- Across Five Aprils
infobox Book |
name = Across Five Aprils
title_orig =
translator =
image_caption =
author =Irene Hunt
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country =United States
language = English
series =
genre =Historical novel
publisher = Berkley
release_date = 1964 [cite web
title=Otto Bib
url=http://www.ottobib.com/isbn/0425102416
access date=2008-03-12 Otto Bib.com entry for ISBN 0425102416]
English_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback &Paperback )
pages = 192
ISBN = ISBN 0425102416
preceded_by =
followed_by ="Across Five Aprils" is a novel by Irene Hunt, set in the Civil War era. Jethro Creighton, the main character, was Irene Hunt's real grandfather. He told her the stories, and she wrote them down to be "Across Five Aprils."
Plot summary
In the beginning of the story, Jethro lives on an Illinois farm just before the Civil War. He has always been a hard worker, and he helps out a lot around the farm. However, when a good friend of his (Shadrach Yale) returns from town with the news that the war has officially begun, Jethro’s world is turned upside-down.
Jethro has four brothers, all of them eager to join the fight. But Jethro must struggle with the split between them, as two go to the
Union Army and one goes to the Confederacy. Later on, Jethro's good friend Shad and brother John also join the Union. John's wife Nancy and their two young sons live with the Creightons during the war. Jethro also has a sister named Jenny. She is in love with Shad, but her father will not approve of marriage for he thinks she is too young.As the war heats up, so do the tensions among the townspeople living near Jethro. A gang of rowdy men led by Guy Wortman are angered by the fact that one of Jethro’s brothers joined the Rebel cause.
Jethro travels to town, and overhears the men talking about how traitorous his brother is. Though Jethro is frightened by the men, he thinks nothing of it. While Jethro is riding back, however, he is warned that the men are up to no good. His helper actually an enemy of the Creighton family, because the man's son killed their daughter Mary. However, he saves Jethro from disaster that night, but that is not the end of the gangsters.
After a few months, the men are at it again. They sabotage the family’s property by burning down the farmhouse and then contaminating the water in the well with oil. Jethro is given little time to concentrate on this when he finds out that his cousin Eb is a deserter from the Union Army. He now must face the hard decision of whether or not he should help his cousin and perhaps pay the penalty, or if he should ignore him completely.
Finally, Jethro makes up his mind to help Eb, with some assistance from Abraham Lincoln. More problems soon arise, but Jethro manages to get out of them. Shad is in critical condition and is not expected to make it. Jenny goes to see him and he amazingly survives. Then, with permission from her father, they are married. As the Civil War comes to a close, the family is almost all together again.
Awards and nominations
"Across Five Aprils" won the most awards of all of Irene Hunt's books. The awards are:
1964 Charles W. Follett Award
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
