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The Schoolmaster's Daughter
From the author of The Anarchist and Cold ―a gripping historical novel set during the American Revolution. With the outbreak of the American revolution, Abigail Lovell's family is torn apart―while her schoolmaster father is an outspoken loyalist and prominent figurehead in the community, she and her two brothers engage in acts of espionage to undermine the British forces in Boston. Her sickly older brother, James, operates the patriots’ spy ring while Abigail acts as a courier, eluding increasingly aggressive British patrols. Meanwhile, her younger brother, Benjamin, slips out of Boston to fight alongside Abigail’s love, Ezra, in the battles at Lexington and Concord. With the help of her friend, Rachel revere, Abigail smuggles money and supplies out to Benjamin, Ezra, and other revolutionaries.
But when a British sergeant is found murdered, Abigail stands accused, and she now must fight to save herself and those she loves. in the tradition of Sally Gunning’s Bound and Diana Gabaldon’s An Echo in the Bone, The Schoolmaster’s Daughter is the story of a family torn asunder―and of a determined young woman who must make courageous decisions if she is to aid in liberating her country.
But when a British sergeant is found murdered, Abigail stands accused, and she now must fight to save herself and those she loves. in the tradition of Sally Gunning’s Bound and Diana Gabaldon’s An Echo in the Bone, The Schoolmaster’s Daughter is the story of a family torn asunder―and of a determined young woman who must make courageous decisions if she is to aid in liberating her country.
389 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
15 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
John Smolens
21 books42 followersAccording to Northern Michigan University's website, John Smolens "...has published five novels Cold, The Invisible World, Fire Point, Angel’s Head, and Winter by Degrees, and one collection of short stories (My One and Only Bomb Shelter.) Cold was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and the Detroit Free Press selected Fire Point as the best book by a Michigan author in 2004... His short stories and essays have appeared in various magazines and newspapers, including: the Virginia Quarterly, the William and Mary Review, the Massachusetts Review, Yankee, Redbook, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. His work has been translated into Dutch, Greek, Italian, and Turkish, and has been published the United Kingdom by Hodder & Stoughton, London."
His most recent publication is The Anarchist and has been well received.
His most recent publication is The Anarchist and has been well received.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
September 6, 2016
The Schoolmaster's Daughter follows Abigail Lovell, daughter of the headmaster of the Boston Latin School, through the events of the Siege of Boston during the Revolutionary War. Her family's loyalties were divided, with her father remaining a Loyalist while her brothers supported the revolutionary cause.
These events serve as a compelling backdrop, with the family discord echoing the tension between the Bostonians and the occupying British army. The tone of the novel, though, is strangely detached. The central characters are not mere observers of the turmoil around them. They are direct participants in the fighting and espionage, yet they don't seem to have much emotional investment in what is going on. Sometimes the writing does not quite work, with periodic info-dumps of American history and occasional anachronistic word choices ("mad" for angry, "hurl" for vomit). There is no Author's Note or further information about which characters were real people. Abigail's brother James was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation, but whether or not Abigail and her other brother Benjamin actually lived and if so what happened to them is unclear. There was a lot of potential here, but the novel was not equal to the history.
2.5 stars
These events serve as a compelling backdrop, with the family discord echoing the tension between the Bostonians and the occupying British army. The tone of the novel, though, is strangely detached. The central characters are not mere observers of the turmoil around them. They are direct participants in the fighting and espionage, yet they don't seem to have much emotional investment in what is going on. Sometimes the writing does not quite work, with periodic info-dumps of American history and occasional anachronistic word choices ("mad" for angry, "hurl" for vomit). There is no Author's Note or further information about which characters were real people. Abigail's brother James was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation, but whether or not Abigail and her other brother Benjamin actually lived and if so what happened to them is unclear. There was a lot of potential here, but the novel was not equal to the history.
2.5 stars
January 7, 2015
2.5 stars
This is the story of a family during the Revolutionary War. The parents are loyalist and the children are not. While the story did peak my interest about this period (which I know very little), I didn't care for the book much. I had two major problems with it.....first and formost, I didn't really care about the family members. Second, the writing style bothered me so much that it was distracting (which might be responsible for not really caring about the characters. I think I might go find the Bernard Cornwell books about the same time period.
This is the story of a family during the Revolutionary War. The parents are loyalist and the children are not. While the story did peak my interest about this period (which I know very little), I didn't care for the book much. I had two major problems with it.....first and formost, I didn't really care about the family members. Second, the writing style bothered me so much that it was distracting (which might be responsible for not really caring about the characters. I think I might go find the Bernard Cornwell books about the same time period.
August 12, 2012
The author's other work won plaudits--and the setting was interesting. But this book failed to engage, on several levels:
The re-telling of familiar historical bits made it feel like Smolens was teaching a lesson, using a mix of people he made and plugging in British Generals and Paul Revere.
The lead character--Abigail--felt like woman as written by a man.
The characters' motivations and actions were curiously disjointed.
Lots of battle strategy and authentic detail without much of a human story to hang the history on. There was nobody to care about.
The re-telling of familiar historical bits made it feel like Smolens was teaching a lesson, using a mix of people he made and plugging in British Generals and Paul Revere.
The lead character--Abigail--felt like woman as written by a man.
The characters' motivations and actions were curiously disjointed.
Lots of battle strategy and authentic detail without much of a human story to hang the history on. There was nobody to care about.
January 14, 2013
I received this book as a Christmas present, kindly signed by the author with a lovely note.
Like others I felt that this book started rather slow. I began it on a long plane flight home but it got put aside once I got home. Perhaps it says something that I unpacked and actually put away my suitcase before I picked this novel up again. Truly, I felt beholden to the person who bought me the book to actually finish it.
However... once the book hit about one hundred pages I found myself carving out time to read "just one more chapter." By the end I was pretty well hooked and finished the last hundred or so pages in the matter of a few hours.
As an historian myself I appreciate Smolens' attention to detail. There are a few anachronisms, particularly in the dialogue (the colloquial "something must be up" was not exactly common in the 18th century), but I applaud his inclusion of the less "Puritan" behaviors of our ancestors. Smolens is exactly right... there was many a shot-gun marriage in the Revolutionary period! Though I wonder if girls like Abigail and even the less-refined Rachel Revere would have discussed sex with such humor and more than a little vulgarity. It is my understanding that pre-marital sex was more than common during this period, but it was generally understood to be something that was not talked about, particularly among upper-class women.
That being said, Rachel was far and away my favorite character, whether or not her attitude and personality were a little too modern for the period.
I liked this book as a work of historical fiction more for its attention to the history than for its attention to the fiction. I agree with the other reviewer who commented on a male author writing such an intimate, personal story about a female character. It can certainly be done! I don't want to seem like I am reverse-gender bashing. However, the internal voice of this book definitely came across as a man writing as a woman. It is hard to provide a specific example, but there were times when I found myself just shaking my head. Smolens was most successful in the chapters that provided Benjamin's perspective.
I also took issue with some aspects of the story. SPOILERS AHEAD...
I was confused by how quickly the relationships developed and then changed between the characters. Abigail and Samuel's relationship was the most baffling to me. At first she was suspicious of Samuel's attentions, and rightfully so given her loyalty to the Patriot cause and Samuel's role as an officer in the occupying army she despised so much. But then she agrees to accompany him on romantic walks and her hatred of the British seems to evaporate -- at least on the evenings she is with him. Only a short time later they have moved their relationship to an intimate level and Abigail is envisioning a life in Britain, the very country she has come to hate. Once I got my head around this change of attitude I actually found myself cheering on the star-crossed lovers. But then after learning some salacious information about her officer-lover Abigail distances herself from Samuel, but her anger inexplicably dissipates without an explanation from Samuel and the two are back to normal. However, a short-time later she lures Samuel into a romantic encounter in order to help the Patriots perpetrate acts of espionage. It is never quite clear how Abigail felt about this incident. Did she do it out of desire for Samuel? Was it retribution for his encounters with Molly? Her internal reasoning behind this decision was vague as well as her subsequent reaction... And did anyone else find it ironic that she was indignant about the prostitution in Boston but then she takes this action? When Samuel discovers this betrayal he chases her across Boston and eventually shoots her. The relationship of Samuel and Abigail left me with whip-lash. I guess like Abigail I was left to wonder how I truly felt about Samuel at the end of the book. I didn't dislike him... I certainly didn't approve of his activities with Molly, but then I couldn't hate him for that when it turns out Ezra was doing the same. But it was hard to like a man who says he loves a woman one minute and then shoots her in the next.
As for the Abigail/Ezra pairing... its hard to pull for a couple that only have two scenes together in the entire book and both of them are flashbacks. Their relationship was unique in that it really wasn't a relationship. They were never physically together in the book and rarely did they speak about each other to someone else. The reader had to take Smolens at his word that these two were soulmates (enough that she would care for his bastard child when he died) because there was little evidence from which the reader could form his or her own opinion.
For as slowly as this book built I was hoping for a softer, gentler return from the climax. On the one hand I appreciate that Smolens did not wrap up the characters' stories with a nice, neat bow. James was not released from prison, there was no joyous family reconciliation, etc. However, I wanted a little more resolution. Perhaps some reflection from Abigail on Samuel and on Ezra's death. Her reaction when she found out why he REALLY left Boston, maybe, or Benjamin's reunion with Mariah. And what was up with Molly? First she and Abigail work together to get Lumley out of the city, then she taunts Abigail about Samuel without any apparent provocation and accuses her of murder, and finally, they are friends again when they meet in the prison? I was kind of hoping Abigail would spit in her face but instead Molly and her conclude the story as close friends. Like many of the relationships in this story I was asking myself "how did that happen?"
I think I would read another of Smolens books just support a U.P. author. And truthfully I would recommend this book to someone else looking for a light read. Lord knows I could use someone to try and explain some of these changing relationships to me! Perhaps over a cup of non-taxed tea
Like others I felt that this book started rather slow. I began it on a long plane flight home but it got put aside once I got home. Perhaps it says something that I unpacked and actually put away my suitcase before I picked this novel up again. Truly, I felt beholden to the person who bought me the book to actually finish it.
However... once the book hit about one hundred pages I found myself carving out time to read "just one more chapter." By the end I was pretty well hooked and finished the last hundred or so pages in the matter of a few hours.
As an historian myself I appreciate Smolens' attention to detail. There are a few anachronisms, particularly in the dialogue (the colloquial "something must be up" was not exactly common in the 18th century), but I applaud his inclusion of the less "Puritan" behaviors of our ancestors. Smolens is exactly right... there was many a shot-gun marriage in the Revolutionary period! Though I wonder if girls like Abigail and even the less-refined Rachel Revere would have discussed sex with such humor and more than a little vulgarity. It is my understanding that pre-marital sex was more than common during this period, but it was generally understood to be something that was not talked about, particularly among upper-class women.
That being said, Rachel was far and away my favorite character, whether or not her attitude and personality were a little too modern for the period.
I liked this book as a work of historical fiction more for its attention to the history than for its attention to the fiction. I agree with the other reviewer who commented on a male author writing such an intimate, personal story about a female character. It can certainly be done! I don't want to seem like I am reverse-gender bashing. However, the internal voice of this book definitely came across as a man writing as a woman. It is hard to provide a specific example, but there were times when I found myself just shaking my head. Smolens was most successful in the chapters that provided Benjamin's perspective.
I also took issue with some aspects of the story. SPOILERS AHEAD...
I was confused by how quickly the relationships developed and then changed between the characters. Abigail and Samuel's relationship was the most baffling to me. At first she was suspicious of Samuel's attentions, and rightfully so given her loyalty to the Patriot cause and Samuel's role as an officer in the occupying army she despised so much. But then she agrees to accompany him on romantic walks and her hatred of the British seems to evaporate -- at least on the evenings she is with him. Only a short time later they have moved their relationship to an intimate level and Abigail is envisioning a life in Britain, the very country she has come to hate. Once I got my head around this change of attitude I actually found myself cheering on the star-crossed lovers. But then after learning some salacious information about her officer-lover Abigail distances herself from Samuel, but her anger inexplicably dissipates without an explanation from Samuel and the two are back to normal. However, a short-time later she lures Samuel into a romantic encounter in order to help the Patriots perpetrate acts of espionage. It is never quite clear how Abigail felt about this incident. Did she do it out of desire for Samuel? Was it retribution for his encounters with Molly? Her internal reasoning behind this decision was vague as well as her subsequent reaction... And did anyone else find it ironic that she was indignant about the prostitution in Boston but then she takes this action? When Samuel discovers this betrayal he chases her across Boston and eventually shoots her. The relationship of Samuel and Abigail left me with whip-lash. I guess like Abigail I was left to wonder how I truly felt about Samuel at the end of the book. I didn't dislike him... I certainly didn't approve of his activities with Molly, but then I couldn't hate him for that when it turns out Ezra was doing the same. But it was hard to like a man who says he loves a woman one minute and then shoots her in the next.
As for the Abigail/Ezra pairing... its hard to pull for a couple that only have two scenes together in the entire book and both of them are flashbacks. Their relationship was unique in that it really wasn't a relationship. They were never physically together in the book and rarely did they speak about each other to someone else. The reader had to take Smolens at his word that these two were soulmates (enough that she would care for his bastard child when he died) because there was little evidence from which the reader could form his or her own opinion.
For as slowly as this book built I was hoping for a softer, gentler return from the climax. On the one hand I appreciate that Smolens did not wrap up the characters' stories with a nice, neat bow. James was not released from prison, there was no joyous family reconciliation, etc. However, I wanted a little more resolution. Perhaps some reflection from Abigail on Samuel and on Ezra's death. Her reaction when she found out why he REALLY left Boston, maybe, or Benjamin's reunion with Mariah. And what was up with Molly? First she and Abigail work together to get Lumley out of the city, then she taunts Abigail about Samuel without any apparent provocation and accuses her of murder, and finally, they are friends again when they meet in the prison? I was kind of hoping Abigail would spit in her face but instead Molly and her conclude the story as close friends. Like many of the relationships in this story I was asking myself "how did that happen?"
I think I would read another of Smolens books just support a U.P. author. And truthfully I would recommend this book to someone else looking for a light read. Lord knows I could use someone to try and explain some of these changing relationships to me! Perhaps over a cup of non-taxed tea
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2014
This book had five star potential. Then the end came and the author kind of shot himself in the foot. At the onset of this book, I found myself so immersed in colonial Boston. I could just envision all of the various streets and landmarks as Abigail made her way around Boston. And then the end happened. Ugh.
As an American, I am pretty ashamed of the little knowledge I have of the American Revolution. This is a "war" (Is it considered a war? There wasn't exactly a Congress around to declare war.) which brought about the creation of the country I call home. I know there were some guys named Washington, Jefferson, and Hancock. I know there was something called the Declaration of Independence. Places like Boston and Philadelphia were big deals. That's about it. I know very little about the politics and specific events of the Revolutionary War. I know more about the French Revolution than I do the American one. There isn't even a little bit of French in my DNA (well, there might be but that's a different story). The only reason I was able to envision Boston as well as I did, was because Boston is an important story line in the game Assassin's Creed III. Seriously, it's sad. After reading this book, I have an enormous list of places and people I need to research.
Assassin's Creed III did ruin the book for me just a little .
By the end of the book, there were few surprises left for me. Having all of those suspicions confirmed brought me down a little. I think the mark of a good historical novel is making the reader care about what happens to the characters even if they already know what's going to happen. Yes, in this case, the main characters were fictional so it wasn't predetermined what would happen but by the end I didn't really find myself caring what happened.
As an American, I am pretty ashamed of the little knowledge I have of the American Revolution. This is a "war" (Is it considered a war? There wasn't exactly a Congress around to declare war.) which brought about the creation of the country I call home. I know there were some guys named Washington, Jefferson, and Hancock. I know there was something called the Declaration of Independence. Places like Boston and Philadelphia were big deals. That's about it. I know very little about the politics and specific events of the Revolutionary War. I know more about the French Revolution than I do the American one. There isn't even a little bit of French in my DNA (well, there might be but that's a different story). The only reason I was able to envision Boston as well as I did, was because Boston is an important story line in the game Assassin's Creed III. Seriously, it's sad. After reading this book, I have an enormous list of places and people I need to research.
Assassin's Creed III did ruin the book for me just a little .
By the end of the book, there were few surprises left for me. Having all of those suspicions confirmed brought me down a little. I think the mark of a good historical novel is making the reader care about what happens to the characters even if they already know what's going to happen. Yes, in this case, the main characters were fictional so it wasn't predetermined what would happen but by the end I didn't really find myself caring what happened.
February 24, 2012
John Smolens' special niche has always been the literary thriller. In his last two books, THE ANARCHIST, and now, THE SCHOOLMASTER'S DAUGHTER, he has turned this talent toward historical fiction. With the former, it worked exceedingly well. But the latter novel lumbered laboriously along for a couple hundred pages before it began to hit its stride and lift of into the thriller mode, and even then it returned to earth too soon.
Make no mistake, I am a tried and true fan of Smolens books, so I stayed with THE SCHOOLMASTER'S DAUGHTER for the whole flight, right up until she made that final not-quite-satisfying and curiously flat touch-down. Abigail Lovell, the title character heroine had so much potential, but that potential never quite flowered. It seemed to be choked out by all the historical details, which, while I'm sure they were all accurate and authentic, served, I felt, more to slow down the narrative than to advance the storyline. Abigail's one-time almost-lover Ezra never advanced much beyond the negative stage, and her other, the redcoat officer Samuel Cleaveland, didn't fare much better, his part "prematurely" curtailed as the final big battle for Boston began. The same incompleteness plagued other characters - Abigail's brothers James and Benjamin, her father, the turncoat Corporal Lumley, the prostitute Molly Collins and others. The real historical characters - Paul Revere, Dr Warren, General Gage, Israel Putnam, and even George Washington - all seemed to mostly get in the way of what I believe could have been a much more exciting story, i.e. a John Smolens story.
I guess it felt to me like the historian strangled the novelist here. I don't mean to say the book is bad. But by Smolens standards it could have been - should have been - so much better. I suspect the book will be loved by history buffs, but perhaps not so much by literature nerds like me. No fear though, John. I will still be eagerly awaiting that next book from you. I'm still hoping for a sequel to COLD, another Michigan Upper Peninsula story reprising the great character of Sheriff Del Maki.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
Make no mistake, I am a tried and true fan of Smolens books, so I stayed with THE SCHOOLMASTER'S DAUGHTER for the whole flight, right up until she made that final not-quite-satisfying and curiously flat touch-down. Abigail Lovell, the title character heroine had so much potential, but that potential never quite flowered. It seemed to be choked out by all the historical details, which, while I'm sure they were all accurate and authentic, served, I felt, more to slow down the narrative than to advance the storyline. Abigail's one-time almost-lover Ezra never advanced much beyond the negative stage, and her other, the redcoat officer Samuel Cleaveland, didn't fare much better, his part "prematurely" curtailed as the final big battle for Boston began. The same incompleteness plagued other characters - Abigail's brothers James and Benjamin, her father, the turncoat Corporal Lumley, the prostitute Molly Collins and others. The real historical characters - Paul Revere, Dr Warren, General Gage, Israel Putnam, and even George Washington - all seemed to mostly get in the way of what I believe could have been a much more exciting story, i.e. a John Smolens story.
I guess it felt to me like the historian strangled the novelist here. I don't mean to say the book is bad. But by Smolens standards it could have been - should have been - so much better. I suspect the book will be loved by history buffs, but perhaps not so much by literature nerds like me. No fear though, John. I will still be eagerly awaiting that next book from you. I'm still hoping for a sequel to COLD, another Michigan Upper Peninsula story reprising the great character of Sheriff Del Maki.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
February 7, 2020
Americans, if they know any history at all (sadly, that is not a given today) think of the Civil War as the one that may have split families. The Schoolmaster's Daughter presents us with a family eccentric loyalist British schoolmaster and his three renegade "American" children at the time of the Revolution. These "children" are a teenage son, a young adult daughter and an older son and the story follows their actions at the start of the war. Mrs. Paul Revere (the second one) is also included in the characters. I pleasant book, very readable, that tells of a time almost glossed over now in mile wide, 1/16 of an inch deep history courses in school. The Schoolmaster's Daughter by John Smolens.
[Note: Why is f-*k mandatory in books these days? And why must seemingly every novel have some idiotic character yammering on graphically about sex? When I read this I felt like a teenager had defaced the book with such a monologue. Admittedly the f---- and one very short graphic sex rant was from a prostitute, but the other such diatribe came out of nowhere, added nothing to the story, and seemed like it was forced in with a crow bar just to titillate--totally unnecessary to the story. Happily, these "ick" moments were barely more than a line or two in total so I say this just to warn the reader, not to condemn the book.)
[Note: Why is f-*k mandatory in books these days? And why must seemingly every novel have some idiotic character yammering on graphically about sex? When I read this I felt like a teenager had defaced the book with such a monologue. Admittedly the f---- and one very short graphic sex rant was from a prostitute, but the other such diatribe came out of nowhere, added nothing to the story, and seemed like it was forced in with a crow bar just to titillate--totally unnecessary to the story. Happily, these "ick" moments were barely more than a line or two in total so I say this just to warn the reader, not to condemn the book.)
March 7, 2012
I absolutely couldn't put this book down. I tend to be a fan of historical fiction, although I can't say I've read a lot of books set in this time period. The novel was completely realistic, and truly gave insight of what life would have been like for a patriot living in "unfriendly" territory. Kudos to the author on writing about such a strong female character. If ever a time period called for it, the American Revolution is it. As I read about those brave souls that risked their lives centuries ago, whether through fighting or spying - it did two things for me. It made me appreciate all over again the liberties that we enjoy today. And it made me wonder about those brave individuals who are fighting/protesting elsewhere in the world today against their own governments for similar liberties. Similar fights go on in different ways - but the underlying feelings of the individuals I imagine haven't changed in 230+ years. Ultimately, I was reminded that the more things change the more they remain the same.
February 22, 2012
I have read Cold and Fire Point by John Smolens and enjoyed both of them especially because of the way these books skillfully capture the culture and people of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In The Schoolmaster's Daughter, Smolens renders the world of 1775-76 Boston just as memorably. The prose is so fluid that the narration glides along and almost masks the complex machinations that occured between the Bostonians and the English soldiers. I highly recommend this book for a humanized glimpse into Revolutionary America along with its subtle plot twists and unexpected character development.
March 28, 2012
here is the updated version of Johnny Tremain, albeit with a female protagonist. I read this quickly, but it captured colonial Boston in the same way that Esther Forbes did with her novel. And given the recent popularity with YA books of somewhat graphic nature, this telling is provides more detail and insight into human nature. Characters are portrayed in a more realistic light, with full range of emotions and actions, good and bad. Would definitely recommend reading for middle/high school history.
September 20, 2011
I read about this book when I was staying in Concord. The Concord Book Store was having an author's visit. I bought it and kept reading it because it had a few scenes of revolutionary Concord in it. As a novel, it is only so-so with a number of improbable events and changes of heart. I liked the strong female protagonist, but some of the plot lines really made me swallow my cynicism in order to finish it.
January 26, 2012
This is a novel of historical fiction written by an English professor from my University, Northern Michigan University. The event portraied is the Revolution from England that takes place in Boston, MA. A family divided, Father and Mother are Tories loyal to the crown, and the adult children are all working as spies for the Revolution. Good character development and a wonderful easy read, for Historical Fiction.
October 14, 2013
I really enjoyed getting some of the details about the first days of the Amrrican Revolution in Boston. The tension between sides of the dispute that pitted children aginst parents, and colonists against the mother country is well portrayed in this story. I really wanted some author's notes explaining which events and characters were real and which were fiction. The genius of this book's perspective is being in Boston during the seige.
December 1, 2011
Just meh. The book is about the Boston occupation by the redcoats, Lexington and Concord, and the Battle of Bunker Hill, from the perspective of a patriot daughter of a loyalist father living in Boston. It should have been so much more interesting than it was. Oh well, I suppose that's why it was on $0.99 special on Kindle :-)
September 14, 2013
What a wonderful story! I live just north of Boston and was raised on stories of Bostonians' role in the Revolution. John Smolens did a wonderful job of exploring the choices families had to make during those years, the risks they took and the resulting ramifications.
A well done story. A great way to wait out a delayed flight home.
I recommend it!!!
A well done story. A great way to wait out a delayed flight home.
I recommend it!!!
December 22, 2013
Interesting historical fiction about the US revolutionary war and the British occupation of Boston. I found it to be an interesting read but only gave it 3 stars because it didn't really engage me. I often felt like I was reading a history text book about battle strategies. I enjoyed his other books more.
May 20, 2012
Abigal is living in Boston as the rEvolutionary War breaks out. She and her family are torn between Tory and Whig. Starts out well put descends into a romance-type novel. Good if you like that sort of book; I'd rather read the real history.
October 5, 2011
I was at first bored with this novel, but towards the end it picked up a bit. What the heck was the thing with the egg at the end?
October 24, 2011
History interesting.
January 5, 2012
If you like Historical Fiction, then you will like this book. Written well and a compelling story that makes you want to keep reading.
August 31, 2012
Reads like an approved fourth grade history book for the state of Texas.
May 22, 2013
I'd probably give this 3.5 stars. Pretty good historical fiction. I really liked it.
June 15, 2013
Amazing book about the American Revolution. Takes place in Boston, so good I couldn't put it down.
June 17, 2014
OK - I liked the fact that it was set in Boston.
December 22, 2020
John Smolens's The Schoolmaster's Daughter had been on my reading list for well over a year before I finally read it last week - and it was worth the wait.
This is the story of Boston's Lovell family, in the opening days of the American Revolution. The father is the well-respected schoolmaster of the Latin school (hence the title of the book) - and a devoted loyalist. His three children on the other hand, James, Abigail, and Benjamin, are avowed Americans - and known revolutionaries. This is particularly true of eldest son James, he of the slightly dodgy past and mysterious illness (which is oddly and annoyingly never explained) who pens many of the missives that drive the Revolution.
Primarily Schoolmaster's Daughter focuses on the parallel stories of Abigail, who alternately woos and spurns a British corporal and finds herself accused in the murder of a sargeant, and youngest brother Benjamin who slips through siege lines and fights in the early, hot battles in the countryside outside the city. The latter he does alongside Ezra Hammond, whom Abigail expected to wed until he left Boston without a word some months before the opening shots of the war - and whose own history is one of the most intricately woven pieces of the story.
Smolens has written a wonderful novel, replete with such larger-than-life characters as Paul Revere and his wife Rachel (conveniently Abigail's best friend) and General Thomas Gage who is friendly with the schoolmaster himself. Ultimately, the language and the events of the time so permeate the pages that the reader feels immersed in Revolutionary Boston and surprised to find herself, say, in a crowded airport.
This is the story of Boston's Lovell family, in the opening days of the American Revolution. The father is the well-respected schoolmaster of the Latin school (hence the title of the book) - and a devoted loyalist. His three children on the other hand, James, Abigail, and Benjamin, are avowed Americans - and known revolutionaries. This is particularly true of eldest son James, he of the slightly dodgy past and mysterious illness (which is oddly and annoyingly never explained) who pens many of the missives that drive the Revolution.
Primarily Schoolmaster's Daughter focuses on the parallel stories of Abigail, who alternately woos and spurns a British corporal and finds herself accused in the murder of a sargeant, and youngest brother Benjamin who slips through siege lines and fights in the early, hot battles in the countryside outside the city. The latter he does alongside Ezra Hammond, whom Abigail expected to wed until he left Boston without a word some months before the opening shots of the war - and whose own history is one of the most intricately woven pieces of the story.
Smolens has written a wonderful novel, replete with such larger-than-life characters as Paul Revere and his wife Rachel (conveniently Abigail's best friend) and General Thomas Gage who is friendly with the schoolmaster himself. Ultimately, the language and the events of the time so permeate the pages that the reader feels immersed in Revolutionary Boston and surprised to find herself, say, in a crowded airport.
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October 4, 2021DNF at about 30% give or take. This had such a perfect premise for me and I was so excited - Boston at the start of the Revolutionary War, a family with torn loyalties, romantic subplot, characters involved in historical events, humanizing history, liberty's kids energy. Here's the catch though: female main character, this book is written by a man. Frowny face. The way he wrote her made absolutely no sense, her actions made no sense for the time period, for her initially established character and values - she is very flighty and casually sexualized along with other female characters (insert myriad women written by men memes). It wasn't horrific, but it was definitely there. I might go back to it eventually, just because of the amazing premise and the fact that some things might be explained later, but overall I wish it was better. The lack of revolutionary war era historical fiction is actually criminal, please write more, authors
September 9, 2024
An in-depth account of the British occupation of Boston from just a few months after the Boston Tea Party to the evacuation. The schoolmaster sides with the British. His 3 children are working against them. Her father's political stance and status helps to keep the family safe.
All I remember from school is that after the Tea incident, there was a battle and then the British left. This was a great historical eye opener.
I would recommend this book
All I remember from school is that after the Tea incident, there was a battle and then the British left. This was a great historical eye opener.
I would recommend this book
August 6, 2018
A story of the American Revolution. Abigail and her brothers are working with the rebels while her prominent parents remain true to the Loyalists. The siblings and their friends take constant risks and are always on the edge of being caught. A fast-moving, entertaining read for those who like the historical fiction genre.
July 2, 2017
It was a good book in the beginning, but it started to drag and then ended weirdly. But it was an unusual topic for historic fiction and I learned about Boston in the days leading up to the Revolution, so it wasn't a waste of time.
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