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Review: Clingstone by Marti ZieglerClingstone by Marti Ziegler
on February 5, 2016
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What if you were counted among hundreds of civilians wrongly charged with treason?
Creighton Branagan is one of the few men still residing in the mill village of Roswell, Georgia, at the closing stages of the American Civil War. His deafness excludes him from military service and condemns him as an outcast.
Mae Parrish’s dissatisfaction extends to a life of too much work and too little joy. She forms a wary alliance with Creighton when they are included among hundreds of southern textile workers arrested for treason and deported to northern prisons under Federal guard. Their crime: manufacturing Confederate uniforms.
Clingstone chronicles their arduous journey by wagon and train, followed by an emotional internment rife with privations and disease. It is during the course of these hardships that their resilience is repeatedly tested, and their pact of survival deepens into a steadfast love that withstands even the deepest self-inflicted wounds of war.

Review

Mae, having lost her brother who took care of her, is working at a mill in Georgia during the Civil War. Creighton moved to town to take care of his sister’s son after she died. He also works at the mill, but is deaf. One day Mae and her friend play a joke on Creighton that doesn’t go as planned. She sees a bit more of Creighton than she plans on. Unable to quit thinking about hum, she seeks him out at work. One day, the Yankees come and take over the mill. All the mill workers are arrested for treason and moved to a northern prison. This begins their journey.
I was sucked right into this historical romance. The language of the book is hard to follow at first. Once you get it, you don’t notice it anymore.
It’s written in Mae’s POV. The writing was good and the story flowed well.
I really liked Mae as a character. She was a strong woman for the time and stuck up for herself and others. Creighton was a gift to be unwrapped. I absolutely fell in love with that man.
I’m a fan of historical romances, and Clingstone is great historical romance. – Reviewed by Christina Oswald