2016 FINALIST for the DANTE ROSSETTI Awards for Young Adult Historical Fiction, FIRST PLACE WINNER for Children’s Literature in the Arizona Author’s Association’s International Literary Contest, & FINALIST for Arizona Book of the Year!
Home after having escaped the gallows for spying on the Confederacy, Jana Brady returns to Virginia in search of her soldier-sweetheart, Keeley Cassidy, who is missing from battle. She finds him suffering from amnesia, and she brings him to the Brady farm to recover. Months pass and Keeley’s inability to remember their love or fall in love with Jana all over again constantly frustrates her and confuses him. To give Keeley some breathing room, Jana agrees to travel around New York speaking about her time in uniform. She hops aboard her Train to Glory with high hopes of advancing the cause for women’s suffrage and equal rights.
Jana is kidnapped, and further scare tactics beyond her release attempt to thwart her ultimate goal of speaking before the 88th state legislature. With a wealthy philanthropist funding her tour and her cavalry comrades and Pinkerton agents watching her back, Jana determines to see her commitment through. She especially refuses to give up when it appears her absence from home is making Keeley’s heart grow fonder for her. But a real threat of assassination looms over her. Will Keeley come around to Jana in time to reconcile their love? Will Jana elude death again? In her sequel to Sweet Glory Lisa Potocar masterfully interweaves adventure romance and suspense into a sweeping portrayal of the women’s suffrage and equal rights movement and the courage of key figures in history.
Acclaim for Train to Glory
- 2016 (Currently) Finalist in the Chanticleer Books Dante Rossetti Awards for YA Historical Fiction
- 2016 First-Place Winner of the Arizona Authors’ Association’s International Literacy Contest for Children’s Literature
- 2016 Arizona Book of the Year Finalist
Full Reviews for Train to Glory from Readers
~Amazon Customer
This sequel to Sweet Glory does not disappoint. Jana and company are no longer serving the Union, but they manage to encounter one new danger after another. The book cleverly (and very naturally) segues from the Civil War to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. While it’s rich in historical detail, it’s also the story of the growing bond between friends. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for Jana and the gang.
~Mary Bryan Stafford, Author
Well done. Gave a new dimension to the Civil War. Potocar showed sensitive insight into the protagonist who served the Union. The author’s attention to language of the times, the details of living are so well done. Again, in this sequel to Sweet Glory, Ms. Potocar characterizations and plot keep the reader turning the page. The novel is a testament to women who believed they could make a difference. Glory Be!
~George
I thoroughly enjoyed Train to Glory, the sequel to Sweet Glory, about a determined, courageous, young woman who disguised herself and fought for the Union in the Civil War. In the sequel the author weaves a wonderful story of a young woman, Jana, who finds love and fulfills her dream of being a leader for women’s rights. I enjoyed how the author focuses on the women’s suffrage movement in NY (as well as the women’s civil rights) and introduces Jana to such famous people as Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglass. However, Jana’s journey is not easy. Besides the dangers from those who want to stop her, the reader gets to see her struggle with the emotions of being in love with her soldier sweetheart (Keeley)and going on the road to talk about her experiences fighting for just causes and the bravery of women everywhere. The book was beautifully written with such detailed descriptions of the people, the places, the dress, and the food of the Civil War Era, I felt like I was being propelled back to the 1860s! This book would be a great asset and lend insight for tweens, teens, and adults who have a strong interest in learning more about the struggles faced by all Americans during this tumultuous time in our country’s history. I wonder if we will have future adventures with Jana and Keeley to read about!
~Divine Zape for Readers’ Favorite
Train to Glory is a young adult novel by Lisa Y. Potocar. Jana Brady returns home after escaping the gallows for spying on the Confederates. Her soldier-beau, Keeley Cassidy, goes missing while engaged in a battle so Jana and friends search for him. They find Keeley, but he has amnesia and doesn’t remember Jana. Keeley stays at the Brady farm while Jana accepts a contract on behalf of the women’s suffrage movement. She is to speak about her roles as soldier and spy. However, not everyone is pleased to have a woman competing in a man’s world and Jana is kidnapped. She is released and Jana continues her tour under the protection of her friends and Pinkerton agents, but the assailants are relentless.
Train to Glory is a fascinating novel that has adventure, romance, action, and intrigue, and a cast of interesting, well-defined characters. Jana and her friends are strong and supportive. Their complex personalities and witty dialogue made the story come alive. The women’s suffrage movement experienced both positive and negative reactions from females and men who held firm beliefs about women’s roles in society. Lisa Y. Potocar made these issues that Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglas struggled to lobby for seem more convincing. It also made me more aware of the dangers and significant contribution women like Jana made to perform their various duties in the Civil War. Train to Glory is a well-written story that readers will find thought provoking and informative.
~Katelyn Hensel for Readers’ Favorite
Jana Brady has already had a rough ride. After nearly being hanged for treason and espionage against the Confederates, she returns home to hopefully fall into the arms of her waiting love, Keeley. But Keeley has been left without any memory of Jana, and though she tries to help him recover, months go by and Jana is left alone. She decides that she needs to get some fresh air and heads across New York to try to sort out her life and maybe win women some more rights than they’ve got. Throughout it all, she deals with death threats, kidnappings, and the threat of a lost love. Train to Glory by Lisa Potocar is a fascinating blend of adventure, romance, and excitement.
Lisa Potocar has a deft mind that easily transitions between larger plot points and individual character interactions that help the story grow into a great piece. Jana is such a lively character that you can’t help but root for her to win. You just want everything to turn out okay for her. In addition to the excellent story, the appearance of the book stayed consistently great throughout. The cover of Train to Glory immediately captures the tone and imagery of the novel and gets you in the mood for a lovely historical story.
Overall, Train to Glory is an engaging and enthusiastic historical fiction that’s woven together by threads of reality, grit, and truth. Potocar makes you feel for the characters while you’re enjoying the ride of the plot. I will definitely be on the lookout for future books from her!
~Michelle Stanley for Readers’ Favorite
Train to Glory is a young adult novel by Lisa Y. Potocar. Jana Brady returns home after escaping the gallows for spying on the Confederates. Her soldier-beau, Keeley Cassidy, goes missing while engaged in a battle so Jana and friends search for him. They find Keeley, but he has amnesia and doesn’t remember Jana. Keeley stays at the Brady farm while Jana accepts a contract on behalf of the women’s suffrage movement. She is to speak about her roles as soldier and spy. However, not everyone is pleased to have a woman competing in a man’s world and Jana is kidnapped. She is released and Jana continues her tour under the protection of her friends and Pinkerton agents, but the assailants are relentless.
Train to Glory is a fascinating novel that has adventure, romance, action, and intrigue, and a cast of interesting, well-defined characters. Jana and her friends are strong and supportive. Their complex personalities and witty dialogue made the story come alive. The women’s suffrage movement experienced both positive and negative reactions from females and men who held firm beliefs about women’s roles in society. Lisa Y. Potocar made these issues that Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglas struggled to lobby for seem more convincing. It also made me more aware of the dangers and significant contribution women like Jana made to perform their various duties in the Civil War. Train to Glory is a well-written story that readers will find thought provoking and informative.
~Lisa McCombs for Readers’ Favorite
After escaping the gallows for spying on the confederacy, Jana Brady’s heroism is tested further when she receives reports that her true love and fellow soldier, Keeley Cassidy, has gone missing. With a heavy heart, Jana returns home to the loving arms of her parents and sisters, who believe that Jana has served her time providing nursing assistance in the trenches. She doesn’t relish disclosing her true participation in the war, but the desire to enlist their aid in finding Keeley overrides the discomfort she anticipates.
With her comrade, Leanne, at her side, Jana finds her love suffering from amnesia. Although her parents fall in love with Keeley, Jana fears that his memories of their love will remain dormant. In an effort to allow his mind space from her presence and time to heal, Jana agrees to take her experiences in the trenches on tour as she travels across New York State to present the importance of women’s rights, while supporting the efforts of such historical persons as Susan Anthony.
Train to Glory by Lisa Potocar is an historically accurate account of one woman’s quest to exemplify the importance of women in our society. Potocar’s dialogue is intriguing in its genuine authenticity. Although this is fiction, it reads with the intent of an actual biography. I believe that the target audience could include young readers as well as adults. This is a story of bravery and adventure that deserves a space on the shelves of many book stores. Awesome!
~Benjamin Ookami for Readers’ Favorite
A sequel to Lisa Y. Potocar’s Sweet Glory, Train to Glory is set in the mid-1860s. Before returning to her home in Elmira, New York, Jana disguised herself as a man to join the Tenth New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. It was during this time that Keeley fell in love with her. Keeley is missing, but it doesn’t take long for Jana and her army friend, Leanne, to find him, but something has changed. Because someone had decided to hit Keeley with the butt of rifle on his head, he doesn’t remember a thing. Jana wishes for Keeley’s memories as well as his love for her to return, but for that to happen, she has to become the voice of all women seeking equal rights around the country and put her life in danger.
Nothing is made simple for Jana and Keeley. The author quickly thrusts readers into an America at war during Abraham Lincoln’s time when Jana, Leanne, and a Keeley – who doesn’t remember her – have to come to the aid of a woman who is alone at home. The author paints her characters beautifully, both with her descriptions as well her characters’ dialogue. Readers won’t constantly feel that they should’ve read Sweet Glory before Train to Glory. The author generously lets readers in when it comes to what happened during Jana’s time as a disguised soldier and as a spy. She proves that elements of suspense can be integrated into novels set in any time. It’s a wonderful novel that I would easily recommend to all fans of historical fiction.
