The Angels’ Share, tale of bygone era

Beyond the dull lectures, gory documentaries and history textbooks, there is a world of colorful characters and stories of bygone eras waiting to burst to life if penned by a capable hand. Author Brooks Carver has a knack for spinning a magnificent historical account and now offers this skill to readers in his newly released novel, The Angels’ Share.

Carver’s book features Sgt. Jack Grady, a confederate in the War Between the States. When the war ends, he and his half-starved and exhausted comrades are sent home. It takes him three weeks to reach his northeastern Tennessee home and when he arrives, finds his farm in ruins and his family near starvation. He and his wife, Annajean, employ the help of their two sons and a Cherokee Indian friend to plant a small crop.

Badly undernourished and practically penniless, Jack accepts a job delivering barrels of whiskey from Knoxville to New Orleans, a dangerous, lawless and war-torn path. Jack becomes a loved hero after a horrific gunfight and his fame spreads throughout the South, despite his longing for a modest life. He yearns only to return to his family and farm and when he does, he heals and prospers.

Carver begins his compelling storyline to a moving conclusion with a reunion of the surviving Stonewall Brigade veterans. The old Army members parade through Lexington, Va., during a torrential downpour.

“They never break ranks nor run for cover, nor did they 40 years earlier during the great conflict between the states,” the author writes.

Always an avid 19th and 20th century literature buff, Carver enjoys writing poetry, sailing and fly-fishing. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, currently live in Canton, Ill., though they previously resided in Nokomis, Fla. His family originally came from North Carolina, a state he visits “at every opportunity.”

For more information, visit www.1stBooks.com.