Gentle Annie vs Soldier's Heart: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: United States Civil War, War, History, Children's fiction
Gentle Annie
A biography of Anna Blair Etheridge, a nurse during the Civil War, from childhood through her four years of service with the Army of the Potomac.
vs
Soldier's Heart
“He heard it all, Charley did; heard the drums and songs and slogans and knew what everybody and his rooster was crowing.”
Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat.
The verdict
- Readers rate Gentle Annie highest: Gentle Annie 3.9 · Soldier's Heart 3.7.
- Soldier's Heart has the widest readership — 5536 ratings behind its score.
- Soldier's Heart runs the darker storyline; Gentle Annie stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Gentle Annie | Soldier's Heart | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (362) | 3.7 (5536) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (2) | 4.0 (3) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (2) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (179) |
Reception
| Gentle Annie | Soldier's Heart | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 362 | 5536 |
| Editions | 5 | 11 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 251 | 1547 |
| Reading it now | 13 | 221 |
| Written reviews | 54 | 787 |
| Wikipedia attention | 35 | 214 |
| Pages | 184 | 106 |