Look Away

The first volume of a Civil War saga captures the drama and agony of the era in the story of two brothers whose loyalty to each other is shattered when they desire the same woman and end up on opposite sides in battle. 150,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo. Tour.

YA?In this Civil War novel, the motif of divided loyalties between brothers is made even more poignant by the fact that the young men are victims not only of historical circumstances but also of the unscrupulous political ambitions of their cruel father. James and Kevin Bannon have always been close. Their tyrannical father, a belligerent New Jersey businessman, takes advantage of his sons' tragic predicament?the accidental death of the girl they both love?by sending them away. James goes to the Virginia Military Academy and Kevin enters a Northern college. Both find love, friendship, and self knowledge as they go their separate ways, and both are caught up in the events of the tumultuous times. Alternating chapters follow each young man as he experiences the horror and futility of war as well as the cohesiveness of men in battle. In a suspenseful, heart-wrenching climax, the brothers are reunited at the Battle of Gettysburg. Notes corresponding to each chapter provide lengthy historical information that sorts out fact from fiction.?Jackie Gropman, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The grand drama of the American Civil War provides the setting for Coyle's seventh novel, the first volume of a projected multibook saga. Spanning the years 1856-1863, it tells the uninspired if lively story of two New Jersey brothers, Irish immigrants, who are driven apart by their heartless and profiteering father. When his brutality finally forces them to flee home and each other, James and Kevin Bannon separate, James going south to the Virginia Military Institute while Kevin, remaining in New Jersey, attends Rutgers. With the onset of war, each brother is unwillingly drawn into the struggle, James for the Confederacy and Kevin for the Union. From Bull Run to Gettysburg, the two fight anti-Irish discrimination, political favoritism, personal enemies?and each other. As expected, the narrative builds to a dramatic confrontation amid the carnage of Gettysburg, but the conclusion is unsatisfying, an ill-disguised setup for the sequel. Coyle brings the ferocious and bloody battles, as well as various real-life characters and events, to vivid life, but this novel, his first historical, isn't on a par with his techno-thrillers (Code of Honor, etc.). (June) 1968
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Two brothers, Kevin and James Bannon, find themselves aligned on opposite sides during the Civil War, placed so deliberately by their father, a prosperous New Jersey businessman, so that he would be on the winning side regardless of the outcome. The young men's prewar training and their battlefield experiences are absorbingly detailed. Each falls in love with a young woman who further cements their political persuasion, as it were. Predictably, they eventually meet on the battlefield--at Gettysburg. In an interesting historical note, Coyle separates fact from fiction by differentiating between the people and events he drew from Civil War history and the people and events that sprang from his imagination. An intriguing work of historical fiction. Denise Perry Donavin

In December 1859, the state of New Jersey is perched undecidely between two political camps: one wanting to preserve the Union and the other made up of supporters of the Southern States. When his sons accidentally kill the woman they both love, wealthy entrepreneur Edward Bannon sees an opportunity to keep a foot in both camps. He sends his eldest son, James, to the Virginia Military Institute and the weaker son, Kevin, to the New Jersey Militia. When the Civil War begins, the brothers find themselves fighting on opposite sides. The story follows them from one battle to the next, culminating in the horror of Gettysburg. Best-selling novelist Coyle (First Blood, S. & S., 1994), best known for his military novels, writes convincingly of combat and of conditions within the two armies. Curiously, though, his prose truly comes alive when he is describing the lives of women caught up in a war in which they were not allowed to participate. This surely will be popular in most libraries.
-?Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.