The Beguiled

I've been trying to get through Thomas Cullinan's "The Beguiled" for months now. Of course there was a long waiting list for it because of the movie, so I went on the list. Once I got the book, I started reading it, got about 2/3 of the way through, then had to return it because of the holds. Went back on the list, waited, and finally got it again and was able to finish it. Whew! It was actually pretty good. John McBurney is a wounded Union soldier who is found in the woods by Amelia, a young Southern girl attending a small boarding school run by two spinster sisters. The book alternates chapters between the other students at the school and the two sisters who run it. As you can imagine, a small, impoverished all girls' boarding in the middle of the Civil War is a pretty boring place to be, the girls are on each others' nerves, and McBurney provides some welcome entertainment. He is young and handsome and charming, and quite good at pitting the young ladies against each other. He is a shameless liar and flirt, and before long the girls are ready to kill each other over this young man. One of the sisters tries to kick him out, only to have him basically take the school hostage and declare he's not going anywhere until he's good and ready. I loved the ending, even though I saw it coming, it felt very realistic.