I'll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams

My wife, Diana, recommended this book to me after reading it in her book club. She thought I would enjoy the Civil Was portion of the book.

As often the case, she was correct.

In the days leading up to the Civil War, the battle that was soon to be fought was a central topic. However, in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home in Massachusetts, there were also discussions of the arts and other notable figures of the time.

Wadsworth is against the war from the point of view that his eldest son, Charlie, is of an age where youth only sees the glory of battle, not the pain and suffering.

In South Carolina, Maj. Anderson and his command begin settling in for a long siege at Ft. Sumter.

Interspersed in the above story is that of Sophia, a music teacher whose program will be eliminated due to budget cuts.

At her church, she is the choir director and features "Christmas Bells" based on Longfellow's poem, as her next project. With each chapter told from a different pint of view, it is an interesting way to see the picture of current time from various aspects.

I enjoyed the Civil War portion of the book quite a bit but felt too much repetition in the current time portrait of the story.