Great story by David Johnson. Really lovelyread, great characters and an enjoyable story. Highly recommend to others!!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to download and read this book, not sure what was the problem, but it ended up in my unactive list, so I'm very sorry I coudn't review it.

Mary and William are married during the Civil War. They have lost 4 babies but are trying to keep their farm going. William disappears, leaving Mary to work the farm by herself. How does Mary keep the farm going with two different armies stealing from the farm?

I loved the story...definitely worth the read!

A tale of a husband’s undying love to his wife and her struggles through a war having four miscarriages, these tested her mantle more than anything. A promised made and fulfilled that but how were they to know that William was still alive be it broken but alive he was after being missing so long and presumed dead. So as the true friend he is Thomas took care of Mary but fell deeply in love with her and so did Mary likewise with him. But William resurfacing from the dead put a damper on what they had found after so many lonely days and nights, putting one’s true feelings aside for another is truly a sacrifice that signifies what type of friend William had in Thomas but was he aware of the depth of their friendship and did he appreciate it. John that lowly slave turned free man and full of the love of God in him, became so much more to them than just a worker, a friendship born from some of the hardest and most difficult times in Mary and Thomas lives even John’s, but true love and friendship forms a bond that no skin color or station in life can change. Mary plight was a sad yet happy one, having lost him once can her heart take another hit by losing him again, these are the things that fashioned this book into the gem it was. I didn’t think I would like this book but it crept up on me, a most lovely and interesting romance book.

I was really attracted to read The Woodcutter’s Wife as I’m a big fan of historic fiction and the fact that this novel is set during the America Civil War really appealed to me. Also I love the cover!

The Woodcutter’s Wife tells the story of Mary Thompson who is married to William, a woodcutter. Hence she earns the nickname of the Woodcutter’s Wife. Mary is a modern woman; working alongside her husband, spirited and independent. She even appears to be a bit of a super woman, beautiful and known for killing a bear. However Mary has her own personal tragedy that she struggles to come to terms with.

Then as the Civil War intensifies, more tragedy comes to Mary’s door as William mysteriously goes missing.

This is a novel that had all the elements of a fantastic plot and one I thought would truly stir my emotions. For example, through the character of John the subject of the slave trade is explored.

However I’m sorry to say that I found The Woodcutter’s Wife a disappointment. For me throughout the whole novel there was something missing; I found it flat and lacked dramatic tension. All the characters had so much potential but I felt they didn’t have any real depth to them. Also in my opinion they were all too righteous, hence making them one-dimensional and if I’m honest, boring.

There is no denying that Mary is dogged by tragedy. Yet I couldn’t help feeling that the tragedies were all very convenient to keep the story moving. They were also pretty predictable and it was easy to work out the ending.

I did consider giving up on it this novel. However I’m glad I didn’t as the story does get better towards the end and I actually found myself slightly investing in the characters. For example, I was very slightly on edge at one point. But on the whole, The Woodcutter’s Wife was all too predictable for me unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kindle Press for sending me a proof copy in exchange for my honest review.

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are purely my own and not influenced in any way.--
Well, this book is pretty much exactly what you would expect: forbidden love, "the liar revealed" plot, and strong women to almost Mary Sue proportions and even a bit of "the magical negro" trope. Basically, this is a Lifetime Civil War movie in book form. The dialogue is very stilted and unrealistic at times ("we've been friends ever since he started selling chairs at his workshop and now we're as close as brothers. That is true friendship" is not something that any normal person would say to someone who already knows the backstory) and you can see the ending coming a mile away. Nonetheless, the characters do grow and actually have some development and I couldn't help but be drawn to this book. Mary is a decent main character and John is pretty much the best character and his scenes are remarkably well written when he's talking about the slave trade.
This is not great literature, but if you want something to read on the beach or a plane that's not too heavy, I would recommend this. If you want a heavy Civil War book, I would recommend The Second Mrs. Hockaday.

This book was set in American Civil War time. Mary and William are living a wonderful life together, managing their small home and farming. They work together so well and their love for each other is obvious for everyone to see. Unfortunately the four times Mary has become pregnant have all ended in tragedy, none of them have survived and Mary often questions herself if she alone will be enough for William, melancholy often sets in and she tries everything she can to pull herself out of it.

Mary often becomes jealous of their friends in town who have two daughters of their own until at the birth of the third Thomas's wife Anna died during childbirth and now Thomas was left to bring up their three daughters on his own.

The war is coming and Mary and William spot soldiers around their property. William is a Scotsman and is neutral and there is no way he wishes to join the Army and leave Mary unattended to work their small farm on her own.

One day soldiers approach the farm, questioning William why he isn't fighting and Mary's beauty attracts the attention of one of the soldiers. Worry starts to set in and when William disappears, Mary despairs if she will ever see her man again.

When the soldier who caught Mary's attention returns one day, with the intention of having Mary, a Black man comes to Mary's aid and a friendship develops between them, John stays with Mary and they work the farm, keeping it profitable. Mary has found two boys abandoned, one a slave boy who was living at the home of the white boy but when hard times fell they were left on their own. After having no children of her own, Mary takes them into their care and they help John and Mary and their life seems very settled.

Mary has struck up a relationship with Thomas over the three years that William has been gone and they finally plan to wed.

Just before the wedding, William returns, he is a changed man, losing an eye and arm through the war and his temper and demeanour are no longer the same. Mary can of course no longer Marry Thomas and she must concentrate her efforts to help William regain the life he had before he was kidnapped to become a soldier.

After months, William seems to be getting his life in order, then tragedy strikes once again and the lives of all concerned are in disarray.

Will Mary and Thomas be able to put everything else behind them and bring their families together to live a happy and fulfilled life?

This was a fantastic read from beginning to end. The whole story flowed so well and there was so much packed into it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and write a voluntary review.

This book, "The Woodcutter's Wife", is another fine example of the wonderful storytelling capabilities of the author of the heart-touching "Tucker" series and "Toby", Mr. David Johnson! The setting for this book is near Chattanooga, TN, and it takes place during the Civil War era. This story is mainly about Mary, the wife of a farmer who is known to many in the area, as the woodcutter, and all the many both loving and heartbreaking incidents she has encountered during her marriage to William. Even though Mary and William were both longing to have a family, the growing row of tiny graves of their babies in the cemetery on Bitter Hill were all they had been able to produce. Mary was very strong in a lot of ways, but she couldn't help constantly grieving over the repeated losses of each of their babies at birth. William and Mary both lived in dread that William might one day have to leave her to go away to fight in the war. I highly recommend that you read this book to find out the never-ending ordeals which Mary faces and the strength she finds as she deals with each of them; as well as to see what parts other leading characters: John, who has twice saved Mary's life; Thomas, a long time family friend, along with his three motherless daughters; as well as two homeless little boys, will all play in this book as this story comes together.

David Johnson makes the characters come alive. Another great read by Mr. Johnson!

This is a powerful, gripping story of one woman's trials and tribulations during the civil war. You will laugh with her and cry with her, but most of all you will admire her grit and determination after she suffers one loss after another and just when she thinks she might be able to start living again, she suffers yet another loss that leaves her struggling with her love for her husband and her love for a friend. Go on this journey with Mary as she uncovers the power of love and the compassion of the human heart. I look forward to reading more books by David Johnson, he is a talented writer, he has the ability to make one feel what the character in the book is feeling. A job well done!