Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

In this debut novel set during the American Civil War, a pro-Union South Carolina woman leaves home to retrieve her wounded Confederate son, staking everything in a mission of danger, privation and emotional turmoil.

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May 2025; Regal House Publishing; 978-1646036127
ebook, print (290 pages); historical fiction

I read a lot of historical fiction about war and its effects on families.  In the past, it has mostly been World War II novels but I've recently read two excellent books about the Civil War and realize that I need to expand my reading to more than just World War II and that there are many excellent books that take place in other wars that show the strength and determination of women as they help guide their families through tumultuous war years.  (The other excellent Civil War novel that I read is The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian. Read my review.)

Susannah, her older husband, and her son live in South Carolina.  Susannah and her husband were very pro-Union and had two people who worked for them - former slaves who had been given their freedom.  Their son, Francis, believed in the cause of the Confederacy and ran away to join their army when he was 18.  He and his mother had harsh words before he left, so he only corresponded with his father.  When Susannah received a telegram that Francis was critically injured near Chattanooga, Tennessee, she immediately left her sick husband in the care of her housekeeper and left to go to her son to help nurse him to recovery.  He was not happy to see his mother and talked to her horribly despite the fact that she was there to nurse him back to health, no matter what danger there was for her.  As he got healthier, all he could talk about was re-joining the Confederate troops to fight for the cause that he believed in.  They were in an area that was surrounded by armies from both sides and were in constant danger.  When Francis was captured as a prisoner of war, his mother worked diligently to get a pardon for him so she could take him home.  Will she be able to get him to safety, or will she join the fighting again?

 

This book is a searing look at a mother's love for her child and her willingness to put herself in danger to protect him, whether he appreciates it or not.  It's a look at the effects of war on a family, but most importantly, it's the story of a strong and resilient woman who will face any obstacles to save her family during a tumultuous time.

Buy Measure of Devotion at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

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