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There are currently 37 member reviews
for The Spy Lover
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Vam (San Antonio, Texas)
Discovery of the relevancy of the human heart
While I want to emphatically deny that my review was impacted by the means by which I obtained this book, I feel obliged to state that I received this book without charge in exchange for my agreement to give a true appraisal of it. What follows is my honest evaluation.
The author has done a magnificent job of creating a beautiful story of love made especially meaningful because it has survived prejudice, feelings of betrayal, sorrow, the beastly ugliness/savagery of war, forgiveness, and individual searches for self. Notice that I did not call it a "love story" because those words describe a romance. This book conveys deeper feelings and thoughts and the love found in the book expands to more than just one mere man and a woman.
We all are certainly aware of other Civil War novels – that history has been widely cussed and discussed as a period of national disaster and for certain people, feelings about that history continues to separate our nation. This is a Civil War novel but it is written about another group of people who also suffered terrible abuse in my country – a country that I deeply love with great pride because it does in fact offer liberty and justice for all. Remarkably, many of us have lived a full life mostly unaware of the magnitude of this other shameful period in our history. The author successfully gives us a history lesson about this abuse without making us feel she is chiding us.
The man in the novel is a wounded confederate soldier and the woman (the product of a marriage between an immigrant from China and a Native American woman) is the nurse who cares for him. The novel traces the lives of three people: the soldier, the nurse, and the nurse's father. The Chapters in the book switch back and forth allowing each of the three main characters to narrate their individual stories. In this way, we can successfully become the alter ego of each of them – sharing their feelings, thoughts, pain, and love. While this might sound like it might be confusing, the flow to me was quite natural.
I recommend it to audiences of all ages – with a warning in advance however that the descriptions not only tell about the need for forgiveness felt by the people who survive but they also provide graphic accounts of the horror of the battle fields.
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Linda B. (Sheridan, WY)
The Spy Lover
This story showed a different side of the Civil War. The characters are believable and interesting. I had no idea that some Chinese participated in the war. It is interesting to read how the spy, a woman, is able to pass on her information without getting caught. Since it is based on the author's family history, I feel it should be considered a historical novel. Those who enjoy historical novels will enjoy this novel as well.
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Erin G. (Dulles, VA)
The Spy Lover: not the book its title suggests
The title "The Spy Lover" implies a certain combination of intrigue and romance, but this book about the tragedies of the Civil War instead focuses on loss, desperation, courage in battle, and the toll of war on its survivors. Unlike most Civil War sagas, however, The Spy Lover explores the experiences of a diverse range of characters: a Chinese immigrant conscripted into the war, his part-Native American daughter. This book was not at all what I expected, but anyone interested in a different perspective on the Civil War will find it fascinating.
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Kay K. (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
The Spy Lover by Kiana Davenport
This book would be a civil war enthusiast's dream. The historical elements are detailed in their brutal reality. The underlying story of a Chinese immigrant, Johnny Tom, fighting as a Union soldier and his daughter spying for the Union as a battle field nurse brings home to the reader the toll on the human heart and soul. When it comes to taking sides on an issue the sides blur when the details narrow down to person to person . The reader learns an important lesson about love through Davenport's Warren Petticomb. This book was a satisfying read.
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Lucy B. (Urbana, Ohio)
The Spy Lover
No story that deals with the civil war (especially in light of the number of casualties on both sides, the maimed soldiers who go on living with their injuries, brothers fighting brothers) could be considered a "happy story." But reading on different levels gives us opportunities to think about all sides of situations. This novel by Kiana Davenport that also deals with the life in a war camp, immigrant soldiers, and nurses tending the wounded. Congratulations to the author for this deeply moving story. She has covered a lot of situations and also included some of her family history. I will be recommending this book to my friends.
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Pam L. (Melbourne Beach, FL)
A 3-D look at the Civil war
"The Spy Lover" is a fascinating account of the Civil War from the perspective of a Chinese immigrant, a nurse/spy and a one armed cavalry man. Kianan Davenport writes such a vivid almost life like account of the Civil War that it made me feel I was on some of the battle fields and among the soldiers. Much of the telling is not for the weak stomached, but certainly an accurate account of the detritus of war. A novel with many details that I do not believe have been brought to life before. I particularly loved Johnny Tom's Eastern philosophy on the horrors of war and how the women responded to the changes that the Civil War created for them.
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A H (Arvada, CO)
Vivid Read
With real and accessible characters, this book is almost too hard to read at times, like reading a memoir more so than fiction. The warmth and humanity of the story allows you to move beyond the suffering and trust the author and the story she needs to tell.
