bargainsleuth's review
4.0
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Have you read Ron Chernow’s tome on Ulysses S. Grant? I have, and when I saw there was a historical fiction book about his wife and her slave, I had to check it out. That’s right: the leader of the Union army married a woman whose family owned slaves. That should make for interesting reading, right?
Chiaverini admits “Although the lives of Ulysses and Julia Grant are well documented, almost nothing exists about Jule beyond a few brief mentions in Julia Grant’s memoirs . Thus her life as depicted in this story is almost entirely imagined .” That should be great for the reader, because it gives the author more freedom in their writing.
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule should be the story of Julia Dent Grant and her slave, Jule, who grew up together and were inseparable during those years. However, this book is more about the Grants than Jule, more specifically Julia Grant. By most accounts, she was a good woman, and is frequently mentioned as one of the best first ladies the United States has ever had. She had flaws, and they are shown throughout the book, which to me, makes her more real.
There’s a lot of following Ulysses Grant around as he goes to war and is stationed in different cities. What amazed me in both Chernow’s book, Grant, and this book is how close the Grant children were to the fighting. Going to visit Grant while he’s in the middle of a battle? I can’t imagine doing that these days.
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule really takes off for me after Jule leaves Julia Grant and escapes slavery and makes her way to Washington D.C. to make a life of her own. I wanted more Jule at that point, but instead got more of the Grants since it was the height of the Civil War. Their paths to Washington are vastly different, and the fact that they knew the same people made this book all the more interesting.
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule is a good read, if you can get past the historical inaccuracies, which are usually found in historical fiction novels. Ulysses S. Grant was no saint, as I know from reading Grant, but Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule depicts him that way.
I’m enough of a fan of the writing of this book that I’ll be picking up the Lincoln books, Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker and Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival, as well as the newest book that came out in June, Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters, as soon as I can.
Join our Facebook page Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews or join the group of the same name.
Have you read Ron Chernow’s tome on Ulysses S. Grant? I have, and when I saw there was a historical fiction book about his wife and her slave, I had to check it out. That’s right: the leader of the Union army married a woman whose family owned slaves. That should make for interesting reading, right?
Chiaverini admits “Although the lives of Ulysses and Julia Grant are well documented, almost nothing exists about Jule beyond a few brief mentions in Julia Grant’s memoirs . Thus her life as depicted in this story is almost entirely imagined .” That should be great for the reader, because it gives the author more freedom in their writing.
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule should be the story of Julia Dent Grant and her slave, Jule, who grew up together and were inseparable during those years. However, this book is more about the Grants than Jule, more specifically Julia Grant. By most accounts, she was a good woman, and is frequently mentioned as one of the best first ladies the United States has ever had. She had flaws, and they are shown throughout the book, which to me, makes her more real.
There’s a lot of following Ulysses Grant around as he goes to war and is stationed in different cities. What amazed me in both Chernow’s book, Grant, and this book is how close the Grant children were to the fighting. Going to visit Grant while he’s in the middle of a battle? I can’t imagine doing that these days.
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule really takes off for me after Jule leaves Julia Grant and escapes slavery and makes her way to Washington D.C. to make a life of her own. I wanted more Jule at that point, but instead got more of the Grants since it was the height of the Civil War. Their paths to Washington are vastly different, and the fact that they knew the same people made this book all the more interesting.
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule is a good read, if you can get past the historical inaccuracies, which are usually found in historical fiction novels. Ulysses S. Grant was no saint, as I know from reading Grant, but Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule depicts him that way.
I’m enough of a fan of the writing of this book that I’ll be picking up the Lincoln books, Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker and Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival, as well as the newest book that came out in June, Mrs. Lincoln’s Sisters, as soon as I can.
hishandmaiden's review
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kwray1972's review
4.0
A fictional piece describing the love story of General Grant and his wife. The secondary plot of her slave adds a dimension to this story that provides more depth.
historical_bookworm's review
5.0
Simply breathtaking historical fiction account of the wife of Ulysses S Grant. Jennifer Chiaverini brings the characters and events alive for the reader. The details of her love for Grant is deep and brought me to tears they day he dies and she mourns the love of her life. I recommend this book for anyone that loves historical fiction simply amazing.
nessaf's review
2.0
I was just so frustrated by the time I finished this book - it often read like a history textbook and while I did enjoy learning more about the Grants and the civil war, the fiction aspect was mostly the romance of Ulyses and Julia (most of which felt very sappy), and very little focus on the relationship between Jules and Julia. Considering the description and the title focuses on Julia and June, this felt very misleading. I got hooked at the beginning because I wanted to learn more about Jule's story but instead I got so much on Julia (and I don't know how many times it was necessary to mention her bad eyesight) and I just was not a fan of her. By the last few chapters, I was skimming a lot and I'm relieved to be done.
joreyb's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but Madame Jule’s story was incomplete. I realize that there wasn’t a lot of source material about her, but this is Historical Fiction after all.
jlynnelseauthor's review
2.0
I received an advance review copy from publisher via NetGalley. A HUGE thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this opportunity to read and review.
This novel is about Julia Dent Grant and her love, support, and sacrifice for her husband, General Ulysses Grant. Its supposed to be about Mrs. Grant and her slave, Jule. And while we do hear Jule's story, it's only an afterthought sprinkled randomly within the story. The two contrasting narratives were not well-connected, and their relationship was never reconciled in the end. Julia needed better closure than what was penned - for half the novel its all Julia longed for.
What an amazing plot idea: A slave owner, married to an abolitionist and Union army general, and her slave who is never set free by said owner. Their arguments about slavery were the heart of this novel, but they never went far enough to challenge both sides of the relationship, only Jule's. Their dichotomy had such potential, but the author never views similar events through their different mind sets. Each narrative shifts through a sequential narrative.
Sadly, the narrative reads more like a text book and less like a novel. It held little to no emotional weight. Major events occured within a paragraph or two, and then the plot moved on. No time was spared over emotional speed bumps. Motivations were not fleshed out, and the author never found a way to let the readers attach emotionally to the characters.
The problem? No internal character dialogue. Sure, the author expresses emotions a character is feeling, but it is written as if the author is describing what the character is wearing instead of letting a reaction be expressed through character monologues. The historical facts and dates come in large quantities, and it's like the author is afraid to leave civil war events out. I can certainly tell there is a lot of research here. Late in the novel, the author even describes what the novel is suffering from through one of the characters: After General Grant is asked to write his own narrative regarding major battles of the civil war, one person critiques: "But there's no life in it, no sense of General Grant - what he felt, what he was doing or thinking. One might almost think he wasn't there." (quoted from Netgalley uncorrected proof, please verify with final version) Exactly! That is exactly how this whole story felt. I was forcing myself to finish the story.
Also, there was no narrative during General Grant's time as president. I was extremely confused by this. More time was spent discussing where he was sitting while writing his memoir instead of the challenges of the presidency. Two terms as elected president, and all that was written was about was Julia furnishing the private rooms when they first moved in? I'm not sure why the author glossed over these significant years yet wrote about almost every... single... battle General Grant fought in. It became too much like a time line and less like experienced events. "On July XX, they moved here..." "On August XX, the army marched there..." "On December XX, it felt like it was going to snow." Very dry narrations.
I had high expectations for this novel. Sadly, the title and novel description was misleading. I think the story of Mr. and Mrs. Grant's love story is a heartwarming one and could have been its own novel. I felt like that was what I was reading. The author did not challenge the readers when it came to Jule's narrative. Jule was supposed to bring a different tone to the story of the Civil War. Instead, she got left at the train station as the story about the Grants seemed to steamroll on without her.
I would like to share a quote I thought beautiful (again, from the NetGalley proof version of the novel): "A family circle was never truly complete except in memories and in hopes for the future."
I think a good idea for the book would be to include maps of the progress of General Grant's army between the chapters. I like maps in historical novels. I mean, if you're going to lose us in a sea of dates, at least give us a guide map. This is a 'tell' type of book vs a 'show.' It felt long and was anticlimactic at the end (again, its supposed to be about two women, and they never reconciled).
This novel is about Julia Dent Grant and her love, support, and sacrifice for her husband, General Ulysses Grant. Its supposed to be about Mrs. Grant and her slave, Jule. And while we do hear Jule's story, it's only an afterthought sprinkled randomly within the story. The two contrasting narratives were not well-connected, and their relationship was never reconciled in the end. Julia needed better closure than what was penned - for half the novel its all Julia longed for.
What an amazing plot idea: A slave owner, married to an abolitionist and Union army general, and her slave who is never set free by said owner. Their arguments about slavery were the heart of this novel, but they never went far enough to challenge both sides of the relationship, only Jule's. Their dichotomy had such potential, but the author never views similar events through their different mind sets. Each narrative shifts through a sequential narrative.
Sadly, the narrative reads more like a text book and less like a novel. It held little to no emotional weight. Major events occured within a paragraph or two, and then the plot moved on. No time was spared over emotional speed bumps. Motivations were not fleshed out, and the author never found a way to let the readers attach emotionally to the characters.
The problem? No internal character dialogue. Sure, the author expresses emotions a character is feeling, but it is written as if the author is describing what the character is wearing instead of letting a reaction be expressed through character monologues. The historical facts and dates come in large quantities, and it's like the author is afraid to leave civil war events out. I can certainly tell there is a lot of research here. Late in the novel, the author even describes what the novel is suffering from through one of the characters: After General Grant is asked to write his own narrative regarding major battles of the civil war, one person critiques: "But there's no life in it, no sense of General Grant - what he felt, what he was doing or thinking. One might almost think he wasn't there." (quoted from Netgalley uncorrected proof, please verify with final version) Exactly! That is exactly how this whole story felt. I was forcing myself to finish the story.
Also, there was no narrative during General Grant's time as president. I was extremely confused by this. More time was spent discussing where he was sitting while writing his memoir instead of the challenges of the presidency. Two terms as elected president, and all that was written was about was Julia furnishing the private rooms when they first moved in? I'm not sure why the author glossed over these significant years yet wrote about almost every... single... battle General Grant fought in. It became too much like a time line and less like experienced events. "On July XX, they moved here..." "On August XX, the army marched there..." "On December XX, it felt like it was going to snow." Very dry narrations.
I had high expectations for this novel. Sadly, the title and novel description was misleading. I think the story of Mr. and Mrs. Grant's love story is a heartwarming one and could have been its own novel. I felt like that was what I was reading. The author did not challenge the readers when it came to Jule's narrative. Jule was supposed to bring a different tone to the story of the Civil War. Instead, she got left at the train station as the story about the Grants seemed to steamroll on without her.
I would like to share a quote I thought beautiful (again, from the NetGalley proof version of the novel): "A family circle was never truly complete except in memories and in hopes for the future."
I think a good idea for the book would be to include maps of the progress of General Grant's army between the chapters. I like maps in historical novels. I mean, if you're going to lose us in a sea of dates, at least give us a guide map. This is a 'tell' type of book vs a 'show.' It felt long and was anticlimactic at the end (again, its supposed to be about two women, and they never reconciled).
stamdl99's review
2.0
The book started out on a good note for me but by the end I was tired of how saintly the main characters were portrayed. It was interesting from the historical aspect but that's about it.