The Killer Angels meets an edgy Gone With the Wind in this accurate historical novel. Spill the Scarlet Rain: A Civil War Novel explores wars both inner and outer. It is a coming of age story for Gabriel Fellows, a young student of theology in pre-war Gettysburg. Gabriel's best friend Simeon, a student at Pennsylvania College, impregnates and abandons Genevieve, a local farm girl. Gabriel steps up and marries her to protect her and her unborn child. Love is not a question between them. Genevieve is heartbroken at Simeon's abandonment, and Gabriel is emotionally crippled by the early deaths of his parents. Can two broken souls find meaningful love when they have learned to fear loss and abandonment? Meanwhile, the war is calling their generation. On the battlefield, Gabriel learns that there is redemption even in the very maw of loss. When the war leads his regiment inexorably back to Gettysburg, Gabriel participates in the cataclysmic clash for the soul of the nation as Genevieve fights her own battle amid the roar of the cannons. "I read it almost in one sitting, and it brought me to tears several times. I believe it will become a classic in American literature. The concrete images, without cliche, allowed me to reread certain passages with delight. Gabriel is an unforgettable character, someone who embodies a kind of love that we can all learn from. Thank you for writing the book; it nourished my soul, which is what good literature should do." --Dr. Mose Durst "Saunders compellingly captures the spiritual heart of the Civil War--blood payment by all Americans for the sin of slavery--and the depth of President Lincoln's understanding and bearing of this burden on behalf of our nation. Her multiple perspectives of the battle of Gettysburg, not only from a compassionate Union Army chaplain's point of view, but also from a local farming family's experience, are fascinating. That the local family's daughter is learning to love the chaplain adds to the rich drama." --Kristina Seher