Purgatory: A Novel of the Civil War
By Jeff Mann
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
"From the first page, Purgatory grabs you by the heart and won't let go. Scary, touching, visceral. It's a journey through war and love you won't easily forget."—Erastes, author of Mere Mortals
"The bonds of war are most vivid in Jeff Mann's powerful Purgatory as Reb and Yank suffer more personal skirmishes than large scale battles. Mann's powerful and evocative prose gives us the exhausted courage of the Civil War's late stages while descending into the brutality man imposes on his fellow man. The two soldiers manage to build a tender relationship amid the carnage, even as their ultimate engagement is built upon a brutality at times rejected, at times embraced."—Dale Chase, author of The Company He Keeps
During the Civil War, two young soldiers on opposite sides find themselves drawn together. One is a scholarly, war-weary Southerner who has seen too much bloodshed, especially the tortures inflicted upon the enemy by his vicious commanding officer, his uncle. The other is a Herculean Yankee captured by the ragtag Confederate band and forced to become a martyr for all the sins of General Sheridan’s fires. When these two find themselves admiring more than one another’s spirit and demeanor, when passions erupt between captor and captive, will this new romance survive the arduous trek to Purgatory Mountain?
"From beginning to end, Purgatory is rife with relentless tension, teeming with passion and romance, and laced with an array of both likable and loathsome characters. Purgatory is truly a compelling and interesting read. Bravo to Mann for a groundbreaking novel that blends historical facts and fictional characters in a touching romance between two men." --Edge New York
''Mann's writing combines elegance and earthiness in realistic passages that move the action along swiftly and dramatically. A professor at Virginia Tech, Mann has taught such courses as Appalachian folk culture, gay and lesbian literature and creative writing. His familiarity with Southern history and American lit color and enrich the narrative. Whether intended or not, the cast of characters recalls that of Melville's Billy Budd, with Drew the Billy-Christ martyr figure, George the repressed Claggart and Sarge an unreflecting Captain Vere. The novel's last page, in which the lovers try to imagine the future, calls to mind nothing less than Prior Walter's blessing in the final scene of Tony Kushner's Angels in America.''--Elliott Mackle for Out in Print
Jeff Mann
Jeff Mann is a professor of creative writing at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is the author of numerous books, including Endangered Species: A Surly Bear in the Bible Belt; Redneck Bouquet: Gay Poems from Appalachia; and Purgatory: A Novel of the Civil War. He also coedited LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia.
Read more from Jeff Mann
Masters Of Midnight: Erotic Tales Of The Vampire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLoving Mountains, Loving Men: Memoirs of a Gay Appalachian Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crooked Letter i: Coming Out in the South Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBinding the God: Ursine Essays From the Mountain South Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Edge: Travels of an Appalachian Leather Bear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Salvation: A Novel of the Civil War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Relentless Passion: Positioning Your Heart for God-Encounters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Purgatory
Related ebooks
Salvation: A Novel of the Civil War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucifer on Leave Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMercutio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Open Arms of the Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Archer's Heart Book Three Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Molly House Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Like a Mountain, Waiting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5London in the Rain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Perpetuity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Gerald Poole and the Pirates Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Reluctant Berserker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Held in Bondage by Ouida - Delphi Classics (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWicked Gentlemen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Captain's Surrender Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Untamed Heart: A MM Historical Romance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ghosts of St. Grimald Priory: Ghosts and Tea, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlower of Iowa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pandemonium: A Miltonian Murder Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForgotten Monster Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAustralia's Son Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gay Detective Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Casual Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pursued and the Pursuing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Starlit Crown: Queer Novellas, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Boy's Shadow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holiday Outing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Poison Pen (Puddledown Mysteries, #3) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Historical Fiction For You
East of Eden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Demon Copperhead: A Pulitzer Prize Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sold on a Monday: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hang the Moon: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Light Between Oceans: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carnegie's Maid: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Tender Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Einstein: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girls in the Stilt House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rules of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kitchen House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Island of Sea Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Clockmaker's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Woman's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Euphoria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That Bonesetter Woman: the new feelgood novel from the author of The Smallest Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Purgatory
4 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Really enjoyed this, it's gritty and has some seriously hot moments. I guess what makes it a 4 read and not a 5 is the unrelenting tension the author builds. There were no peaks troughs, just one massive build and made me feel a little uncomfortable. Like I needed some down time!
Not for the squeamish, but definitely worth a nosey. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I should give this book some credit; there were times when the author digs deep into himself and comes to term with his (aka human) cruelty. But for the most part this is just a BDSM erotica marauding as a "civil war love story".
Book preview
Purgatory - Jeff Mann
?1.;y5_j)cܴ};c[Fٯo'g_OξWg>˖?N78_?.}-b_nqE?ITcן|Kޕ7%:]pMIW][8
3>`ٔ9
Hv!@
9?
#eA N2-{ȐމOǾ:)Tz]&ǃ!վTR-O(VzK#AYsxA5{^5z?־7Ub%Ymb7hs4W<3ܞ͙T$~oҝ2+B;