The Second Mrs. Hockaday

by Susan Rivers

Placidia, a mere teenager herself living far from her family and completely unprepared to run a farm or raise a child, must endure the darkest days of the war on her own. By the time Major Hockaday returns two years later, Placidia is bound for jail, accused of having borne a child in his absence and murdering it. What really transpired in the two years he was away? Inspired by a true incident, this saga unfolds with gripping intensity, conjuring the era with uncanny immediacy. Amid the desperation of wartime, Placidia sees the social order of her Southern homeland unravel. As she comes , to understand how her own history is linked to one runaway slave, her perspective on race and family are upended, A love story, a story of racial divide, and a story of the South as it fell in the war, The Second Mrs. Hockaday ! reveals how this generation and the next began to see their world anew.

• ISBN10: 1616205814
• ISBN13: 9781616205812
• Publish Date: 10 January 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 17 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Algonquin Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 271
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithbecs]

Listened to it on audio. Think I would have enjoyed it more in physical form. I didn't always catch the year and POV in the audiobook, which caused some confusion

[chymerra]

This was a fantastic book and I loved reading it. Told through letters and journals, it brings Civil War Era South to life.

I have read plenty of Civil War Era books to know when one is good or not. This is a good one. The plot is fantastic and for the author to use letters and journals to tell a story that is horrendous was wonderful. She seamlessly weaved the letters and journal into a spellbound story that you can’t put down.

I will say that there are several twists in this story. I called one of them but the other one (which was told by Charlie’s perspective) really surprised and haunted me after I was done reading the book. I just wanted to take Placidia and give her a huge hug.

How many stars will I give The Second Mrs Hockaday? 5

Why? It is a beautifully written book with several twists in the plot.

Will I reccomend it to family and friends? Yes

Will I reread it? Yes

Age range? Adult on up.

Why? There are scenes of rape, beating of slaves (post beating) and some extreme and gory violence.