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Bunker Hill
THE PREQUEL TO THE CROSSING In Bunker Hill, Howard Fast provides insight into both American and British points of view during the battle for control of Boston in June 1775-the outcome of which would dramatically influence the strategies of George Washington and Sir William Howe for the rest of the war. Most dramatic of all is the battle for Breed's and Bunker On one side, a few hundred American men and boys, fighting in the fashion they learned from the American Indians; on the other, three thousand soldiers of the mightiest army on Earth. What follows is one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. There, for a moment in time, the American rebels turned back Europe's best-trained soldiers before they were forced to flee.
224 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2001
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90 people want to read
About the author
Howard Fast
303 books254 followersHoward Fast was one of the most prolific American writers of the twentieth century. He was a bestselling author of more than eighty works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays. The son of immigrants, Fast grew up in New York City and published his first novel upon finishing high school in 1933. In 1950, his refusal to provide the United States Congress with a list of possible Communist associates earned him a three-month prison sentence. During his incarceration, Fast wrote one of his best-known novels, Spartacus (1951). Throughout his long career, Fast matched his commitment to championing social justice in his writing with a deft, lively storytelling style.
Pseudonyms: Walter Ericson, E.V. Cunningham
Pseudonyms: Walter Ericson, E.V. Cunningham
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 8, 2018
“Bunker Hill” is a short historical fiction novel that covers the immediate events prior, during, and after this Revolutionary War battle. The author chose not to cover any of the major events that lead to the siege around Boston, but focused solely on the buildup around Breeds Hill and Bunker Hill. In addition to the battle details, the author also focused a bit on the role of doctors and their efforts to treat battle wounds.
Given the relative lack of details surrounding the actual battle, the author chose to ‘spice’ up the story quite a bit by introducing profanity amongst the major characters on both sides of the battle and the rumored affairs that two British generals had with Boston women. The author defended his use of profanity stating he found numerous letters and diaries with that type of language, but it seemed a bit coarse and out-of-place especially around women in the story. Perhaps men in the army and navy spoke this way, but I question whether it was widely used.
I was surprised by the author’s preoccupation with sex. The scenes were not overly graphic, but they were frequent in their anticipation or actual carrying out the deed. I did a little research on my own, and there is some evidence that General Howe was involved in an affair with Elizabeth Loring, but the events surrounding the Loring family didn’t jive with my own limited research. Again, the sexual dalliances of the British generals may have occurred, but I don’t think they were relevant to the battle covered in this book.
Overall, I thought the book was okay. I felt it contained a bit more fluff than fact, but it was a quick, read that did a decent job of portraying the bloody battle and the conflicting tactics between the Americans and British that led to so many casualties.
Given the relative lack of details surrounding the actual battle, the author chose to ‘spice’ up the story quite a bit by introducing profanity amongst the major characters on both sides of the battle and the rumored affairs that two British generals had with Boston women. The author defended his use of profanity stating he found numerous letters and diaries with that type of language, but it seemed a bit coarse and out-of-place especially around women in the story. Perhaps men in the army and navy spoke this way, but I question whether it was widely used.
I was surprised by the author’s preoccupation with sex. The scenes were not overly graphic, but they were frequent in their anticipation or actual carrying out the deed. I did a little research on my own, and there is some evidence that General Howe was involved in an affair with Elizabeth Loring, but the events surrounding the Loring family didn’t jive with my own limited research. Again, the sexual dalliances of the British generals may have occurred, but I don’t think they were relevant to the battle covered in this book.
Overall, I thought the book was okay. I felt it contained a bit more fluff than fact, but it was a quick, read that did a decent job of portraying the bloody battle and the conflicting tactics between the Americans and British that led to so many casualties.
May 28, 2014
Not for children. The insights are interesting, historical context etc., but the writing is totally sub par and this is a pretty lascivious book for no clear reason. Lots of buxom easy women and paunchy mansluts.
May 29, 2012
Had high expectations from the author of Spartacus and was seriously disappointed – not recommended.
September 4, 2015
My brother has a keen interest in the American Revolution (aka The American War of Independence, often abbreviated by wargamers as the AWI). After visiting him in New England, the "epicenter" of the Revolution, I remembered I had a couple books about the AWI taking up space in my "TBR File" (To Be Read).
One of these was Bunker Hill by Howard Fast.
I must admit this is the first book I've read by the author of Spartacus, which I didn't know he wrote, along with a slew of other well-known works.Which means I've got a lot of catching up to do--or at least more books to shove into my TBR File.
Anyway, getting back to the AWI...
...Bunker Hill is an engrossing semi-fictionalized account of the actual battle, which was mostly fought on nearby Breed's Hill.
By semi-fictionalized, I mean that the story follows the actual course of historical events leading up to, during, and after the battle. However, Fast places historical figures in social situations that may, or may not have happened, along with providing dialogue that may or may not have been spoken.
And speaking of speech, the language used by our forefathers, both British and Colonial, was quite different from the eloquent and carefully preserved letters in museums and archives on both sides of the Atlantic.Translation: Their manner of speaking, especially when talking about war--or sex--was heavily laced with F-Bombs. (One reviewer on Amazon.com gave the book a 2-star rating because of this).Apparently, sex was foremost on the minds of William Howe, "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne and Henry Clinton, who spent as much time trying to hook up with Boston's Loyalist babes than dealing with "those damned rebels."
It was the "rebel scum" however, who snuck onto the Charleston Peninsula during the night of 16 June, 1775 and erected a redoubt.
According to Fast, they managed to pull this off because His Majesty's Trysting Trio were dealing with erections of a different sort.
While scandalously delightful to think about, in actuality; the British were planning to re-occupy the Charlestown Heights, but a spy tipped-off the rebels, who stole a march on the redcoats.
The American cast of characters is much larger, featuring Israel Putnam, William Prescott, Joseph Warren, John Stark and Thomas Knowlton, just to name a few. In fact, it was rather difficult for me to keep such a large cast straight and I had to refer to the Major Characters page quite often. The American point of view often rested with a Dr. Feversham, a fallen Catholic and cashiered British Army surgeon, who finds acceptance among the rebels.
Bunker Hill weighs-in at 223 pages, divided into a dozen chapters organized according to the date, or time. The first six chapters take place from 12 June to the early morning hours of 17 June 1775. The first shots of the battle, which occurs on page 104, were fired by HMS Lively, when it's crew discovered the rebels toiling away at their redoubt on Breed's Hill.
Chapters 7-11 focus on crucial points of the battle, from 9 AM until 5 PM, when the rebels are finally driven off.
While it seems like a lot of pages are devoted to everything but the actual fighting, Fast's prose easily conveyed how decisions were made and events unfolded, which lead to the Charlestown showdown. The only thing that I found annoying was the author's repetitious use of the date in most chapters. The final chapter takes place the following day, when Dr. Feversham and another physician attempt to exchange, or at least provide medical care for the wounded rebels captured by the British. They receive a cold response from the British, which convinces Dr. Feversham to continue his support of the AWI.A lot of this had to do with the high number of casualties the British suffered during their three assaults.
While it was an entertaining tale, the narrative didn't strike any low notes, but neither did it strike epic high ones either, especially for a battle that had such lasting repercussions for both the British and Colonials.
One of these was Bunker Hill by Howard Fast.
I must admit this is the first book I've read by the author of Spartacus, which I didn't know he wrote, along with a slew of other well-known works.Which means I've got a lot of catching up to do--or at least more books to shove into my TBR File.
Anyway, getting back to the AWI...
...Bunker Hill is an engrossing semi-fictionalized account of the actual battle, which was mostly fought on nearby Breed's Hill.
By semi-fictionalized, I mean that the story follows the actual course of historical events leading up to, during, and after the battle. However, Fast places historical figures in social situations that may, or may not have happened, along with providing dialogue that may or may not have been spoken.
And speaking of speech, the language used by our forefathers, both British and Colonial, was quite different from the eloquent and carefully preserved letters in museums and archives on both sides of the Atlantic.Translation: Their manner of speaking, especially when talking about war--or sex--was heavily laced with F-Bombs. (One reviewer on Amazon.com gave the book a 2-star rating because of this).Apparently, sex was foremost on the minds of William Howe, "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne and Henry Clinton, who spent as much time trying to hook up with Boston's Loyalist babes than dealing with "those damned rebels."
It was the "rebel scum" however, who snuck onto the Charleston Peninsula during the night of 16 June, 1775 and erected a redoubt.
According to Fast, they managed to pull this off because His Majesty's Trysting Trio were dealing with erections of a different sort.
While scandalously delightful to think about, in actuality; the British were planning to re-occupy the Charlestown Heights, but a spy tipped-off the rebels, who stole a march on the redcoats.
The American cast of characters is much larger, featuring Israel Putnam, William Prescott, Joseph Warren, John Stark and Thomas Knowlton, just to name a few. In fact, it was rather difficult for me to keep such a large cast straight and I had to refer to the Major Characters page quite often. The American point of view often rested with a Dr. Feversham, a fallen Catholic and cashiered British Army surgeon, who finds acceptance among the rebels.
Bunker Hill weighs-in at 223 pages, divided into a dozen chapters organized according to the date, or time. The first six chapters take place from 12 June to the early morning hours of 17 June 1775. The first shots of the battle, which occurs on page 104, were fired by HMS Lively, when it's crew discovered the rebels toiling away at their redoubt on Breed's Hill.
Chapters 7-11 focus on crucial points of the battle, from 9 AM until 5 PM, when the rebels are finally driven off.
While it seems like a lot of pages are devoted to everything but the actual fighting, Fast's prose easily conveyed how decisions were made and events unfolded, which lead to the Charlestown showdown. The only thing that I found annoying was the author's repetitious use of the date in most chapters. The final chapter takes place the following day, when Dr. Feversham and another physician attempt to exchange, or at least provide medical care for the wounded rebels captured by the British. They receive a cold response from the British, which convinces Dr. Feversham to continue his support of the AWI.A lot of this had to do with the high number of casualties the British suffered during their three assaults.
While it was an entertaining tale, the narrative didn't strike any low notes, but neither did it strike epic high ones either, especially for a battle that had such lasting repercussions for both the British and Colonials.
November 26, 2023
I got less than 80 pages into "Bunker Hill" before I started skimming, and I probably should have started earlier.
The first third of the book is boring, unnecessary, and off-putting.
The British military leadership are all chubby, foul-mouthed horn-dogs, and their arguments and skirt-chasing are beyond tedious.
Fast includes a disclaimer "for those readers who may express surprise at the coarse language used in the dialogue," and while coarse language has certainly always existed, it definitely felt forced and over-used in this book.
A novel about the battle of Bunker Hill obviously requires some set up, character introduction, context, etc., but the way Fast sets the stage in this book is awful.
The extra (very generous) star is for the last 50-60 pages, when things actually get interesting. The account is the battle is great! The intensity, the savagery, the desperation, the exhaustion, the emotion of a battle like Bunker Hill - very well done.
"April Morning" was a little slow, but pretty good. "Bunker Hill" is mostly a miss. I think I'm done trying Fast's novels.
The first third of the book is boring, unnecessary, and off-putting.
The British military leadership are all chubby, foul-mouthed horn-dogs, and their arguments and skirt-chasing are beyond tedious.
Fast includes a disclaimer "for those readers who may express surprise at the coarse language used in the dialogue," and while coarse language has certainly always existed, it definitely felt forced and over-used in this book.
A novel about the battle of Bunker Hill obviously requires some set up, character introduction, context, etc., but the way Fast sets the stage in this book is awful.
The extra (very generous) star is for the last 50-60 pages, when things actually get interesting. The account is the battle is great! The intensity, the savagery, the desperation, the exhaustion, the emotion of a battle like Bunker Hill - very well done.
"April Morning" was a little slow, but pretty good. "Bunker Hill" is mostly a miss. I think I'm done trying Fast's novels.
December 9, 2015
One of the best novels I've read about the American Revolution. I thought it really gave me a sense of the time and place. There's plenty of guts and glory here, but what most intrigued me was the sense of uncertainty. We have the benefit of knowing what happened here, but this book captures the doubt behind the bluster. Howard Fast is an amazing writer. Read his books and you'll understand why a reviewer for the Los Angeles time described him as "fiercely American. He's one of ours, one of our very best."
May 16, 2018
No where near as good as Tuesday Morning, it was still an enjoyable read and good history lesson. I do like how the book covers a very finite amount of time, similar to Tuesday Morning.
This quote really struck me : “The whole world was wedded to the notion that arguments could only be settled by death, and here was a British army that had come three thousand miles to spread death among the farmers who had toiled all their lives to scratch a living out of the soil of this hard New England land.”
This quote really struck me : “The whole world was wedded to the notion that arguments could only be settled by death, and here was a British army that had come three thousand miles to spread death among the farmers who had toiled all their lives to scratch a living out of the soil of this hard New England land.”
May 27, 2014
2.5. Just barely better than ok.
August 24, 2014
It was raunchier in parts than I expected!
August 10, 2015
Just like Bernard Cornwell only the opposite. Bizarro Cornwell.
October 1, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this one, in particular the caustic Henry Clinton.
February 20, 2016
Liked it!
April 23, 2016
An excellent short read on the famous battle and the commanders from both sides who led their men. A very fun way to learn history.
May 5, 2016
This is a good history novel but not great. Some of his thoughts I found pretty interesting.
October 13, 2021
History Comes to Life!
Loved this story and for the first time I understand what happened in this famous battle. Want to read more by Howard Fast!
Loved this story and for the first time I understand what happened in this famous battle. Want to read more by Howard Fast!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews