Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Brother Against Brother

Subtitle: A Collection of Civil War Short Stories

Author: Haley Whitehall

Narrator: Jeremy Donahue

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-09-16

Publisher: Expanding Horizons Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

For those of you who want to experience the War Between the States in one sitting, this is the book for you. Brother Against Brother is a collection of six Civil War short stories and two excerpts from both Union and Confederate points of view.

This collection gives listeners many different perspectives: drummer boys, brave-hearted soldiers, a prisoner of war, and even a young lady waiting at home for the war to end. Through every word, feel their terror, determination, pain, relief, and joy.

Stories:

"The Littlest Soldier"

A young orphan enlists as a Union drummer. What great feats can the littlest soldier accomplish?

"Bittersweet Parting"

This is an excerpt from Grits and Glory. Abolitionist, Peter Warren leaves behind his fiancée in order to fight for a cause he believes in.

"Taste of War"

A soldier sees the elephant for the first time. His experience is eye opening, and he soon learns that war isn't what he expected. The hype from the patriotic lads back home had been a bunch of lies.

"Confederate Mascot"

This is an excerpt from Journey to Glory. Told partly from a dog's point of view, he and his young master enlist in the Confederate Infantry.

"In Desperate Straits"

A poor southern woman comes across a message for help. When he finds the wounded Union soldier, she thinks that they can actually help each other.

"Elijah's Promise"

Elijah lied about his age so he could enlist as a musician. Brought up as a Quaker, he doesn't believe in war, and he wanted to avoid the draft. But will war change his beliefs?

"Prisoner of War"

Thomas was eating breakfast at his sister's house when a knock at the door turned his life upside down. Union soldiers have taken possession of their Southern town and have orders to torch the place. Taken prisoner, Thomas is surprised to meet a Yankee friend.

"A Soldier's Reflections"

A Civil War veteran reflects on the war and shares his wisdom with his grandson, Robbie, who wishes he'd been a drummer, too.

Members Reviews:

A predictable, sugar-coated, feel-good experience.

It's difficult to find good fiction stories on the American civil war era. When I came across this book, I thought I had finally found what I was looking for: A variety of short stories about all sorts people who's lives are influenced by the war.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

The stories were, piece by piece, incredibly mediocre and predictable with no exciting twists or surprises. They might be more suited for a younger audience to, perhaps, spark their interest in this part of history in an easy accessible way, but that is all it's good for.

A good example of this was the story about a drummer boy; told from the point of view of his dog. ("My life's purpose has just taken on a whole new meaning! I wasn't just here to protect my master, I now had a whole company of men! They WANTED me. They NEEDED me. They ACCEPTED me. I belong with my master and was happy to be here as their mascot!")

... yawn. I bet the 10-year old me would have enjoyed this.

If you are looking for a more fact-based, intriguing, thought-provoking piece of fiction and want to catch a glimpse of what life might have been like during that era for people of all sorts of different backgrounds...