' This book takes place during the Civil War. It does remind me that for as much as we lament 'society' today, I would much rather be living right when and where I am. It's earthy, but I like a bit of frankness. I like the story-telling device (her letters to her sister) and that with only a few lines we get almost a full picture of her sister's story as well. I enjoy the growth and self-realization of the heroine. The letters did help me to have a better understanding of the hard times that the women left at home experienced while their husbands were away at war. It takes place during the Civil War on a farm in Iowa. The entire book was a compilation of letters from the main character, Alice, to her sister. It may be that I had a hard time adjusting to the writing style.

' This book took a while to get into and I almost didn't finish it. Overall Performance: Narration Rating: Story Rating:.First serial to Good Housekeeping author tour. Alice is a feisty Northern counterpart to Scarlett O'Hara, however, and her irreverent humor and precise expression will keep readers entertained. The last third of the novel is a delicate balance between sentiment and tragedy in some instances, the secrets spilled go over the top, with no adequate motives for why characters are so cruel. As the story unfolds, secrets and mysteries abound, and Alice shares every joy and sorrow with her sister by letter, a credible narrative form except when Alice reproduces extended dialogue. Meanwhile, Alice slowly makes friends with girls her own age, including Samuel's sister-in-law, Nealie, and a runaway mother, Annie, seeking shelter for herself and her blind daughter. In other words, she is young and ignorant of the ways of the world, which leads to trouble with a Confederate sympathizer, Samuel Smead, who, encouraged by Alice's innocent flirtations, pursues her with an intensity that tarnishes her reputation. She regularly boasts about her superior sewing skills, yearns aloud for fashionable clothing and speaks before she thinks. Newly pregnant, Alice hopes that the baby will win over her fault-finding mother-in-law, but Alice doesn't make things easy for herself.

She passes the time writing long, gossip-filled letters to Lizzie in Galena, Ill., and growing passionate about her quilting. Alice is lonely without the constant companionship of her sister, Lizzie, and their six younger brothers. When her husband enlists as a Union soldier, teenage newlywed Alice Keeler Bullock must live on his family's Bramble Farm on the outskirts of Slatyfork, Iowa, with only her stern mother-in-law, Mother (Serena) Bullock, for company. Loyalty, trust and friendship are the themes of Dallas's (The Persian Pickle Club) cozy, suspense-driven epistolary novel, set during the Civil War.

Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas