Hello, Old Friends...

I know it's been a terribly long time. I've been quite busy, what with going to school full time, working full time, and being the mother of four children who are growing up far too quickly. Never mind all of that, though. I have some new friends to introduce to you.

First, I'd like you to meet Jacob Rappaport. He is a Jewish young man who grew up in an affluent family in New York. When his father decides to marry him to a mentally disabled girl in order to gain her father's business, Jacob runs away and joins the Union Army during the Civil War. After going behind enemy lines to complete one assignment, his superiors send him to Virginia to woo and marry Eugenia Levy, a woman they believe to be part of a spy ring.

Miss Eugenia 'Jeannie' Levy is one of four daughters of Philip Levy, a business acquaintance of Jacob's. She and her sisters Charlotte, Phoebe, and Rose are quirky and eccentric, and very possibly spies for the Confederacy. While Charlotte doesn't trust him, Jeannie develops feelings for Jacob and happily accepts his proposal of marriage. Meanwhile, despite Jacob's best intentions, he can't help falling in love with the beautiful and mysterious Jeannie. When Charlotte lays a trap to discover whether Jacob is loyal to the Union or to his bride, though, he is found out.

To tell you more about my friends would be a disservice, both to you and to Dara Horn, who did a wonderful job telling their story in her book, All Other Nights. Ms. Horn is a wonderful writer. She makes Jacob, who has many faults, a likable character. She makes Jeannie, a Confederate spy, a sympathetic character. Even more impressively, Ms. Horn has obviously done her homework. She successfully interweaves the plot of this fictional story with real events and people of the Civil War.

I was most impressed with her treatment of Judah Benjamin. For those of you who aren't familiar with Mr. Benjamin, he was perhaps the most influential Jewish man in America up to that time. He was Jefferson Davis' right hand man, and as such had a great deal to do with the policies of the Confederacy and their Intelligence Operations during the Civil War. Ms. Horn treated Benjamin as a human being, delving into his thought processes and his personal life in such a way that the reader understands him and the reasons behind the things he does.

It is interesting to read a book that is simultaneously mainstream and from a different perspective. For those readers who don't know very much about Jewish tradition, Ms. Horn does a beautiful job of integrating them into the story without overwhelming the reader with complicated details. It is a story written from the perspective of Jewish characters, but at its core it is a familiar story. Love. War. Inner conflict. These are subjects with which anyone can relate, regardless of race or religion.

This is one of the best books I've read in quite a while. Dara Horn is an excellent writer, and I can't wait to start on another book she has written. I haven't decided yet which friend I want to make next, though. I've got quite a few waiting for me on my night stand.

Regardless, I'll keep you posted.