Love and War: Volume Two of the North and South Trilogy

By: John Jakes

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

The Main and Hazard families clash on and off the Civil War’s battlefields as they grapple with the violent realities of a divided nation.

America's master storyteller continues his reign with Love and War, a story steeped in passion and betrayal. With the Confederate and Union armies furiously fighting, the once-steadfast bond between the Main and Hazard families continues to be tested. From opposite sides of the conflict, they face heartache and triumph on the frontlines as they fight for the future of the nation and their loved ones.

With his impeccable research and unfailing devotion to the historical record, John Jakes offers his most enthralling and enduring tale yet.

©1982 John Jakes (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Real life during the Civil War

Where does Love and War rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This one is so very enjoyable because it gives an inside view of life during this critical period of history while keeping historic events in order.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Love and War?

Haven't finished it yet.

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He has a way of distinguishing his voice to make different characters come to life even in a rapid conversation

Not as strong as Volume 1, but good

I was literally counting the hours until my pre-order of this book arrived. It was certainly compelling, but not as strong as the first volume, in my opinion.

The plot got very complicated -- yes, the Civil War was complicated, but the battles and plot twists were sometimes hard to follow -- and as another reviewer mentioned, some of the dialogue was long-winded.

What I felt in this book was that characters that were quite well-drawn in Volume One became a bit more stereotypical in this book. The "villains," Ashton and Bent, were somewhat ridiculous in the first book -- I thought heaving bosoms and nymphomania were the stuff of really bad romance novels -- but became very caricatured in this one. The sex scenes were cringeworthy.

But even well-drawn characters like Charles and Orrie lost some luster here.They often fulfilled the stereotype of the Southerner as "hot-blooded" and "impetuous" -- if they'd been horses they might have stomped their feet!

I generally like Grover Gardner as a narrator, but he's pretty weak on accents.

Having expressed these reservations, it's still a really engaging and moving story, and gives a sense of the human bravery and sacrifice that shaped this terrible period in American history.

Now counting the days and hours until Part 3 arrives!

Listen, Listen!!

If you could sum up Love and War in three words, what would they be?

United States Nightmare

Who was your favorite character and why?

Charles Maine...the different situation he went through and the way he went through and came out of them.

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, only the North & South Triology

If you could take any character from Love and War out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Constance Hazzard...she is very lovely lady and would enjoy her company.

Any additional comments?

John Jakes Triology - North & South, Love & War, Heaven & Hell. What amazing novels!!! Far much better than the tv show which starred Patrick Swayze (RIP a great actor), it was a wonderful tv show but the books are better because of the more details. The books tell of things that the show could not. Please use your credits to listen to them. They are as good as Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series, which John Jakes quotes in the third book of the series. Also, what I loved about the novels is how John Jakes mention many times Charles Dickens and several of his novels.

Has to be the best Civil War fiction ever

If there is a better Civil War fiction I would really like to know about it. As an enthusiast of this era of American history this book puts those years into perspective and follows, correctly as I can tell, the sequence of events. It creates a vision in the mind's eye of the true horrors of those battles, the frustrating opinions that led the nation to war and it let's us feel the pain and suffering of both sides. And it is timeless.

Not The Mini-Series

If you are hesitating on buying this because you think you know the story from the Patrick Swayze TV series, don't. The characters are the same, but the story is different in countless ways, which I won't divulge. I quickly purchased volume 1 after listening to this and will get volume 3 as soon as it is released. I wish there were more fiction set in this era of American history.