Margaret Garmon

The novel “Greenbrier” is a saga that follows America’s most turbulent years - those leading up to the Civil War which plunged the nation and families into turmoil. Author Jay Brackenrich takes her readers into that era and all the things that shaped it – for better or for worse. “Greenbrier” is a compelling and wonderful story. “Greenbreir” opens in 1857, with the harrowing journey of bothers Rumelow and August Brajkovic sailing from Austria to America, when traveling in steerage was a dangerous and desperate feat in itself. For the poor and lower classes, life in Eastern Europe during the 1800s was a constant struggle against wars, sickness, starvation, and early death. Fleeing Europe for a chance at a better life in America was just as dangerous as staying. The voyage in steerage meant death for passengers from disease and starvation even before landing in America. It is from Rumelow’s first days of landing on Virginia’s shores that Brackenrich sets the stage for Rumelow’s story and the stories of the families he comes to know. Brackenrich writes in a vivid style that brings her characters to life. Hers is a narrative set in the south before and during the Civil War, weaving stories of the brutality of slavery, hard life on farms on frontiers, and romantic notion of love from a bygone era. “Greenbreir” is much more than a romantic retelling of life in the south before and during the Civil War. Brackenrich’s research adds to our historical, political and social knowledge of that era. Her vivid descriptions of the war inspired by expectations of easy victories and racism driven by acts of cruelty are reminders of how North and South were sharply divided along boundaries and families. Brackenrich’s descriptions of the unrealistic and biased expectations placed on women – white and black – very much take issue with the notion of this as a romantic era. And yes, Greenbrier County is a real place. West Virginia split from Virginia to come into the Civil War on the side of the Union. The Mason Dixon line is the northern border of West Virginia, the southern border is roughly, the Greenbrier River, Greenbrier County. As such, Brackenrich has the advantage of family lore and stories to inspire her writing -- a fine combination that makes for a fine read. “Greenbrier” with its stories of the families and people will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. Margaret Garmon Kent, Ohio