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A Tainted Dawn: The Great War
August 1789. The Rights of Man. Liberty. Equality. Idealism. Patriotism. A new age dawns. And yet, old hostilities persist: England and Spain are on the brink of war. France, allied by treaty with Spain, readies her warships. Three youths - the son of an English carpenter, the son of a naval captain, and the son of a French court tailor - meet in London, a chance encounter that entwines their lives ever after. The English boys find themselves on the same frigate bound for the Caribbean. The Frenchman sails to Trinidad, where he meets an even more zealous Spanish revolutionary. As diplomats in Europe race to avoid conflict, war threatens to explode in the Caribbean, with the three youths pitted against each other. Will the dawn of the boys' young manhood remain bright with hope? Or will it become tainted with their countrymen's spilled blood? ..".compelling characters and an exciting plot... Much like the Hornblower series, A Tainted Dawn demands sequels. Let's hope B. N. Peacock is already hard at work on the next volume " Former U. S. Naval Officer Carl Jensen, Ph.D. Director, Center for Intelligence & Security Studies University of Mississippi
- GenresHistorical Fiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
B.N. Peacock
1 book16 followers B. N. Peacock’s love of history started in childhood, hearing stories of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire from her immigrant grandparents. They related accounts handed down from their grandparents about battlefields so drenched in blood that grass cut there afterwards oozed red liquid. Such tales entranced her. These references probably dated back the time of the Napoleonic Wars. No wonder her youthful heroes included Julius Caesar and Lord Nelson. And, like one of the characters in her book, a female ancestor apparently had the “second sight.”
In addition to history, she showed an equally early proclivity for writing, winning an honorable mention in a national READ magazine contest for short stories. The story was about history, of course, namely the battle of Bunker Hill as seen from the perspective of a British war correspondent.
The passion for writing and history continued throughout high school and undergraduate studies. She was active in her high school newspaper, eventually becoming its editor-in-chief. After graduation, she majored in Classical Studies (Greek and Latin) at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. In her junior year, life took one of those peculiar turns which sidetrack one. A year abroad studying at Queen Mary College, University of London in England led to the discovery of another passion, travel. She returned and finished her degree at F&M, but now was lured from her previous interests in history and writing.
Thus began the professional student years. Anxious to find a career which would include travel, she received a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Kentucky and a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Clemson University. The professional years followed, with work at USDA’s Economic Research Service as a commodity analyst and, yes writer, with occasional television appearances. It was during this time she met and married the love of her life, her husband Daniel, who also loves to travel. They indulged their mutual interest extensively during the BC years (before children), visiting such places as Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Tobago, among others.
Then came a long stint taking care of her two children, Daniel and Stephanie, and her mother, Stephanie, as well as a diverse collection of pets, one of which always included a Golden Retriever. Ironically, the long road around actually brought her back to her real interests, writing and history. During these years, she decided to go back to writing, doing book reviews and contributions to local papers, simultaneously beginning the background work on A Tainted Dawn. And once the children grew older, travel again become an important part of life, with the entire family going abroad as she gathered material for her book. Those multiple trips to England, Belgium, and the Caribbean were done on a shoe string budget, but they were happy and mind broadening times for all.
The family has been diminished with the passing of her mother, but work continues on Book Two in The Great War series, tentatively to be called Army of Citizens, with new trips planned to England, France and Belgium.
In addition to history, she showed an equally early proclivity for writing, winning an honorable mention in a national READ magazine contest for short stories. The story was about history, of course, namely the battle of Bunker Hill as seen from the perspective of a British war correspondent.
The passion for writing and history continued throughout high school and undergraduate studies. She was active in her high school newspaper, eventually becoming its editor-in-chief. After graduation, she majored in Classical Studies (Greek and Latin) at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. In her junior year, life took one of those peculiar turns which sidetrack one. A year abroad studying at Queen Mary College, University of London in England led to the discovery of another passion, travel. She returned and finished her degree at F&M, but now was lured from her previous interests in history and writing.
Thus began the professional student years. Anxious to find a career which would include travel, she received a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Kentucky and a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Clemson University. The professional years followed, with work at USDA’s Economic Research Service as a commodity analyst and, yes writer, with occasional television appearances. It was during this time she met and married the love of her life, her husband Daniel, who also loves to travel. They indulged their mutual interest extensively during the BC years (before children), visiting such places as Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Tobago, among others.
Then came a long stint taking care of her two children, Daniel and Stephanie, and her mother, Stephanie, as well as a diverse collection of pets, one of which always included a Golden Retriever. Ironically, the long road around actually brought her back to her real interests, writing and history. During these years, she decided to go back to writing, doing book reviews and contributions to local papers, simultaneously beginning the background work on A Tainted Dawn. And once the children grew older, travel again become an important part of life, with the entire family going abroad as she gathered material for her book. Those multiple trips to England, Belgium, and the Caribbean were done on a shoe string budget, but they were happy and mind broadening times for all.
The family has been diminished with the passing of her mother, but work continues on Book Two in The Great War series, tentatively to be called Army of Citizens, with new trips planned to England, France and Belgium.
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December 16, 2012
A Trickster Eric Novels Review
Barbara Peacock asked me to read her novel "Tainted Dawn" which takes place in Europe during the yeas 1792-1815. It stars Edward, an English bastard of a ship captain, Jemmy, the only son of a poor English family, and Louis, a french revolutionary and son of a tailor.
It starts out well enough but sours quickly. Since I became a volunteer book reviewer there has only been one book that I had to force myself to finish. This is the second one.
A better name would be "Tainted Daddy Issues". All the protagonists are dominated by bad relationships with their fathers and since there is no plot these issues dominate the story.
1. Louis participates in the October Days and his father's servant blackmails him for silence. After he losses everything, his dad finds out and disowns him. With nothing left but his ideals he runs to his mentor/father figure and quarrels with him. Then he's pulled by friends to the Indies and projects his father onto the plantation owner he works for, seeing him as another 'little big shot'. He defies him and is punished by him for the same reason; ramble rousing. Instead of advocating equality he advocates hatred of Englishmen.
2. Edward thinks of nothing but making his late father (who has never seen, let alone met) proud and later projects this relationship onto the captain of the Blanche. In between he is mistreated by a third captain. That section might as well read 'Edward is insulted and hit with a stick' over and over again because that is all that happens. There is no further plot or character development. It didn't need to go on for so many chapters.
3. Jemmy runs away from home to get away from an unappreciative father but runs back to him because he had a dream of him being hung. This means deserting the royal navy and bringing more trouble to an already troubled family which makes his father even more dismissive of him. Everything this boy does relates to his father in some way.
Miss Peacock confuses character arc for story arc for there is no over-arching plot or plot thread connecting her three protagonists. There is only the three of them and their daddy issues. The chapters are spliced together without rhyme or reason other than 'alternate every time'. This destroys the purpose of cliff hangers because the suspense is gone. It breaks the build up and disperses the development of story. It's like taking a bite from a hamburger only to have it pulled away and given something else which is also pulled away after a bite. It's frustrating. More than that, it leads to confusion about what's going on because three separate stories are intertwined. Some chapters are about different people entirely and only peripherially related to the three.
1. Edward and Jemmy overlap at first because they're on the same ship but have nothing to do with each other. After Jemmy leaves, they do not reunite nor influence each other.
2. Edward and Louis do not meet again until the last arc of the book. It breaks my suspension of disbelief that they could remember each other after months of separation and difficult times because they had a brief over a petty incident.
3. Jemmy and Louis never met after the first chapter. Their stories are entirely separate. They might have seen each other if Jemmy was indeed part of the pirate group at the end but one would think Peacook would bridge such a jump from 'running from the law in the English countryside' to 'priating ships near Spanish colonies'. Louis could have done his 'all men are equal' spiel to the boy who just got burned by 'the quality' to justify the piracy and in the process learn that not all Englishmen are evil.
I feel as though she wrote three separate stories and then shuffled the chapters together to increase the work's length. She would have been wiser to write an anthology.
There is no resolution. Even though all three of them are fictional characters none of them get a resolution. Louis is shipped back to France with the same ideals and mindset; no change. Edward is still in a precarious 'sent/forced home' situation because his mother doesn't want him at sea. Jemmy is last seen running through the countryside with Nan; a fugitive from the law. He plans to go to New York but Edward's section says he died in a Spanish colony helping pirates. Does Beacook mean to imply that he was doing pirate work to pay for passage? If so, what about Nan?
One special note. This is a historical novel but Jemmy's 'future seeing dreams' are vital to his third of the story. Without it he never would have gone home and instead stayed on the ship and so he wouldn't serve as the unwitting cause of his father's death. I cannot tolerate such a plot device, especially when there aren't any other supernatural elements. The sailors don't mention Davvy Jones or mermaids or sailor superstitions!
There is one redeeming aspect; history. If one considers these not characters, presay, but instead character-actors playing for the time period than their personalities and their stories are less important than the events they witness and the ideas they represent. I am a history buff, indeed, that's the reason I decided to read this book in the first place. Seeing the history on the ground level, so to speak, is a different perspective than historical texts and can justify some of the stupider things the characters do.
Unless you are a history buff you will not like this book.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Tainted Dawn" a D.
Barbara Peacock asked me to read her novel "Tainted Dawn" which takes place in Europe during the yeas 1792-1815. It stars Edward, an English bastard of a ship captain, Jemmy, the only son of a poor English family, and Louis, a french revolutionary and son of a tailor.
It starts out well enough but sours quickly. Since I became a volunteer book reviewer there has only been one book that I had to force myself to finish. This is the second one.
A better name would be "Tainted Daddy Issues". All the protagonists are dominated by bad relationships with their fathers and since there is no plot these issues dominate the story.
1. Louis participates in the October Days and his father's servant blackmails him for silence. After he losses everything, his dad finds out and disowns him. With nothing left but his ideals he runs to his mentor/father figure and quarrels with him. Then he's pulled by friends to the Indies and projects his father onto the plantation owner he works for, seeing him as another 'little big shot'. He defies him and is punished by him for the same reason; ramble rousing. Instead of advocating equality he advocates hatred of Englishmen.
2. Edward thinks of nothing but making his late father (who has never seen, let alone met) proud and later projects this relationship onto the captain of the Blanche. In between he is mistreated by a third captain. That section might as well read 'Edward is insulted and hit with a stick' over and over again because that is all that happens. There is no further plot or character development. It didn't need to go on for so many chapters.
3. Jemmy runs away from home to get away from an unappreciative father but runs back to him because he had a dream of him being hung. This means deserting the royal navy and bringing more trouble to an already troubled family which makes his father even more dismissive of him. Everything this boy does relates to his father in some way.
Miss Peacock confuses character arc for story arc for there is no over-arching plot or plot thread connecting her three protagonists. There is only the three of them and their daddy issues. The chapters are spliced together without rhyme or reason other than 'alternate every time'. This destroys the purpose of cliff hangers because the suspense is gone. It breaks the build up and disperses the development of story. It's like taking a bite from a hamburger only to have it pulled away and given something else which is also pulled away after a bite. It's frustrating. More than that, it leads to confusion about what's going on because three separate stories are intertwined. Some chapters are about different people entirely and only peripherially related to the three.
1. Edward and Jemmy overlap at first because they're on the same ship but have nothing to do with each other. After Jemmy leaves, they do not reunite nor influence each other.
2. Edward and Louis do not meet again until the last arc of the book. It breaks my suspension of disbelief that they could remember each other after months of separation and difficult times because they had a brief over a petty incident.
3. Jemmy and Louis never met after the first chapter. Their stories are entirely separate. They might have seen each other if Jemmy was indeed part of the pirate group at the end but one would think Peacook would bridge such a jump from 'running from the law in the English countryside' to 'priating ships near Spanish colonies'. Louis could have done his 'all men are equal' spiel to the boy who just got burned by 'the quality' to justify the piracy and in the process learn that not all Englishmen are evil.
I feel as though she wrote three separate stories and then shuffled the chapters together to increase the work's length. She would have been wiser to write an anthology.
There is no resolution. Even though all three of them are fictional characters none of them get a resolution. Louis is shipped back to France with the same ideals and mindset; no change. Edward is still in a precarious 'sent/forced home' situation because his mother doesn't want him at sea. Jemmy is last seen running through the countryside with Nan; a fugitive from the law. He plans to go to New York but Edward's section says he died in a Spanish colony helping pirates. Does Beacook mean to imply that he was doing pirate work to pay for passage? If so, what about Nan?
One special note. This is a historical novel but Jemmy's 'future seeing dreams' are vital to his third of the story. Without it he never would have gone home and instead stayed on the ship and so he wouldn't serve as the unwitting cause of his father's death. I cannot tolerate such a plot device, especially when there aren't any other supernatural elements. The sailors don't mention Davvy Jones or mermaids or sailor superstitions!
There is one redeeming aspect; history. If one considers these not characters, presay, but instead character-actors playing for the time period than their personalities and their stories are less important than the events they witness and the ideas they represent. I am a history buff, indeed, that's the reason I decided to read this book in the first place. Seeing the history on the ground level, so to speak, is a different perspective than historical texts and can justify some of the stupider things the characters do.
Unless you are a history buff you will not like this book.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Tainted Dawn" a D.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2013
The book starts with brief encounter of 3 boys: Edward; son of a Navy Captain, Louis; son of a French tailor and Jemmy; son of a carpenter who works as a fiddler. The boys’s lives will intervene later on The Caribbean after all of their lives has changed.
The book is told from the point of view of the 3 boys. My favourite was Edward’s story at a ship his grandfather dropped off. I liked to read about the life at the sea and men there. I didn’t however particularly like Louis so I found his chapters to be most boring ones. At the beginning Louis and Edward meet ends up fighting and Louis hates Edward for the rest of his life. I didn’t see the reason for such hate and it was the only thing besides revolutionary thoughts that drove him.
Jemmy was much more sympathetic character. A poor boy with a drunken father trying to get on with life.
There was some slow going paces but overall it was enjoyable. I liked the to read about the life at the sea most and it was fascinating reading about the relationship between the shipmates.
The book is told from the point of view of the 3 boys. My favourite was Edward’s story at a ship his grandfather dropped off. I liked to read about the life at the sea and men there. I didn’t however particularly like Louis so I found his chapters to be most boring ones. At the beginning Louis and Edward meet ends up fighting and Louis hates Edward for the rest of his life. I didn’t see the reason for such hate and it was the only thing besides revolutionary thoughts that drove him.
Jemmy was much more sympathetic character. A poor boy with a drunken father trying to get on with life.
There was some slow going paces but overall it was enjoyable. I liked the to read about the life at the sea most and it was fascinating reading about the relationship between the shipmates.
March 5, 2013
I found myself captivated early on by Peacock's portrayal of the era. I really felt as if I was present in the story. However, it's when we arrive at the seagoing portion of the story where Peacock really hits her stride. A very interesting and often disturbing look at what life must have been like on the ships of the 18th century. No thank you, I say!
In all, the story of the three boys...Jemmy, Edward and Louis...makes for very interesting historical fiction. This being the first book in a planned series, I'm looking forward to reading the next installment. A promising debut for this author.
In all, the story of the three boys...Jemmy, Edward and Louis...makes for very interesting historical fiction. This being the first book in a planned series, I'm looking forward to reading the next installment. A promising debut for this author.
February 21, 2013
A Tainted Dawn is book one in a series.
In the beginning of A Tainted Dawn three boys just happen to be in the same place at the same time, at a London Tailor's shop. A young English boy named Jemmy that works with his father as a carpenters helper and also plays the fiddle. Edward, well-dressed and educated, the only son of a ships Captain. Louis, slightly older than Jemmy and Edward, is the zealous French son of a hard working tailor. Each boy would later remember their brief meeting.
A Tainted Dawn is a coming of age story of the three youth. Each of them from different economic backgrounds, one of them from a different country and with different views on culture and government. What they have in common is their broken relationships with their father's. Each were compelled to go to sea, to board a ship with the aim of proving themselves worthy of being a man; of learning to work hard a days labor, of obeying orders, of being unafraid of adventure, and of making an important and valid mark in life.
The story is a bit rough, for several reasons.
I came across a few words that I thought were misspelled; but after looking them up in a dictionary I found I was wrong, they were words I'd not heard of before. For example the word munificence. This word means "very liberal in giving or bestowing" (from M-W Dictionary On-line). After coming across several words that I needed to define, I wondered if maybe the author could've used other words that the average reader could read and understand.
Two of the boys are English and the other boy is French. I wondered how they were going to tie in together or harmonize in the book. I don't think this was accomplished in book one. I'm hoping book two will tie together.
I wondered sometimes if there was an editing problem or maybe it was the authors way of expression in her characters. For example, "Edward didn't touch the summer soup. It was begrudged him." page 16.
When I would come across a sentence like the above example on page 16, this broke the rhythm of the story for me.
Edward's mother Elizabeth is a secondary character. Several times in A Tainted Dawn she has chapters or scenes. Just enough information is given to me to make me more curious about her. I would've liked to know who she really is, is she a likable character? I feel the need to know what to make of her.
What I loved about this story and what led me to give it 3 stars for good.
The characters Jemmy and Edward became endearing to me. I felt invested in their stories. I'm hooked enough to want to read book two.
Life aboard a ship is described in depth. I loved reading about their duties, what they ate, medical treatment, and ship terminology.
I have a better understanding of the relationship between officer's, midshipman, and seaman.
Some of the scenes in the story are written dramatically well. One of my favorite quotes from the book---"Directly underneath them rode the upper half of a buxom female who wore brightly painted and gilded classical robes: Amphitrite, the sea queen who lent her name to the ship. Eyes forward, the goddess ignored mere mortals. Likewise the excrement-caked water beneath her." page 34. This sentence speaks volumes about not only the ship itself but the men aboard her.
Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and B.N. Peacock for my free review copy!
In the beginning of A Tainted Dawn three boys just happen to be in the same place at the same time, at a London Tailor's shop. A young English boy named Jemmy that works with his father as a carpenters helper and also plays the fiddle. Edward, well-dressed and educated, the only son of a ships Captain. Louis, slightly older than Jemmy and Edward, is the zealous French son of a hard working tailor. Each boy would later remember their brief meeting.
A Tainted Dawn is a coming of age story of the three youth. Each of them from different economic backgrounds, one of them from a different country and with different views on culture and government. What they have in common is their broken relationships with their father's. Each were compelled to go to sea, to board a ship with the aim of proving themselves worthy of being a man; of learning to work hard a days labor, of obeying orders, of being unafraid of adventure, and of making an important and valid mark in life.
The story is a bit rough, for several reasons.
I came across a few words that I thought were misspelled; but after looking them up in a dictionary I found I was wrong, they were words I'd not heard of before. For example the word munificence. This word means "very liberal in giving or bestowing" (from M-W Dictionary On-line). After coming across several words that I needed to define, I wondered if maybe the author could've used other words that the average reader could read and understand.
Two of the boys are English and the other boy is French. I wondered how they were going to tie in together or harmonize in the book. I don't think this was accomplished in book one. I'm hoping book two will tie together.
I wondered sometimes if there was an editing problem or maybe it was the authors way of expression in her characters. For example, "Edward didn't touch the summer soup. It was begrudged him." page 16.
When I would come across a sentence like the above example on page 16, this broke the rhythm of the story for me.
Edward's mother Elizabeth is a secondary character. Several times in A Tainted Dawn she has chapters or scenes. Just enough information is given to me to make me more curious about her. I would've liked to know who she really is, is she a likable character? I feel the need to know what to make of her.
What I loved about this story and what led me to give it 3 stars for good.
The characters Jemmy and Edward became endearing to me. I felt invested in their stories. I'm hooked enough to want to read book two.
Life aboard a ship is described in depth. I loved reading about their duties, what they ate, medical treatment, and ship terminology.
I have a better understanding of the relationship between officer's, midshipman, and seaman.
Some of the scenes in the story are written dramatically well. One of my favorite quotes from the book---"Directly underneath them rode the upper half of a buxom female who wore brightly painted and gilded classical robes: Amphitrite, the sea queen who lent her name to the ship. Eyes forward, the goddess ignored mere mortals. Likewise the excrement-caked water beneath her." page 34. This sentence speaks volumes about not only the ship itself but the men aboard her.
Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and B.N. Peacock for my free review copy!
January 29, 2013
I am very torn on this book. If taken as three separate stories it's good but when tied together by the "chance meeting" of the three protagonists I start asking a lot of questions that have no answer. These three boys meet for about 5 minutes when Edward a young English aristocrat is taken by his mother to a tailor shop for mourning clothes. There he is insulted by Louis, the son of the tailor who is a closeted French revolutionary. The "discussion" is taken outside where they encounter young Jemmy, a poor English boy just trying to earn enough money to feed his sister by playing his fiddle. Edward saves Jemmy from Louis's anger and gives him a gold coin. Louis vows to hate Edward forever. Seriously? Why? And this is my problem I cannot grasp a lifelong hate over something so trivial.
The stories then break off as each boy finds his way in the world; some on their own, some with "help." Edward is dropped on a boat by his grandfather in hopes he will disappear so then the grandfather can take over the inheritance left to Edward by his father. Jemmy ends up on the same ship as a means of escaping his abusive father. Louis is my least favorite character and the least developed if you ask me. He is one note; Viva la Revolution - and that is it! Oh, excuse me two notes - hate the English boy for all he is worth because he is an Aristo.
I was fascinated when at sea. The life on board the ship and the interactions between the shipmates - good, bad and awful - made for good storytelling. Young Edward had always wanted to go to sea to follow in the footsteps of the father he had never met. He had an ideal of the man that he wanted to live up to; he made many decisions based upon how he felt his father would have.
Jemmy was fiddler for the boat but soon starts having prophetic dreams (really?) and feels he must go home to save his father so he deserts and makes his way back to England. There things go from bad to worse as his dream soon comes true.
Louis is thrown out of his home for his revolutionary ways and finds himself on Trinidad where he tries to import France's ideals to a public not really interested in learning about it. Getting there on borrowed funds to find himself an indentured servant in charge of a team of slaves galls him and he is soon teaching the slaves about The Rights of Man and has them singing revolutionary songs. This does not bode well and he soon finds himself in serious trouble and bound back for France in chains.
All of this happens with a threat of war between Spain and England in the background and of course, the Revolution in France is just about to blow up. This book is the first in a trilogy and it does leave the reader with cliffhangers to set up the next volume. The history is interesting, the life at sea is interesting, the characters - not so interesting. And the set up to make these three bound for life is weak at best. I would find myself really getting into the book and then it would pull back to this link and I would start asking all these questions again and lose my interest in the story. It just didn't make sense to me....maybe it does in the next book? I don't know.
The stories then break off as each boy finds his way in the world; some on their own, some with "help." Edward is dropped on a boat by his grandfather in hopes he will disappear so then the grandfather can take over the inheritance left to Edward by his father. Jemmy ends up on the same ship as a means of escaping his abusive father. Louis is my least favorite character and the least developed if you ask me. He is one note; Viva la Revolution - and that is it! Oh, excuse me two notes - hate the English boy for all he is worth because he is an Aristo.
I was fascinated when at sea. The life on board the ship and the interactions between the shipmates - good, bad and awful - made for good storytelling. Young Edward had always wanted to go to sea to follow in the footsteps of the father he had never met. He had an ideal of the man that he wanted to live up to; he made many decisions based upon how he felt his father would have.
Jemmy was fiddler for the boat but soon starts having prophetic dreams (really?) and feels he must go home to save his father so he deserts and makes his way back to England. There things go from bad to worse as his dream soon comes true.
Louis is thrown out of his home for his revolutionary ways and finds himself on Trinidad where he tries to import France's ideals to a public not really interested in learning about it. Getting there on borrowed funds to find himself an indentured servant in charge of a team of slaves galls him and he is soon teaching the slaves about The Rights of Man and has them singing revolutionary songs. This does not bode well and he soon finds himself in serious trouble and bound back for France in chains.
All of this happens with a threat of war between Spain and England in the background and of course, the Revolution in France is just about to blow up. This book is the first in a trilogy and it does leave the reader with cliffhangers to set up the next volume. The history is interesting, the life at sea is interesting, the characters - not so interesting. And the set up to make these three bound for life is weak at best. I would find myself really getting into the book and then it would pull back to this link and I would start asking all these questions again and lose my interest in the story. It just didn't make sense to me....maybe it does in the next book? I don't know.
September 18, 2012
At the beginning of the first chapter of her book, A Tainted Dawn, Barbara Peacock quotes Wordsworth: “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven!”
The final quarter of the 18th century was time of immense change and progress in western civilization. There were two momentous political revolutions, one in America and one in France. Radical new ideas were in the air-democracy, liberty, equality, brotherhood (fraternite en Francais) and the rights of man. Nevertheless, these principles were, as they are today, honored more in the breach than in the observance, and, if you had asked any of the three young men whom Barbara Peacock features in her book, A Tainted Dawn, Edward, Louis or Jemmy, none of them would likely have described his life as anything remotely resembling heaven.
Edward is a well-bred young Englishman who attends Eton. His parents have long been estranged and when his sea-captain father dies he wills his property to Edward and mandates that his guardian should be his grandfather, Admiral Ben Deveare. Naively, Edward, wanting to break free of his overbearing mother, agrees to the arrangement. Admiral Deveare is a man of no good will, and Edward soon finds himself at sea in appalling circumstances.
Louis is the son of a solidly middle-class bourgoise tailor and is pursuing legal studies at the University. He is much attracted to the revolutionary ferment going on in France and begins to neglect his studies and become involved in revolutionary activities such as storming the Bastille and forcing King Louis the 16th to leave Versailles and come to Paris. His father staunchly opposes the revolution and when he learns of Louis’ activities he disowns him. Louis falls in with some French soldiers and travels with them to Antiqua. He finds himself indentured to a plantation owner to pay for his passage. So strong is Louis’ belief in the ideals of the revolution that he continues to try to propagate them even in his new circumstances-something that can only get him into trouble.
Jemmy is the son of an unemployed carpenter. His mother has died and he has a somewhat feeble-minded little sister. He makes a meager living playing the fiddle for coins. Ill-fortune has transformed his father from loving to unkind, and after receiving some harsh words from his father, Jemmy succumbs to the temptation to go to sea. He signs up on the Amphitrite, the same ship on which the hapless Edward is now serving as a midshipman. Jemmy has been endowed with “the gift,” sometimes known as “the sight,” and when he dreams that his father’s life is in danger, he becomes determined to jump ship and go back to England to try to save him.
Barbara Peacock has a masterful knowledge of both nautical lore and the history and politics of the age. Her characters are sympathetic and they come alive through her writing. She deftly captures the spirit of this fascinating and critical time, both its positive and negative aspects. Her characters inhabit a world that is squalid, gritty and dangerous, but not without hope
The final quarter of the 18th century was time of immense change and progress in western civilization. There were two momentous political revolutions, one in America and one in France. Radical new ideas were in the air-democracy, liberty, equality, brotherhood (fraternite en Francais) and the rights of man. Nevertheless, these principles were, as they are today, honored more in the breach than in the observance, and, if you had asked any of the three young men whom Barbara Peacock features in her book, A Tainted Dawn, Edward, Louis or Jemmy, none of them would likely have described his life as anything remotely resembling heaven.
Edward is a well-bred young Englishman who attends Eton. His parents have long been estranged and when his sea-captain father dies he wills his property to Edward and mandates that his guardian should be his grandfather, Admiral Ben Deveare. Naively, Edward, wanting to break free of his overbearing mother, agrees to the arrangement. Admiral Deveare is a man of no good will, and Edward soon finds himself at sea in appalling circumstances.
Louis is the son of a solidly middle-class bourgoise tailor and is pursuing legal studies at the University. He is much attracted to the revolutionary ferment going on in France and begins to neglect his studies and become involved in revolutionary activities such as storming the Bastille and forcing King Louis the 16th to leave Versailles and come to Paris. His father staunchly opposes the revolution and when he learns of Louis’ activities he disowns him. Louis falls in with some French soldiers and travels with them to Antiqua. He finds himself indentured to a plantation owner to pay for his passage. So strong is Louis’ belief in the ideals of the revolution that he continues to try to propagate them even in his new circumstances-something that can only get him into trouble.
Jemmy is the son of an unemployed carpenter. His mother has died and he has a somewhat feeble-minded little sister. He makes a meager living playing the fiddle for coins. Ill-fortune has transformed his father from loving to unkind, and after receiving some harsh words from his father, Jemmy succumbs to the temptation to go to sea. He signs up on the Amphitrite, the same ship on which the hapless Edward is now serving as a midshipman. Jemmy has been endowed with “the gift,” sometimes known as “the sight,” and when he dreams that his father’s life is in danger, he becomes determined to jump ship and go back to England to try to save him.
Barbara Peacock has a masterful knowledge of both nautical lore and the history and politics of the age. Her characters are sympathetic and they come alive through her writing. She deftly captures the spirit of this fascinating and critical time, both its positive and negative aspects. Her characters inhabit a world that is squalid, gritty and dangerous, but not without hope
February 6, 2013
A Tainted Dawn is a story of duty, strength and revolution. B.N. Peacock has given readers three very different characters, Edward, Jemmy, and Louie, who are struggling to find their voice and path to adulthood. This ongoing struggle takes place when England, Spain and France are on the brink of war. All three must go to sea to face their demons and decide where they want to be.
My favorite character from A Tainted Dawn is Edward. I loved his sense of honor and pride. He showed tremendous strength throughout the book. His love/hate relationship with the sea seemed so honest. My favorite lines were his description of his love and you understood why he could withstand all the abuse to stay close to the sea.
The sea. Yes, the sea, his mistress. How could he leave her? Before he’d ever seen her, she’s dazzled him. Looking out at the sea now, as it stroked the sand, it was as if a beautiful woman stroked him. The sea, a seductive woman, treacherous and not easily wooed, one whom he’s never be sure of winning, one for whom he’s already had developed a healthy respect. The wind was her scent, exciting him, arousing him. Coral reefs the jewelry of the undulating body. The waves her touch, alternately playful or punishing. Pg. 87
Such beautiful words to describe Edward’s feelings!
I really couldn’t get very excited with the other two characters. Louie, I didn’t like him at all. I’m not a huge fan of the French Revolution. I thought it was brutal and unnecessary, especially since the French tried to copy the American Revolution. I found Louie to be a spoiled brat. With Jemmy, I had a little more sympathy. His character portrayed how the very poor are treated in England and it wasn’t very well. He didn’t have many choices in life. He tried the best he could with what he had.
Overall, I thought A Tainted Dawn was a very noteworthy historical fiction novel. At times, it reminded me of Horatio Hornblower, particularly with Edward’s story. I’m looking forward to what Edward, Louie and Jemmy will face in upcoming sequels.
My favorite character from A Tainted Dawn is Edward. I loved his sense of honor and pride. He showed tremendous strength throughout the book. His love/hate relationship with the sea seemed so honest. My favorite lines were his description of his love and you understood why he could withstand all the abuse to stay close to the sea.
The sea. Yes, the sea, his mistress. How could he leave her? Before he’d ever seen her, she’s dazzled him. Looking out at the sea now, as it stroked the sand, it was as if a beautiful woman stroked him. The sea, a seductive woman, treacherous and not easily wooed, one whom he’s never be sure of winning, one for whom he’s already had developed a healthy respect. The wind was her scent, exciting him, arousing him. Coral reefs the jewelry of the undulating body. The waves her touch, alternately playful or punishing. Pg. 87
Such beautiful words to describe Edward’s feelings!
I really couldn’t get very excited with the other two characters. Louie, I didn’t like him at all. I’m not a huge fan of the French Revolution. I thought it was brutal and unnecessary, especially since the French tried to copy the American Revolution. I found Louie to be a spoiled brat. With Jemmy, I had a little more sympathy. His character portrayed how the very poor are treated in England and it wasn’t very well. He didn’t have many choices in life. He tried the best he could with what he had.
Overall, I thought A Tainted Dawn was a very noteworthy historical fiction novel. At times, it reminded me of Horatio Hornblower, particularly with Edward’s story. I’m looking forward to what Edward, Louie and Jemmy will face in upcoming sequels.
February 14, 2013
A Tainted Dawn is about three young boys, Jemmy a fiddler and the son of a carpenter, Edward, son of a sea captain and grandson of a Lord, and finally Louis, son of a French baker. Their paths cross early on in the story. Subsequent chapters focus on their separate stories.
Jemmy runs away from home because he feels that his father cares more for his sister than him. He finds that life aboard ship is not what he expected, so he jumps ship and finds his father and sister. He works with his father doing carpentry work but finds out that his father is a smuggler. His father is hung for his crimes and Jemmy and his sister are on the run.
Edward comes from a wealthy family, his parents have not been together for a long time and when his father dies, he inherits his fathers estate but his grandfather, Admiral Ben Deveare becomes his guardian and sends Edward to sea with no money, no decent clothes. Life aboard ship is harsh for Edward as he tries to acclimate himself to lot in life.
Louis is a young man and a rabblerouser who defies his father and participates in the French rebellion against the English. He is blackmailed by his fathers servant and he loses everything to pay this ruthless man.
This is a maritime historical novel with a backdrop of the French Revolution in vivid detail. It is obvious that the author knows her history. Definitely well researched and it will appeal to the reader who love historical and maritime stories. This is the first book in a trilogy and it will be interesting to follow these three boys into adulthood.
Jemmy runs away from home because he feels that his father cares more for his sister than him. He finds that life aboard ship is not what he expected, so he jumps ship and finds his father and sister. He works with his father doing carpentry work but finds out that his father is a smuggler. His father is hung for his crimes and Jemmy and his sister are on the run.
Edward comes from a wealthy family, his parents have not been together for a long time and when his father dies, he inherits his fathers estate but his grandfather, Admiral Ben Deveare becomes his guardian and sends Edward to sea with no money, no decent clothes. Life aboard ship is harsh for Edward as he tries to acclimate himself to lot in life.
Louis is a young man and a rabblerouser who defies his father and participates in the French rebellion against the English. He is blackmailed by his fathers servant and he loses everything to pay this ruthless man.
This is a maritime historical novel with a backdrop of the French Revolution in vivid detail. It is obvious that the author knows her history. Definitely well researched and it will appeal to the reader who love historical and maritime stories. This is the first book in a trilogy and it will be interesting to follow these three boys into adulthood.
February 18, 2013
"A Tainted Dawn" tells the story of three young men leaving home for the first time during the late 1700s when the world, especially Europe and the Americas, are rapidly changing. It is the first book in a planned series, which to my understanding, will continue to follow the characters from this book in their future journeys on the high seas.
Each of the young men come from very different backgrounds and while they pass by each other on their different journeys, there isn't really a lot of dealings between them all, which I thought could be really interesting since they are all from such different backgrounds. Out of the three main characters, I found Edward's story to be the most compelling. I liked all of the characters but Edward's story was the most interesting to me. I wish that the book had focused more on his story. He is from a very rich family but wants to get away from that life so he joins up with a boat and tries hard to just be one of the guys with the other men on the boat, who are all from lower class backgrounds. Edward can't quite fit in as ship life is pretty dismal.
The historical detail in this book is pretty good. This time period to me is so interesting. The world was changing at a rapid pace and people had to either move with the world or get left far behind. One of the other characters in the book, Louis, gets involved with some of the uprisings during the French Revolution and gets to see first hand how much things are changing.
Overall: This is an interesting book about three young men in a evolving world.
Each of the young men come from very different backgrounds and while they pass by each other on their different journeys, there isn't really a lot of dealings between them all, which I thought could be really interesting since they are all from such different backgrounds. Out of the three main characters, I found Edward's story to be the most compelling. I liked all of the characters but Edward's story was the most interesting to me. I wish that the book had focused more on his story. He is from a very rich family but wants to get away from that life so he joins up with a boat and tries hard to just be one of the guys with the other men on the boat, who are all from lower class backgrounds. Edward can't quite fit in as ship life is pretty dismal.
The historical detail in this book is pretty good. This time period to me is so interesting. The world was changing at a rapid pace and people had to either move with the world or get left far behind. One of the other characters in the book, Louis, gets involved with some of the uprisings during the French Revolution and gets to see first hand how much things are changing.
Overall: This is an interesting book about three young men in a evolving world.
February 14, 2013
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B.N. Peacock's A Tainted Dawn follows the lives of a trio of young men as three of Europe's superpowers move ever closer to war. A true coming of age story, the book has plenty to offer in terms of historic content and human emotion.
Though not specifically addressed in the cover blurb, I found my favorite aspect of the book was Peacock's exploration of the father/son relationship. Though Jemmy, Edward and Louis come from very different situations, each of the boys has a very complicated relationship with their father and I found it most interesting to see how the dynamics of that relationship played into the choices they made and courses their lives took.
Also noteworthy is Peacock's recreation of life on board an eighteenth century ship. The author really captured the spirit of the sea, offering up a no holds barred, naked glimpse into both its pleasures and it perils. Most pieces I've encountered completely ignore or make light of the brutal conditions and strict order that ruled and dominated the lives of sailors. Peacock's honest portrayal, the obvious research she put into her work, is admirable and appealing.
Being the first in a trilogy, I'm naturally curious where further installments will take the boys, but for the time being I found A Tainted Dawn an enjoyable read both for its memorable characters and wide historic scope.
B.N. Peacock's A Tainted Dawn follows the lives of a trio of young men as three of Europe's superpowers move ever closer to war. A true coming of age story, the book has plenty to offer in terms of historic content and human emotion.
Though not specifically addressed in the cover blurb, I found my favorite aspect of the book was Peacock's exploration of the father/son relationship. Though Jemmy, Edward and Louis come from very different situations, each of the boys has a very complicated relationship with their father and I found it most interesting to see how the dynamics of that relationship played into the choices they made and courses their lives took.
Also noteworthy is Peacock's recreation of life on board an eighteenth century ship. The author really captured the spirit of the sea, offering up a no holds barred, naked glimpse into both its pleasures and it perils. Most pieces I've encountered completely ignore or make light of the brutal conditions and strict order that ruled and dominated the lives of sailors. Peacock's honest portrayal, the obvious research she put into her work, is admirable and appealing.
Being the first in a trilogy, I'm naturally curious where further installments will take the boys, but for the time being I found A Tainted Dawn an enjoyable read both for its memorable characters and wide historic scope.
February 24, 2013
If I ask you to name 5 places, events or people in association with the French Revolution, I bet I will find in your list Paris, la Bastille, Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and la guillotine.
Not many people think of a broader field where the same new values and ideas were at stake. The originality and richness of A Tainted Dawn is to off center our usual focus and have us look at what was going on in the maritime world, between France, England and Spain, in the Caribbean Sea.
Edward, Jemmy, and Louis, coming from totally different backgrounds but all having some kind of problems in their relationships with their father, end up on ships for various reasons. They had first met by chance on land and will meet again, as their values clash and...
my full review is here:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2013/02/20/b...
Not many people think of a broader field where the same new values and ideas were at stake. The originality and richness of A Tainted Dawn is to off center our usual focus and have us look at what was going on in the maritime world, between France, England and Spain, in the Caribbean Sea.
Edward, Jemmy, and Louis, coming from totally different backgrounds but all having some kind of problems in their relationships with their father, end up on ships for various reasons. They had first met by chance on land and will meet again, as their values clash and...
my full review is here:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2013/02/20/b...
January 16, 2015
Vivid characters, discriminating attention to period dialogue and a superior sense of historical detail paint A Tainted Dawn with a convincing reality.
Peacock’s opening salvo to this promising series satisfies the reader’s need to escape the high-tech, device conscious world of the 21st Century, taking them all the way back to a time when the concept of liberty and human rights brought a serious challenge to bear against the French monarchy.
Brief quotations at the outset of each chapter typically defines the content of that chapter; each one a separate “scene” of Peacock’s sea-going saga. After firmly establishing the three waif protagonists of the series, Peacock takes us into their individual lives and circumstances before thrusting them back together with the force of a crashing rogue wave.
Peacock’s opening salvo to this promising series satisfies the reader’s need to escape the high-tech, device conscious world of the 21st Century, taking them all the way back to a time when the concept of liberty and human rights brought a serious challenge to bear against the French monarchy.
Brief quotations at the outset of each chapter typically defines the content of that chapter; each one a separate “scene” of Peacock’s sea-going saga. After firmly establishing the three waif protagonists of the series, Peacock takes us into their individual lives and circumstances before thrusting them back together with the force of a crashing rogue wave.
June 25, 2012
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Read.
Not far along in it yet, but so far, it is intriguing. :) Update:
Have finished the book and have to say I enjoyed reading about Edward the most. I also liked the fact it has historical significance, weaving fact with fiction. Well studied and well written. :)
Not far along in it yet, but so far, it is intriguing. :) Update:
Have finished the book and have to say I enjoyed reading about Edward the most. I also liked the fact it has historical significance, weaving fact with fiction. Well studied and well written. :)
September 1, 2012
Enjoyed reading of the three young character's intertwined lives. The backdrop of impending war and revolution is well researched and the author's ability to place these young men in various situations is well done. I look forward to following them as they mature and world events mold them.
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