 |  |  |
Share your comments
The schoolmaster's daughter
Smolens, John.
Adult Fiction SMOLENS
From Publishers' Weekly:
Boston smolders on the eve of the American Revolution in Smolens's ambitious blend of fiction, history, battlefield romance, and intrigue. Drawing from the real-life Lovell family, with loyalist Boston Latin schoolmaster John and his cipher of a son,James, on opposite sides, Smolens builds his story around Abigail, John's daughter and James's sister, forgotten by history but here the unsung heroine of Bunker Hill. Abigail aids the resistance by helping her brother, Benjamin, detained by the British, and her friend Rachel Revere, and soon becomes the prime suspect in a redcoat's murder. She's torn between her parents and siblings, and between a careless American volunteer and an attentive British officer who proves both her most intimate ally and deadliest enemy. Well-researched but overreaching, Smolens's novel features appearances by Dr. Benjamin Church (less famous than Benedict Arnold, but equally traitorous), Paul Revere, and others. In his best passages, Smolens imagines the betrayals, espionage, and collaborations, personal and strategic alliances, and the frequent crossing of lines (not just physical) between the occupying British and the Bostonians they want to control. Abigail herself crosses lines for the cause, joining a roster of historical fiction heroines with feminist leanings toward self-determination, sexual freedom, and altering the course of history. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
From Library Journal:
Smolens's (The Anarchist) latest novel opens in Boston in April of 1775. Abigail Lovell, the daughter of the Boston Latin School headmaster (a loyal subject of George III), is spying with her two brothers for the American cause. Abigail's willingness to take risks leads her into danger when she is falsely accused of murdering a British sergeant then later when she helps her brother sabotage the British artillery before the Battle of Bunker Hill. VERDICT Despite the inclusion of famous historic figures and several of the major battles of the American Revolution, Smolens's plot and characters remain uninvolving. A tepid love triangle among Abigail, a British colonel, and a young American doctor adds little to the story and ends abruptly. Readers are advised to look elsewhere.-Carly Thompson, Chicago Ridge P.L. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Smolens, John.
Adult Fiction SMOLENS
| |||||||
 |
From Publishers' Weekly:
Boston smolders on the eve of the American Revolution in Smolens's ambitious blend of fiction, history, battlefield romance, and intrigue. Drawing from the real-life Lovell family, with loyalist Boston Latin schoolmaster John and his cipher of a son,James, on opposite sides, Smolens builds his story around Abigail, John's daughter and James's sister, forgotten by history but here the unsung heroine of Bunker Hill. Abigail aids the resistance by helping her brother, Benjamin, detained by the British, and her friend Rachel Revere, and soon becomes the prime suspect in a redcoat's murder. She's torn between her parents and siblings, and between a careless American volunteer and an attentive British officer who proves both her most intimate ally and deadliest enemy. Well-researched but overreaching, Smolens's novel features appearances by Dr. Benjamin Church (less famous than Benedict Arnold, but equally traitorous), Paul Revere, and others. In his best passages, Smolens imagines the betrayals, espionage, and collaborations, personal and strategic alliances, and the frequent crossing of lines (not just physical) between the occupying British and the Bostonians they want to control. Abigail herself crosses lines for the cause, joining a roster of historical fiction heroines with feminist leanings toward self-determination, sexual freedom, and altering the course of history. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
From Library Journal:
Smolens's (The Anarchist) latest novel opens in Boston in April of 1775. Abigail Lovell, the daughter of the Boston Latin School headmaster (a loyal subject of George III), is spying with her two brothers for the American cause. Abigail's willingness to take risks leads her into danger when she is falsely accused of murdering a British sergeant then later when she helps her brother sabotage the British artillery before the Battle of Bunker Hill. VERDICT Despite the inclusion of famous historic figures and several of the major battles of the American Revolution, Smolens's plot and characters remain uninvolving. A tepid love triangle among Abigail, a British colonel, and a young American doctor adds little to the story and ends abruptly. Readers are advised to look elsewhere.-Carly Thompson, Chicago Ridge P.L. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Be the first to add a comment! Share your thoughts about this title. Would you recommend it? Why or why not?
Question about returns, requests or other account details?
 Add a Comment |
Submission Guidelines |
