“Love or Loyalty,” a novel of love, loss and reconciliation.
"An expansive view of how the American Civil War shaped the generation of Southerners who survived it... Scott ably shows how people cling to ideas, and how difficult it can be to lay the past at rest." - Kirkus Reviews
As states and families face off against each other at the start of the Civil War, three strong-willed characters are caught up in what is to be a lifelong personal battle:
- Zack, passionately loyal to his home, his family, and the Confederacy
- Charles, a charming Southern businessman of dubious honor who is nevertheless drawn to the idealism of the North
- Lenie, an independent young woman dedicated to justice, healing, and her goal to become one of the first female physicians in America.
Misunderstandings, deceit, and shocking twists of fate disrupt their lives, their romances, and their futures until the Great Flood in Galveston in 1900 brings everything to a climax.
Are their paths determined by their will, their actions, or by their ability to accept and forgive? You decide.
What readers say:
"As Love or Loyalty is newly released in 2020, our country is struggling through a once-in-a-century pandemic, and we face widening divisions within our nation that seem impossible to mend. What might we learn from the trials our ancestors faced during and after the Civil War—another time of great division and brokenness, personal and economic loss, clashing beliefs, and the necessary grieving and rebuilding? How long did our ancestors cling to their pain over what could not be? How did they restore broken families and communities? What happens when family members find themselves on opposing sides of a great divide? Love or Loyalty tells the compelling story of one family’s experience, giving us a lens for considering our present-day challenges. And perhaps more importantly, this book reminds us that in a time of national division, sickness, and torn families, salvation always comes in the form of love." - Lisa
"A historic novel about the division of one family from the Civil War to the Great Galveston Hurricane. A coming of age story about growing up in the privileged south and the prejudices that can last a lifetime. A truly remarkable book i found hard to put down. From surviving the tragedy of the Civil War to the hardship of running a plantation after the war with no more resources and a family split up in order to survive." - Tammy
"I honestly did not expect to love this as much as I did. I don’t typically enjoy historical fiction, but this was moving and well-paced and tragically beautiful. It’s a reminder that each and every casualty of war is a human life with hopes and dreams and feelings and people who love them, and while we are living in another particularly volatile time in American history, there are lessons to be learned from this novel: our hatred of one another will always end in destruction, and healing can only begin when we listen and love." - Marissa
“A beautifully written story about the drama of the Civil War and after, with a formidable female character breaking barriers before they were recognized as barriers.” – Barbara
“I could not put this book down! “Love or Loyalty” is eloquent, imaginative and full of twists and turns. It was fascinating and moving to see these characters change and grow through such dramatic times. This story needs to be on told on the big screen!” – Jeanne
"An elegantly written saga of grace and redemption that compares to the classic, “Gone With The Wind,” as the story follows four generations of the Lewis clan from Civil War-era Virginia to 20th-century Texas." – Sherree
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