The Carolinian

by Rafael Sabatini

Excitement and anticipation are rife in the New World – it is a land offering new beginnings and new opportunities. Yet it is also a land of intrigue, deception and deadly opposition. Centred on the rich and fertile soils of Carolina at the time of the American War of Independence, 'The Carolinian 'charts the interwoven stories of a host of characters.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Classics, War, Adventure, Historical

Paperback

First published January 1, 1925

About the author

Rafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English. " In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917).

Reviews

[Ahmed Aziz · Rating 3 out of 5]

আমেরিকার স্বাধীনতার যুদ্ধের সময়কার দক্ষিণ ক্যারোলাইনার রামছাগল ল্যাটিমার, মেগা রামছাগল মিসেস ল্যাটিমার, অসাধারণ বুদ্ধিমান ও তীক্ষ্ণ রাটিলেজ, বীর মলট্রি আর মেন্ডেলেভের চমৎকার কাহিনি। রামছাগলদের কারণে ডায়লগবাজি বেশি না হইলে দুর্ধর্ষ হইতো।

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in South Carolina from 1775 to 1779, this novel is the tale of Harry Latimer and Myrtle Cary, two lovers from opposing sides of the American revolution. Themes of duty and trust, appearance versus substance, abound in both the love story and the action (both before and after the start of the war).

Not being in the mood for a book that would depress me, I will admit to my shame that about a quarter of the way through, I skipped to the end to make sure that I would like the way the story came out. I should have trusted Sabatini! Knowing the ending did lessen some of the tension but I still found myself wondering about certain characters even so.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1924, 'The Carolinian' is a tale of love, betrayal, and lots of spying during the American Revolutionary Wars. Compared to some of Sabatini's work, this contained a lot less action and a lot more talking - and yet it kept up the amazing sense of pace that he is justly famous for. Character development is very clever, with some dark yet believable traits evident even in the main character. Very enjoyable.

[Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 97 year old book is the best thing I've read this year. Based on a play, the novel traces the married life and actions of Harry Latimer. Sabatini was a fantastic writer of historically based fiction, and the story is a complete one in and of itself - no "further adventures of" sequels, but that's okay, because every plot theme save on - the Revolution itself - is tied neatly up with bows by the story's end.

[Susan Kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the more famous books by Sabatini as a middle schooler and finding this piece set in Charleston around the Revolutionary War was such a treat! His writing is nostalgically romantic (published in 1925 and the style makes it evident). I (like another reviewer) did flip to the end for assurance that all of my favorite characters would make it out ok. If you enjoy a swashbuckling heroic adventure, this one’s for you.

[Pygmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Rutledge (a founding father!) ended up being my fav character because the impetuous but noble hero hated his guts for being a lugubrious lawyer that defended/cross-examined everything and followed procedure until the end when, despite being frenemies, John Rutledge defended the hero against charges of being a traitor via that same rigorous cross examination technique. <3 I love a scrupulous fair bureaucrat whom everyone hates, lol.

[Masum Billah · Rating 4 out of 5]

আমেরিকার স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ। ক্যারোলিনা প্রুভিন্সকে কেন্দ্র করে লেখা অসাধারন একটা কাহিনী। একদিকে মুক্তিকামী মানুষ অপরদিকে ব্রিটিশ বাহিনী ও রাজার অনুগত টোরিরা। প্রেম,ভালোবাসা, ছলনা, প্রতারণা, যুদ্ধ, গুপ্তচর
যেখানে কন্যার শত্রু পিতা, বোনের শত্রু ভাই, স্বামীর শত্রু স্ত্রী, বন্ধুর শত্রু বন্ধু। সেই সাথে আছে ত্রিভুজ প্রেমের অসাধারন একটা কাহিনী। সব মিলিয়ে জাস্ট অসাম একটা বই।

[Jack S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of intrique set in the American Revolution in South Carolina following the life and tumultuous romance of a continental officer.

[Farhan · Rating 1 out of 5]

হ্যাগার্ডের বইয়ের বেলায় 'বোরিং' শব্দটা যায় না, কিন্তু এই বইটা ঠিক তাই--মহা বোরিং। পুরা গল্পে একটাও লাইকেবল চরিত্র নাই।

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry Latimer works with South Carolinian rebel groups before and during the Revolutionary War, while circumstances threaten his relationship.

The first half of this book is a typical Sabatini adventure, with narrow escapes, thrilling confrontations, and a bold hero who risks it all for love. The second half is darker.

In it, the protagonist becomes less sympathetic, wildly swinging between trust and suspicion. He's given fair cause to question, but he is so quick to believe the worst that it turns me a little against him. Some amount of misunderstanding was necessary to drive the drama, but even if he hadn't been on thin ice with me, one desperate step that Latimer nearly takes during the ending soured him as a hero.

My feelings about Harry aside, this is still an enjoyable read. The mix of personal narrative with history and military action is carried off better here than in some of the author's previous books.

[Wallowing Hippo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember reading many of Sabatini's better known works as a teenager and absolutely loving them for their swashbuckling plots, flawed heroes and excellent historical detail. Therefore, on a whim, I saw this in a secondhand bookshop and couldn't resist. However ... somehow, it did not live up to my expectations; or, maybe, my appreciation for Sabatini has faded over the years; or, maybe, this was just not a good choice.

It is not set in Europe as the vast majority of his works are, but in Carolina during the struggle for American independence. And I sensed a lack of familiarity with that setting; Sabatini is wonderfully comfortable in Renaissance Italy and other European moments of significant historical importance, but this felt forced and less fluent in its presentation. There were chunks of historical detail that I felt stagnated the plot. Maybe I just missed the swashbuckling and need to find my copy of Scaramouche!!

[Faran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Sabatini gives us a somewhat politically insensitive main character that is willing to risk many lives for his own personal interests, which is wrong, however "pure" those interests (love of a woman) may be.

Harry Latimer suffers from an extreme case of pedestalism and is on the wrong side of his quarrels with other revolutionaries. Nonetheless, he is far more likable than Peter Blood or Oliver Tressilian.

The novel is a good one, very thrilling to read, and the awesomeness of the character of John Rutledge makes this my favorite novel of Sabatini's with the exception of the incomparable Scaramouche and Bellarione Fortunato.

[Remus Mars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable! A story with many, many distinct and unique characters, more than half of them actual historical figures. The reader will most likely have trouble keeping track of them. The villains are interesting Captain Mandeville was my personal favorite character of the novel and Sir Andrew Carey was easy to hate as a villain.

[Masum Billah · Rating 4 out of 5]

আমেরিকার স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ। ক্যারোলিনা প্রুভিন্সকে কেন্দ্র করে লেখা অসাধারন একটা কাহিনী। একদিকে মুক্তিকামী মানুষ অপরদিকে ব্রিটিশ বাহিনী ও রাজার অনুগত টোরিরা। প্রেম,ভালোবাসা, ছলনা, প্রতারণা, যুদ্ধ, গুপ্তচর
যেখানে কন্যার শত্রু পিতা, বোনের শত্রু ভাই, স্বামীর শত্রু স্ত্রী, বন্ধুর শত্রু বন্ধু। সেই সাথে আছে ত্রিভুজ প্রেমের অসাধারন একটা কাহিনী। সব মিলিয়ে জাস্ট অসাম একটা বই।

[Sadab Hossain · Rating 2 out of 5]

প্রথম দিকের কাহিনী ভালো ছিল। কিন্ত অতিরিক্ত ডায়লগ এবং লাস্টে গিয়ে ফিনিশিংটা জমলো না। অনুবাদ পরে আসল বই বিচার করা সম্ভব না যেহেতু সেবার বই পড়েছি। হয় অনুবাদে সমস্যা না হয় লেখকের কাহিনী তে সমস্যা হতে পারে।

[Mitch]

This is a hardbound book, printed by Grosset & Dunlap Publishers of New York, 3rd Impression, July 1925.