The Gates of Trevalyan

...by Jacquelyn Cook

I received this book from the publisher as an early reviewer's copy through LibraryThing.

Spanning a period of 22 years; years leading up to and through the American civil war; The Gates of Trevalyan follows two primary characters of the American south as they navigate life during this difficult time in history. There are also numerous secondary, related characters that we follow; some real historical figures, some not.

We meet the first main character, Jenny, when she is a teenager and looking for true love. We watch her grow from a self-conscious young girl who fears she isn’t good enough, into a strong woman who, though still humble, tackles her war-torn world from her home, Trevalyan, with grace and efficiency. Our second main character is historical figure Alexander Stephens, a friend and acquaintance of Jenny, whose political career we follow clear up to the Vice Presidency of the Confederacy. He is a sad character, very sickly, who just keeps on rallying one more time, and one more time, and on and on. Jenny and Alexander have separate, yet related stories, as The South was a small world, and everyone in southern ‘society’ seemed to know each other. Their paths did cross occasionally, and they thought fondly of each other throughout the novel. I liked watching Jenny grow. She held to her faith. It was refreshing to see this as an important part of the story.

More than anything, this is a coming of age story in a very difficult and a very significant time in history. It is, to some extent, a romance, but in a secondary sense. I saw this as an historical fiction novel as told through the eyes of the southerner. The writing engaged the reader, and was obviously biased in favor of southern thought. This is not a criticism, just an observation, as fiction is allowed to be biased any way the author chooses. Personally, I didn’t care for the portrayal of southern slave owners being so benevolent and self-righteous, nor did I care for the negative light in which President Lincoln was portrayed, but again, this is fiction as told from a southern point of view.

The story was beautifully told, in that the words painted for the reader a sense of ‘being there’ that is necessary in good writing. It was also an intriguing history lesson, if you put the writer’s bias aside, as dates were given, and each significant event leading up to the outbreak of war was given detail. It appears that Jacquelyn Cook conducted quite a bit of research, and that is highly admirable, adding to the validity of the storyline.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that kept me awake until the wee hours as I neared the end, as I couldn’t wait to find out where our characters ended up. As far as the number of characters to follow, there were quite a few, and I found myself having to look back to find out who was married to whom. Again, this is a minor issue, as the story was good enough that I didn’t mind.