This book tells the story of Sherman's march through the South at the end of the American Civil War. It is mostly told from the point of view of a few fictional characters, although Sherman himself also features in the story a lot. We hear a lot from Pearl, a freed slave who is very white like her slave-owner father and Wrede Sartorious, a brilliant army surgeon who seems emotionless in his treatment of the wounded. We follow the actual marchers and don't hear about the individual cities and the people in them, which is a different point of view for me and one I found interesting.
There is some description of violence (like a man who has a spike blown through his head and continues to live while losing his memory), which isn't as extreme as it could be in a war novel.
I really loved this book. It is well-written and grabs your attention right away. The characters are believable and catch your interest. It is sad that we only hear about the characters while they are part of the march. Once they quit travelling with Sherman's army, we no longer hear their stories or what happens to them. It is an interesting narrative tool to restrict the story that way. It is definitely worth the time.
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