The Marvelous Orange Tree
A Novel of the Civil War
Four months after I published my memoir, I began work on The Marvelous Orange Tree. I knew I wasn’t ready to leave the time of the Civil War, and I also knew I had things yet to learn.
I first became aware, while researching Acoustic Shadows, of the women who had disguised themselves as men to be able to join the regiments marching off to war.
Over the next ten years, I got to know my character, Jennie Edwards, a remarkable young woman from Toulon, Illinois, who loves magic, her mule Ruby and dog Sam, and her family. When her brothers go off to fight in Mr. Lincoln’s army, she wants to do the same.
It took a long time to finish this book, my first ever novel, and it was at times maddening for I didn’t always know what I was doing. But just like Michelangelo with his statue of David (and his process of carving out the stone that was not David), Jennie’s story was always there. I just needed to find it, and then also get out of the way and let the characters show me where it was going.
“Howell is obviously intimately familiar with the lifestyles and attitudes from this era, and she is able to masterfully translate them into a vivid and engrossing tale. A book capable of giving deeper insight to one of the most well-studied conflicts in history is a worthwhile read, but the story is also rich and beautifully told. The Marvelous Orange Tree is an intoxicating tangle of history, mystery, romance, and self-discovery set against a vivid backdrop of America at its darkest, and most hopeful.”
—Self-Publishing Review ★★★★
“This book examines the Civil War from the perspective of a Union soldier, Robert, and a female, Jennie, who disguises herself to become a soldier. Jennie is also learning conjuring from a magician named Owl. The story centers around the Battle of Vicksburg and its aftermath. The book is very timely in its examination of women’s rights and roles during and post Civil War. I would recommend this book to Civil War buffs who aren’t afraid of strong female characters.”
—Independent Book Publishers Association
“Deception is bold and prominent in this heartfelt and often gritty Civil War saga, in which the lives of a Union Army private and a tomboy intersect. In 1863, Robert Taylor, 20, is part of Grant’s siege of the Confederate stronghold in Vicksburg, Miss.; he experiences both the carnage of battle and deep, enduring friendships forged under desperate conditions.
Jennie Edwards is a boisterous teenager who prefers trousers to dresses, loves roughhousing with her two brothers, and is learning magic tricks from Owl, a magician, in her idyllic Illinois prairie home. After her brothers join the Union Army, and her mother goes away to get her depression treated, Jennie, disguised as a boy, becomes a soldier and ends up at the battle of Vicksburg.
After she returns from the war, Jennie is plagued by wartime visions and prolonged blackouts; she has also fallen in love with Marie, her best friend, creating an “impossible” situation that eventually leads her to Chicago and, under the tutelage of Owl, performing magic tricks on stage.
Howell cleverly weaves in Robert’s story and keeps the pages turning. Readers will be captivated in particular by the coming-of-age of Jennie, who makes this story a pleasure to read.”
—Publisher’s Weekly