Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Revolutionary Fiction: A Gallery of New and Forthcoming Titles about America's Founding


A story should, to please, at least seem true,
Be apropos, well told, concise, and new:
And whenso'er it deviates from these rules,
The wise will sleep, and leave applause to fools. 
Benjamin Stillingfleet, uncredited quote in 
Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack (1757)

A few years ago, when my library hosted a traveling exhibit entitled "Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World," I put together a smaller exhibit on historical novels set around the time of the American Revolution.  To set off the display, which I called Revolutionary Fiction, I found a witty, relevant quote from Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack and included it on a placard alongside.  (As I discovered this week when trying to find the quote again, Franklin had actually borrowed the words of an English poet without crediting him, as many of his contemporaries did, but I hadn't known that!  I do like the quote regardless.) 

Just in the last year, many historical novelists have jumped onto the early American bandwagon.  While some have often made their home in this setting, such as Sally Cabot and Sharyn McCrumb, others are newcomers whose passion for their chosen period comes through on the pages.  I was also thrilled to see that Stephanie Dray, whose 3rd novel about Cleopatra's daughter Selene was published this month, will be coauthoring a novel about Patsy Jefferson, America's First Daughter, with novelist-historian Laura Kamoie.

If this is a new trend, it's a most welcome one in my view.  American settings often suffer from the perception that they're dreary and unexciting compared to those taking place in England or Europe, but nothing could be further from the truth!  Below is a gallery of nine new and forthcoming novels set during the Revolutionary years, and all present fresh angles on this iconic period.  If you enjoy this era, consider adding them to your reading list.



Benjamin Franklin – American patriot, diplomat, politician, writer, inventor – had an eye for the ladies.  In her fourth work of historical fiction set in early America (after three written as Sally Gunning), Cabot brings to life the little-known story of his illegitimate son William, who was raised by his stepmother, Franklin's common-law wife Deborah, and who took the Loyalists' side in the War of Independence.  William Morrow, May 2013.



Gabaldon's immensely popular historical fiction series needs no introduction, but the later volumes have served to introduce many new readers to the personalities and politics of the American Revolution.  The eagerly awaited 8th novel in her Outlander saga, a thousand-page doorstopper, opens in the year 1778, right in the middle of the war, as Jamie Fraser learns that his beloved wife Claire married another man during the time she thought he was dead.  From the blurb, Benedict Arnold is a major character here, too.  Delacorte, June 2014.



In Massachusetts in 1763, as revolution looms on the horizon, a learned young woman from a well-off background defies her family to pursue a relationship with a country lawyer with patriotic leanings.  I understand the plot is loosely based on the courtship of Abigail and John Adams.  Hedlund writes detail-rich romantic stories for the inspirational market, though mainstream readers can enjoy them too.  Bethany House, September 2013.



In her Ballad Novels, McCrumb has always delved deeply into the resonant folklore of the people from the Appalachian Mountains, but this is her first set during the Revolutionary era.  Here she recounts the heroic story of the Carolina Overmountain Men and of their leader, John Sevier, one of her ancestors.  Thomas Dunne, September 2013.



This debut novel imagines the life story of Deborah Samson, a strapping young woman from Middleboro, Massachusetts, who escapes her dreary life of toil in 1782 by disguising herself as a man and running away to join the Continental Army.  Myers' insightful novel is based on the extraordinary service of the real-life Deborah; I've read it and can recommend it.  Simon & Schuster, January 2014.



The name Peggy Shippen may not ring a bell for any but dedicated American history fans, but the name Benedict Arnold is another story.  Pataki's debut novel aims to change that; it reveals Peggy's role as the orchestrator of the plot that turned her decorated war hero husband into America's greatest traitor.  The publisher has been promoting the author's family connections (she's the daughter of former NY governor George Pataki).  Howard Books/S&S, January 2014.



This is the only Revolutionary-era novel in the bunch that isn't for sale in the US, which I find more than passing strange, especially considering it won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger for 2013.  Andrew Taylor's historical thriller is set in Manhattan, a haven for British Loyalists whose lives were upended by American rebels.  Harper UK, July 2013 (this is the hardback cover).



In this romantic adventure novel set in Boston of 1775, a pirate's daughter takes her future into her own hands when she takes a British naval officer hostage on her family's ship in Boston Harbor.  Second in the Renegades of the Revolution series after The Turncoat.  NAL, March 2014.



Turner's new historical epic steps further back in time to the year 1729, when Resolute Talbot is stolen away from her Jamaican family and sold into slavery in Massachusetts.  As a talented weaver in the town of Lexington, she is ideally placed to play a major role in the coming revolutionary tumult.  The author's The Water and the Blood, set in '40s East Texas, is one of my favorite historicals, so my anticipation for this one is running high!  Thomas Dunne, February 2014.

29 comments:

  1. I am not sure why I have never felt compelled to read beyond the first book in the Gabaldon series.

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    1. Kailana, I am not a romance novel fan and found I just skimmed over those parts of Gabaldon's first Outlander series book to, otherwise, enjoy the storyteller's great ability. I found that as her novels progressed through the series, there was less of the romance-genre about them and more historical and adventure about them written in an engaging style.

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    2. I've read the Outlander novels through book three, then stopped - probably because when books in series come out every few years, I forget the finer details of the plot and feel like I need to start over from the beginning (and rarely have time for that). I did read her The Scottish Prisoner a couple years ago, though, and loved it! It reminded me what a good storyteller she is. I didn't have any trouble catching up with the storyline either.

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    3. I had the same problem as you, Sarah. The gaps between the books meant that I lost track of all the characters. And so one day I decided to restart the series on audiobook and I've decided this is the way to go with Gabaldon. The reader of the Outlander series, Davina Porter, is one of the best I've ever come across, and with audio you can really sink into all that detail without sighing over how much you have left to read! I now have all the threads of this massive series lodged in my brain, in time for the release of book 8 and the TV series.

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    4. This is the same reason, incidentally, why I haven't gone back to Game of Thrones - read up to book 4 and lost track of everything/everyone.

      That sounds like a good plan. I'm not sure I have enough time to listen to an audiobook myself, but I've heard other compliments about Davina Porter's audiobook narration skills. I am planning to watch the TV series, though!

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  2. Thanks so much for this intriguing list. As a former student toiling away in the American school system, I fear the lack of interest in novels set during the American Revolution is often due to those of us who had less than inspiring history teachers and avoid anything that smacks of the classroom! Of course these novels will wipe that old slate clean and I appreciate the opportunity!

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    1. I totally agree, and admit I'd been put off from reading more about the era for that reason. My US history classes in school revolved around memorizing facts, dates, and battles, rather than illustrating the daily lives of people who lived through those times. That's where historical fiction can come in and help change our minds. :)

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  3. Peggy Shippen is a terrific character.

    If the French hadn't bailed out the Patriots, the story of Benedict and Peggy would have been a whole other story, wouldn't it? :)

    I hope the novel featuring Patsy Jefferson has something to say about the dreadful inconvenience, to put it mildly, the narrow, steep stairs were for the women -- pregnant, carrying chamber pots (if they were slaves), children -- anything, up and down between the lower depths where were the kitchens etc, and to their sequestered quarters, on the top floor. The ground floor of Monticello was TJ's setting and his quarters, with the women of the household joining him -- and / or his male guests of honor -- who had a bedroom -- for meals.

    It was almost comic in terms of gender differences at Monticello, with the women noticing all of these things of supreme inconvenience, even dianger, of TJ's vaunted arrangements, while the men were overwhelmed with awe at them ....

    Love, C.

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    1. I first encountered Peggy in an older novel about Benedict Arnold, Dark Eagle by John Ensor Harr - fabulous read, btw.

      Always meant to visit Monticello... thanks for those insights. And in my last post we were talking about the supposed delicate constitutions/frailty of women. Here's yet another example of how much they had to labor (in a different way!) and how silly those perceptions were.

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  4. Laura and I thank you kindly for the mention and I thank you for totally filling up my TBR pile to bursting! I want all these books. Now now now ;)

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    1. My pleasure - I'm seriously looking forward to reading America's First Daughter! I know the feeling, too... I've only read one of these so far but want them all.

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  5. I wanted the Pataki one, but I was rejected at NetGalley. Their loss.

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    1. I've had mixed luck with NetGalley myself, with some requests getting accepted asap while others linger unanswered for months, and I've also gotten rejected (and had reviewers' requests rejected) for reasons unknown to me.

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  6. Great list! I love the Revolutionary setting and can only hope this is the start of something. I have the Pataki book to read - which I got from Netgalley- and can't wait for the Thorland book. I'm always interested in the story of Benedict Arnold and Peggy Shippen.

    I have had fairly good luck with Netgalley. I was shot down once but it was a publisher I hadn't worked with before so I wasn't too surprised. Another I did wait for months for a response. But other than that all good so far.

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    1. I received the Pataki book in the mail earlier this week, maybe because I'd interviewed another of the publisher's authors for a blog tour - it was a nice surprise! Now that I have a better track record with NetGalley, which I hadn't been using extensively until a couple of months ago, I may start having better luck.

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    2. This is a terrific list and I'm thrilled to be on it. For those of you waiting for The Rebel Pirate, ARCs are finally available on Edelweiss!

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    3. Hi Donna, thanks for stopping by and commenting! Best wishes for success with The Rebel Pirate - I expect many readers will be heading over to Edelweiss to request it.

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    4. I picked up Revolutionary this past week and am now off to get The Rebel Pirate! Thanks for the tip Donna! Can't wait to read it!

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  7. I've added ever single one of these books to my list! Thank you for sharing, Sarah! So happy to be reading more about this period in our history and about the people who lived then. We need more books like these!

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    1. Glad you liked the list, Stephanie! I agree we could use more novels about this period - although there are some notable exceptions, it's been fairly well neglected until just recently.

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  8. Anonymous4:06 PM

    I read so many of Marguerite Vance's fictionalized biographies when I was young, including PATSY JEFFERSON OF MONTICELLO. Now I am very curious as to who Patsy wanted to marry in Paris (per the author's website . . .).

    Sarah OL

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  9. Anonymous4:08 PM

    I'll also need to read MY NAME IS RESOLUTE, as ancestors of mine were prominent in Lexington from 1650 onward - maybe there will be a mention.

    Sarah OL

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    1. I'm not familiar with that aspect of Patsy Jefferson's life either... will be interested to learn more.

      Benedict Arnold is a cousin of one of my ancestors... I bet that made for an interesting story around their dinner table.

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  10. What a great looking list! This is my favorite time period, and it's such a treasure trove of stories just begging to be made into novels. Glad to see more are being published and that one of them is about King's Mountain!

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    1. That's one aspect of the Revolution I don't know nearly as much about as I should - I bought McCrumb's novel last month but haven't had time to get to it yet (grr). This is my favorite time period too... well, anything from the colonial era through the Revolution works well for me!

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  11. Thank you for the list Sarah! Very exciting. I am usually drawn to Ireland/Scotland, but will look at these books now. LOVE Gabaldon's Outlander, so I look forward to the next installment. What an amazing storyteller with her details, plot, twists and turns. I have them all but cannot re-read them because some parts are so brutal...anyway, looks like next summer I need to block out a few days or weeks to finish 1000 pages...

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    1. I'm not a fast reader, but if the story pulls me along, I've been known to finish long books like that in a week. Gone With the Wind took me that long, and I didn't come up for air much while reading it!

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  12. Marie7:46 PM

    Thanks for this list! Your lists are always hard on my credit card bill, but fortunately my local library has several. :) I looked up "The Scent of Death" and I'm thinking I'll ordered it used, but even more bizarre is that there is a free sampler of it available via Kindle - but the whole book isn't available for purchase! I was pretty disappointed after I realized that it was only the first 95 pages being offered.

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    1. These lists are hard on my own credit card bill, too. :) I saw that too - that the Kindle preview is online even though the book isn't sold by anyone but third-party sellers. There must be some mix-up there.

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