The first half of this book was great. I loved the setting in Reconstruction era Alabama and the author did a good job setting up the various tensions of wife vs husband, Southerner vs Carpetbagger, black vs white, master vs servant, haves vs have-nots. The plot had real promise but I think the story lost its way in the second half and turned into a quasi romance. The mysterious illness that plagued the entire community was a bit too metaphorical and several of the characters stereotypical. I got really tired of the constant hunt for the missing money. It was only enough money to get the rebel wife out of town for a short period of time. She would have to come back when it ran out so it was hard to grasp the extreme importance finding it meant to the plot. The growing friendship of the rebel wife and Simon, her husband's former slave was tricky to handle and, in the end, something of a failure from my point of view. I could imagine, when Gus was observing Simon's ropey scars, a lurid cover with a husky, dusky servant standing shirtless in front of a fireplace with a very white lady breathless in the corner. Thankfully, The Rebel Wife didn't morph, at that point, into a bodice ripping romance though I think the author came close.This was a good idea for a novel with lots of themes that were ripe for picking. Not certain the author was totally up to the task. I enjoyed this book much more than I anticipated. An era of the south not much discussed. And presented in not just historical terms but with a very gothic/mysterious plot line. At times I hated the main female character, and still don't know that I like her at all, but interesting coming to see things through her eyes. I feel like the details of the plot were underdeveloped or too vague at times, and this not at full of a story as it could be.
What do You think about The Rebel Wife (2012)?
Pretty good historical fiction of Alabama after the Civil War.
—Gagay
Could not get into this book-It just didn't 'start' for me!
—sadiemae999
Not as good as the cover made it seem, kind of one note.
—newaij
