Saratoga: A Novel of the American Revolution

by David Garland

Set against the backdrop of the unthinkable turmoil that accompanied the formation of America, Saratoga is the thrilling first installment in a series that will chronicle the birth of a nation and the stories of the men and women hopelessly caught in its wake. It is May 1777 nearly a year after the British colonies in America have declared independence from the crown. The mammoth British military machine has been dispatched to stamp out this minor annoyance, but the American rebels have shown a surprisingly stubborn resistance to being put back in their place. The past year has seen skirmishes from Crown Point to Fort Ticonderoga.
Captain Jamie Skoyles is a career soldier in the British Army who has made a reputation of conspicuous gallantry for himself with his unswerving bravery and uncanny luck. He fights alongside unquestioning British patriots in the unfamiliar lands of America. As costly, bumbling mistakes begin to pile up, and the American rebels surge with confidence, Skoyles can't help but begin to mistrust the arrogant generals whom he serves. Unable to pursue his love, a woman betrothed to a fellow officer, Skoyles must instead focus on staying alive and furthering the empire's cause in his own small corner of the war. As the two vast armies converge on Saratoga in what will prove the first large-scale test of the conflict, the American rebels gain momentum and British victory no longer seems certain. Captain Skoyles soon finds his loyalties severely tested as he imagines life after the war, which he intends to live in the new world, no matter which flag flies over it.

Genres: Historical Fiction, American Revolution, Military Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Pseudonym of Keith Miles

Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theater. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book.

The protagonist of the theater series is Nicholas Bracewell, the bookholder of a leading Elizabethan theater company (in an alternate non-Shakespearean universe).

The latter series' two protagonists are the Norman soldier Ralph Delchard and the former novitiate turned lawyer Gervase Bret, who is half Norman and half Saxon.

His latest series of novels are based in early Victorian period and revolve around the fictional railway detective Inspector Robert Colbeck.

Reviews

[Dan Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A passable read, but for me a little contrived, with the hero pretty much infallible and present at all of the historic moments.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 2 out of 5]

First published in 2005, 'Saratoga' is a historical adventure novel set during the American Revolution and is told mainly from the viewpoint of Captain Jamie Skoyles of the British Army. This allows for plenty of action, added to which the plot makes use of some significant conflict between individuals as well as some romantic interest. All very promising, if it didn't read like a Cornwell/Sharpe ripoff wit added sloppy attention to detail. Passable.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up the book because I am interested in the history of the American Revolution. I also was excited to see the review that it was according to one reviewer "in the Bernard Cornwell tradition." I am a fan of Cornwell's work, however, this does fall well short of Cornwell's storytelling style and ability. Also, it's a novel so it's not a place to learn the history of the battle of Saratoga. It's part a story of the battle and part a romance novel.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure it's not completely historically accurate. An enjoyable read nevertheless. And well, my ancestor made it's way into the book too so yeah it's got that going for it.

[Caroline Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brain candy--that's all I can say. Good beach reading for someone casually interested in history, but for a serious history student (or English major), perhaps not. I'll start with the good first.

"Saratoga" is good in that there is a lot of historical background. Garland clearly understands the time period well, which is refreshing. The historical and military details of the story sound natural and fluid. However, "Saratoga's" faults outweigh its virtues. It started off well--very interesting and kept me going, but as I kept reading, I began to dislike almost every single character. The main character Jamie Skoyles was a complete Gary-Stu: present at all the right moments, rescued the lady, had beautiful ladies throwing themselves at his feet, could blend in with both low-ranking foot soldiers and high-ranking officers, and no one disliked him except Major Featherstone. Skoyles has no flaws whatsoever, and I found myself rolling my eyes at some parts. I found Harry Featherstone disgusting and insufferable, but as a reader, I was supposed to have that reaction anyway. I was most annoyed with the way that Garland wrote Elizabeth Rainham, Maria Quinn, Polly Bragg, and Nan Wyatt. "Saratoga" does not pass the Bechdel test--every single conversation these women had was about the men in their lives and nothing else. As much as I abhor the term "Mary Sue," Elizabeth Rainham fell into that category. She was beautiful and sought after by more than one man, and seemed to have no flaws. She was nearly raped twice, and I was disgusted reading that each time. Yes, it was horrible to be a woman back then and it did happen, but I am tired of the "captive woman about to be raped" trope. And don't claim that it's historically accurate. You know what else is historically accurate? Dysentery, and I have not yet read/seen anyone shit themselves to death in a book/tv show/movie. Maria Quinn's entire existence revolved around Jamie Skoyles, which I found pathetic and annoying. Nan and Polly seemed as if they were stuck in there due to a lack of female characters, and didn't seem to play any role except to aid Elizabeth in her quest to get closer to Jamie. One other issue with this book is that sometimes the military jargon was too much. At times, it felt as if Garland was quoting straight from a history textbook and just placing quotation marks around the words to make it dialogue. He clearly knew what he was talking about, but when the characters were speaking, it felt unnatural. It felt as if Garland were slipping things in the story to say "look how much I know about this subject." Lastly, the second half of the book was choppy. Garland kept switching back and forth between different characters' points of view, and it felt messy. Sometimes we would read Jamie's POV for 5 pages, then suddenly switch to Elizabeth's POV (often for only a paragraph), then switch to some minor character's POV, then back to Jamie's. This made the novel feel choppy, sloppy, and rushed.

In conclusion, this book started out well, but unfortunately fell into every historical fiction cliche there is. I would have liked to see Jamie with more flaws, more female characters with stories of their own (rather than just being pretty love interests or maids who live in the shadows of their mistresses), and less military history textbook information.