The General and Julia by Jon Clinch: Book Review

The General and Julia is the latest release from best-selling author Jon Clinch. Released on November 14, 2023, by Atria Books, The General and Julia offers readers a glimpse into the life of General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia. Readers will find themselves on a farm in Missouri, the battlefields of the Southern United States, and a cabin in the mountains of New York.

I want to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The General and Julia. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

CW/TW: war, cancer, death, racism

Synopsis from Goodreads

Barely able to walk and rendered mute by the cancer metastasizing in his throat, Ulysses S. Grant is scratching out words, hour after hour, day after day. Desperate to complete his memoirs before his death so his family might have some financial security and he some redemption, Grant journeys back in time.

He had once been the savior of the Union, the general to whom Lee surrendered at Appomattox, a twice-elected president who fought for the civil rights of Black Americans and against the rising Ku Klux Klan, a plain farmer-turned-business magnate who lost everything to a Wall Street swindler, a devoted husband to his wife Julia and loving father to four children. In this gorgeously rendered and moving novel, Grant rises from the page in all of his contradictions and foibles, his failures and triumphs.

My Opinions

The General and Julia grabbed my attention due to who one of the main characters is. Why? Because I am always open to learning more about the American Civil War. Between growing up in the Heart of the Confederacy and having several ancestors who fought in the war, it is something that has always grabbed me.

With my love of the history around the Civil War, my favorite parts of the book revolved around that time. While I did know some about some of the events, it is always great to learn more or see things from a slightly different angle.

The General and Julia is a relatively short book; it comes in under 300 pages but covers an extensive period of time. Chapter one is where readers meet Grant in the year 1843. Chapter 21 is where the readers say goodbye to Grant in 1885. No, that isn’t a spoiler; that is just a fact. Every chapter in between takes readers through Grant’s life over those 42 years.

Each chapter is told in two parts. The first part takes you to the time and place mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. The second part takes you to the remote cabin in the Adirondacks where the Grant family has gathered out of the public eye while the General writes his memoirs.

Most of the book is written as though readers were shadowing Grant himself through life. But there are a couple that give you a view into the minds of those on the other side of the story.

Not all books with real-life protagonists, especially well-known ones, are easy reads. But this book is an exception to that rule.

Who would I recommend read The General and Julia? Easy, those who enjoy reading books based on actual historical events!

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.