Frank Dawson leaves all he knows in England to come to the United States to join the Confederacy in their fight against the Union in the Civil War. He becomes well known and mostly well liked in his community of Charleston, South Carolina. He becomes the editor of the Charleston News and Courier and his opinion is valued as the South tries to grow again after the ravages of the war.

It was a very difficult time in the country’s history as the South was dealing with the destruction the war wrought, the emancipation of the slaves which left them without their “free” labor source and the impact of various political forces on moving forward. Frank uses his platform to promote his liberal views which are, for the most part well received. He grows his family and all seems to be going well.

Then another paper opens with opposing views, more conservative views particularly when it comes to the freed slaves. Dawson finds his paper is losing subscribers and his business starts to wobble. He also finds himself embroiled in a feud with a neighbor. That neighbor, a doctor seems to have developed an obsession with the Dawson family nanny.

Ms. Robinson created the story from family diaries and historical records. It is a fascinating look at a tumultuous time in this country’s history. It does start a little slowly but it picks up and I found that I couldn’t put it down. Dawson is a rich and complicated man; his story is just one of the many immigrant tales that have built this country into what it is today. Each little piece in each little town and city has brought us to today. ( )

Dawson's Fall is a novel based on the lives of the author's great-grandparents in Charleston, SC in 1889. She used family papers, journals, letters and newspaper articles for the basis of the novel but also did extensive research about America during the years after the Civil War.

The war between the states is over but its effects were still felt in Charleston. Frank Dawson survived the war and is now the editor of the Charleston News and Courier. He appears to be living comfortably with his wife Sarah and their two children but is having several financial problems that he hasn't shared with his wife. As Frank continues to write editorials about equal rights and nonviolence, his newspaper readership is dropping rapidly because these are not the views of most of the people in Charleston who were against Black people owning property and voting.

This was an interesting look at the views of people after the Civil War. I thought that it was well written and appreciated that the author used the journal entries and letters of her family to tell the story. I do agree with many reviewers that the first half of the story was difficult to get through because of all the characters. However, I encourage you to read this book for the story that's told in the second half. It is an excellent look at the conflicting views about race after the Civil War. ( )