BE EVER HOPEFUL, HANNALEE

In her sequel to Turn Homeward, Hannalee, Beatty describes the life of her plucky heroine and her family in postwar Atlanta, once again giving her readers a vivid picture of a little-known aspect of the Civil War and its aftermath. When Hannalee's brother, Davey, returns one-armed and embittered from his service in the Confederacy, he decides that the family must leave the Roswell home for Atlanta's booming economy. They arrive to find high prices and no place to live--except a refugee camp. Everyone must work, mostly for the hated Yankees, and this--added to the fact that Davey's disability forces him to train for something other than his carpentry trade--further embitters Davey. His anger, his loneliness for the girl he thinks he has lost, and his involvement with a group of ex-Confederates lead to a near-tragic climax--during which Hannalee's courage and that of two new friends (one a Yankee and the other a freed black girl) come to the rescue. A preface and the author's notes place the story in context. Unfortunately, both the characterization and writing style are uneven, but Beatty's use of period detail and her well-turned plot give the book texture and excitement. For fans of the brave Hannalee, this will be a welcome follow-up.