Description: A century after Varina Davis's death in 1906, Joan E. Cashin has written a masterly biography of this truly modern, but deeply conflicted, woman. Pro-slavery but also pro-Union, Davis was a fascinating woman who struggled with the constraints of her time and place. 29 halftone photos.
Brief description: Joan E. Cashin is Professor of History at The Ohio State University.
Review Quotes: Over the past three decades a great deal has been written about Southern women in the Civil War period, and it has left little doubt that some of them were far more restless and rebellious than their husbands and fathers would have preferred. But the case of Varina Davis takes on special meaning because she was the most prominent Southern woman of her time...Cashin's book leaves no doubt that she was in fact a considerably more interesting person than her husband, and a better one as well.--Jonathan Yardley "Washington Post" (9/3/2006 12:00:00 AM)