Arouse and Beware

by MacKinlay Kantor
Category: "Fiction - Historical"
Pages:327
Year of Publication:1936
Date Added:02/23/2021
Date Read:12/03/2023
Notes:Armed Services Edition

Two Union soldiers, Clark and Barstow, break out of the Confederate Prison on Belle Island, Virginia and make their way toward the Federal lines. Almost as soon as they begin, the meet up with Naomi, a young woman who had been forced by circumstances to become the mistress of a Confederate officer. She had had all she could take and had stabbed him, so when she met the two escapees, she begged to be taken along. During the couple weeks' journey, the trio faced starvation, sickness, Confederate Home Guards, and other dangers. They were helped a few times by people along the way also. Both men fell in love with Naomi, but she, realizing the danger of a rivalry between them, put them both off. In the end, with one last river to cross, the three are surrounded by Confederate soldiers. In a moment, Barstow sacrifices himself by drawing off the troops, allowing Clark and Naomi to cross the river to safety.
My Rating: 7

Reviews for Arouse and Beware

Review - Arouse and Beware

An interesting and exciting story. It was told from the point of view of Clark, the more-educated and smarter, but less strong of the two men. Kantor's language, when expressing Clark's thoughts, especially about Naomi, got overblown—I suppose in an attempt to speak the way a man from the mid-1800's might speak, but it got annoying to read.

Reviewed by Roger on 2023-12-03 18:05:37

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