Cordelia Owens can weave a dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister.
But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him.
As the War Between the States rages ever nearer and Savannah’s slaves start sneaking away to the islands off the coast to join the Yankees, both Phin and Cordelia get caught up in questions they never thought they’d have to ask–questions that threaten the very dreams of a future they’d cherished.
Historical fiction has long been one of my favorite genres. I love history, so stories that make me live it for myself are just awesome. I absolutely love the American colonial period, the Wild West, stories of heroism during World War II, and even love and adventure in the Middle Ages.
The American Civil War has become a sketchy time for me to read about, though. I dislike reading about Southern characters who try to justify slavery, which – although it’s historically accurate – is frustrating to me. Even when they change their views throughout the story, it often feels cliched and too easy.
Roseanna M. White’s Dreams of Savannah is different, though. It’s richer, full of White’s signature drama and quotable wisdom. There’s nothing about this plot that is cliched. Attitudes don’t get miraculously “fixed.” There’s not exactly the traditional happily-ever-after scenario (which, when you think about it, while nice, isn’t realistic). The cast of characters doesn’t suddenly become friends and get along.
Which is really what’s so great about the story. White creates a meaningful ending to the drama with realistic resolution amidst the true history of what was happening in Savannah at the time. You’ll turn the last page with a sigh of thankfulness at the way that it ends, wanting to cheer on your favorite characters while knowing that this is how life really works.
But even better are the lessons that Phin and the quirky, story-telling Cordelia learn – and they’re ones that our society is also in dire need of figuring out: that love is more important than money or position or stuff. That you can’t predict the future. That relationships matter – that people matter, no matter who they are or where they come from or what they look like. Ultimately, that everyone has a story to tell, something they’ve lived or endured that has forged them into the person they’ve become, and that there’s understanding and growth to be had from learning those stories. That when we do learn those stories, it helps us to put the person ahead of the packaging they come in.
So while I was a bit hesitant to read another Civil War-era book, White won me over once again with her wisdom and creative storytelling. Dreams of Savannah is both entertaining and educational – an engaging read perfectly timed to deliver an important message. It’s definitely a 2021 must read book.
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I received a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
