Salvation: A Novel of the Civil War

by Jeff Mann

Overview

The American Civil War still threatens to tear the nation in twain. Private Ian Campbell betrayed his company and his duty because he fell in love with a handsome Yankee prisoner-of-war, Drew Conrad. Both men are on the run, desperate to reach Campbell’s family home in West Virginia, which may have escaped the conflict unscathed and may offer them both peace and salvation from the cruelties and hatreds heightened by the war.

But the trek is dangerous. Both men are wounded, deserters, and their love for each other is viewed by so many as a crime against nature—hanging for any of these offenses threatens every moment they tarry to rest. They must rely on the kindness of strangers, but every household they enter seeking sanctuary for even a single night on a bed and scant provisions for hungry stomachs might betray them should the truth be discovered.

Acclaimed author Jeff Mann’s sequel to his beloved historical novel Purgatory will instill in readers an ardent expectation over Privates Campbell and Conrad’s fate. A finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Romance!

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045660402
Publisher:	Lethe Press, Inc.
Publication date:	07/21/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	197,517
File size:	463 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jeff Mann’s poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in many publications, including Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Laurel Review and The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide. He has published three award-winning poetry chapbooks, Bliss, Mountain Fireflies, and Flint Shards from Sussex; two full-length books of poetry, Bones Washed with Wine and On the Tongue; a collection of personal essays, Edge: Travels of an Appalachian Leather Bear; a book of poetry and memoir, Loving Mountains, Loving Men; and a short fiction volume, A History of Barbed Wire, which won a Lambda Literary Award. He teaches creative writing at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

06/23/2014
The sequel to Purgatory is a mostly satisfying romantic adventure. In the earlier installment, Pvt. Ian Campbell deserted the Confederate army, abandoning family and cause, to rescue his Yankee lover, Drew Conrad, from the abuses he endured as a prisoner of war. During the chaotic spring of 1865, the mismatched comrades flee to the presumed safety of Ian’s home. Though most of the setting is meticulously accurate, Mann indulges a bit too much in the romantic notions about the Confederacy and never confronts the unhappy lives of black Southerners; the lone black character is a charming lady, recently freed by her caring masters, who remains on the homestead out of devotion and love. Readers aware of how much Mann omits on that front may find it difficult to sympathize fully with the white protagonists, despite the very real persecution they experience as gay men. This is a flawed but nonetheless fine celebration of queer history long left unsung. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly