Standing Stone

by Patrick Egan

It was 1793. The city of Paris had moved toward a Reign of Terror. Executions of the Royalists were every day events. Confusion and fear was widespread among those of the higher classes. A small group of French emerges came to America and settled in this new nation of liberty. In Philadelphia, one such group found themselves facing yet a new killer, cholera. Many in this band headed for a new town built for them in the wilderness of northern Pennsylvania. It was called Azylum. Here they began to carve out a new existence for themselves. Alain, a boy of twelve helped his mother operate an inn. His father, for reasons yet unknown, had stayed behind in France. While Alain waits in vain for his father's arrival, a mysterious stranger from France appears at Azylum. Alain falls under his spell and soon sets off on what Alain thinks is to be a great adventure. In reality he has been unwittingly drawn into a sinister plot that may alter the future of France. Alain's story is one of emotional growth, a sense of connection with those people that were not high born, first love and learning the true fate of his father.

Genres: Historical Fiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Patrick Egan is the author of numerous articles on history, education and science that have been published both regionally and nationally. His first novel, "Standing Stone" was published in March, 2012. His second book is a memoir: "An American in Dorset." It chronicles his year in England (1984-84) as an exchange teacher. It was published in February, 2013.
He is a native of Owego, New York and has lived in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Louisiana and New York City. Patrick has traveled widely in the U.S., Canada, China, Russia and Europe. He was an exchange teacher to England for a year in the 1980s.
A retired science teacher, Patrick lives in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State with his wife, Mariam. His leisure interests include traveling, hiking, kayaking, needlepoint, astronomy, watercolor painting and photography.

Reviews

[anonymousreader]

to-read

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out slowly. I would have liked to read about Alain's escape from France, but the story started in Philadelphia. The book was well written, and the second half was much more interesting than the first which made up for the slow start. I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I thought I would.

[Avery Arena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was told from a very interesting perspective, the French royalty is rarely represented is historical fiction during the Revolutionary era. It was an engaging story and very fast paced; I finished the book in one day. I would definitely recommend this book.