; honest, at times brutally so, about the gore and the cost of war, yet allowing improbabilities when it serves the narrative. Individually, the stories are very strong. Collectively, their similarities in tone and storytelling technique made them slightly less effective. I anticipated turns in the tales, some of which might otherwise have surprised me. I read the book, intermittently, over six weeks, but maybe should have stretched it out longer.
It is hard to single out a favorite story, but I particularly liked "Four Days in Dixie," which appears to be autobiographical, and which uses humor to offset the terrible plight in which the narrator finds himself.
Highly recommended.
The sixteen short stories form a striking and illuminating set; honest, at times brutally so, about the gore and the cost of war, yet allowing improbabilities when it serves the narrative. Individually, the stories are very strong. Collectively, their similarities in tone and storytelling technique made them slightly less effective. I anticipated turns in the tales, some of which might otherwise have surprised me. I read the book, intermittently, over six weeks, but maybe should have stretched it out longer.
It is hard to single out a favorite story, but I particularly liked "Four Days in Dixie," which appears to be autobiographical, and which uses humor to offset the terrible plight in which the narrator finds himself.
Highly recommended.