Snyder (Five Thousand Years on the Loxahatchee) crafts a heartwarming chronicle of a Southern belle’s travels during the Civil War. In 1829, dirt-poor 16-year-old Will Gaskins dives off the North Carolina coast and retrieves Spanish gold from a wrecked ship. In 1864, Gaskins, now respected cotton distributor William Beach, enlists his trustworthy but untested elder daughter, Amelia, to transport the treasure to the Bahamas so it won’t be confiscated during the war. Capt. Charles Timmons escorts her to Nassau, where she runs afoul of opportunists and begins learning how to interact with free black people, many of whom educate her about the abolitionist cause. Amelia and the gold turn back toward Wilmington, N.C., dodging destructive Northern blockade ships as well as blackmailers and swindlers. After a shipwreck, she winds up at a deplorable marine hospital where she nurses both Confederate and Union soldiers. Encounters with personable Union officer Benjamin Hawkes lead her to rethink her romantic interest in Captain Timmons.

Fans of Civil War history, Caribbean seafaring, and coming-of-age stories featuring strong, capable women will delight in Snyder’s attention to detail and effortless descriptions of 19th-century wartime life. The sights and smells of tropical islands are immersive, and Snyder mines history for details of clothing, social etiquette, banking, wartime economics, racial discrimination, yellow fever, and nauseating medical treatments to further draw readers into the era.

The gold, which converted orphaned Will into a wealthy merchant, is a catalyst that transforms Amelia just as drastically. The pampered 24-year-old “spinster” becomes an exceptional businesswoman and compassionate nurse who confronts romantic entanglements, the horrors of war, and a hurricane with equal aplomb. Snyder gracefully breathes life into genuine characters who embody desperation, patriotism, ambition, and resourcefulness. Readers will relish this energetic adventure as they root for plucky Amelia.

Takeaway: Civil War buffs and fans of strong heroines will enjoy this epic tale of a spirited young woman’s Caribbean travels and wartime nursing travails.

Great for fans of Julian Stockwin’s A Sea of Gold, Randall Peffer’s Seahawk trilogy, Sandra Merville Hart’s A Stranger on My Land.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A+
Illustrations: -
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A