A Storm Hits Valparaiso

by David Gaughran

Catalina Flores de la Peña's tongue got her in more trouble than any other part of her body, even though there were far more likely candidates. But when a storm rolls into her sleepy port town, she finds herself embroiled with a gang of adventurers, mercenaries, and prostitutes on a journey to free South America from the Spanish Empire.


A Storm Hits Valparaíso is an epic, historical adventure starring two brothers torn apart by love; a slave running for his life; a disgraced British sailor seeking redemption; and José de San Martín, an Argentine general who deserts the Spanish Army to lead a bloody revolt against his former masters.


Praise for A Storm Hits


"A work of sweeping historical fiction that captivates and entertains ... engaging and richly textured." -- John D. Glass, author of Legend of Zodiac.


"David Gaughran has woven a captivating story set during this dangerous period in South America's history. I'd happily recommend it to fans of the genre." -- Tracy Cook, Booked Up Reviews.


"A romping classico... it reminded me of Louis de Bernières." -- SR Noss, author of Life on the Suburban Fringe


"An ambitious story of love and betrayal, victory and defeat. In characters drawn from real historical figures, the author delves into the politics of war and how battles turn on the smallest of details or the whims of a single man." -- JW Manus, author of The Devil His Due

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Action

ebook

First published December 20, 2011

About the author

David Gaughran was born in Ireland but now lives in a quaint little fishing village in Portugal, although this hasn't increased the amount of time he spends outside the house. He writes historical fiction and science fiction under another name, has helped thousands of authors publish their work through his workshops, blog, and writers' books - Let's Get Digital, Strangers to Superfans, BookBub Ads Expert, and Amazon Decoded - and has also created giant marketing campaigns for some of the biggest self-publishers on the planet. Visit DavidGaughran.com to get yourself a free book.

Reviews

[George Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started this book, I just wanted to be left in peace to finish it, and everything else—including preparing Sunday dinner—became an annoying distraction.

We have all heard of Simón Bolívar, a leader in the struggle to free Hispanic-America, but A Storm Hits Valparaiso introduces a host of other characters—some real, some fictional—that contributed to the liberation of South America from the Spanish.

There are many unsung heroes and heroines in any war of independence, and Gaughran introduces the reader to a few of them: The escaped slave Zé and freed slaves of South America seeking to consolidated their freedom; María de los Remedios, wife of San Martin, who encouraged the women of Argentina to raise funds, buy guns, and sew uniforms for the soldiers; Diego and Jorge, brothers who have lost all and become embroiled in the war; Pacha, a native enslaved in the mines of Peru by the Spanish, seeking to free his people and get home to his family; Madam Feliz, whose gambling house/brothel provided distraction from the ravages of war for the soldiers; Lord Captain Thomas Cochrane, the disgraced British naval officer and MP, seeking to clear his name and revive his fortune by enlisting as a mercenary; and of course José de San Martin, a deserter from the Spanish army who ends up commanding Argentine forces.

This is far more than a historical novel about war. It is an account of the lives and loves of a large cast of disparate characters and the circumstances that led them to be in that part of the world at the height of the struggle for independence. Gaughran’s deft touch seamlessly blends all the characters together into the heart of the story.

If I can single out one character, Catalina, sent by her father to stay with her pious spinster aunt in Santiago, to avoid the rising dangers at their tavern in Valparaiso. The headstrong Catalina escapes the boring old woman’s clutches. But as the war unfolds, tragedy leaves Catalina displaced, and desperately trying to forge a new life.

I loved this book and highly recommend it. I googled the characters and searched out the locations on google earth, and you’ll be doing the same. This is an interweaving of history and fiction at its best.

[Andrew Posey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

I enjoyed it very much. The was good interplay between the historical aspect and the story line. A good read.

[Gregory Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of respect for David Gaughran. I read his blog daily and his non fiction work Let’s Get Digital manages to be both inspiring and of practical use so when I saw the chance to get a review copy of his first novel, A Storm Hits Valparaiso I jumped at it, not lease because I saw it as a way of repaying a little bit of what I’ve gotten from David over the past several months.

A Storm Hits Valparaiso is an epic story of love, hate, brotherhood, power, revenge, and the thirst for independence told from the points of view of a variety of people in positions both high and low. For the sake of perspective, Historical Fiction is not a genre I read a lot and I have no particular interest in South America. My home genre is Epic Fantasy though, so I am fully ready to accept a story that spans a continent where what’s at stake is the lives of every single person on the continent.

I wanted to love this book and I ended up just liking it.

Why did I like it?

Well, it has a little bit of everything it claims. There is love, of both the romantic and brotherly varieties. There is the simple struggle for survival of individuals juxtaposed against the larger struggle for the survival of a people with a regional identity. There is the desire of individual slaves to be free smacked right up next to the desire of a nation of people desiring to be free of a colonial power half a world away. In short, it has everything you would want in an epic.

Why then, didn’t I love it?

There are two things I would point to but I think they both stem from one overriding factor. The story is too big for the book. I come from a world of Epic Fantasy where doorstopper novels are, if not quite the norm, well within the normal range. A Storm Hits Valparaiso comes in at a bit less than a hundred thousand words which is fairly normal for a novel. But this isn’t a normal novel. We don’t have a main plot with a few sub plots. Gaughran is trying to tell us a real story from real history and if you haven’t noticed, real life is far more complex than your average novel.

To get into the specifics, I think A Storm Hits Valparaiso has two significant flaws.

One is characterization. It is spotty at best. There are, I think, two characters who are decently written though even there, we should have had more. In other cases, including what should have been one of the more emotional subplots there wasn’t enough characterization to make me actually care about the character. If I don’t care about them I don’t care about what happens to them and they—and the novel—lose all the dramatic tension they should have.

The other problem—and it’s related—is a showing/telling problem. There are a lot of places where Gaughran tells us something instead of showing us something and the story suffers as a result.

For example, there are two brothers, Jorge and Diego who get separated for a long time. When they get back together they find things aren’t quite like they were before and they end up growing apart. Gaughran tells us this and gives us a scene or two to illustrate. It should have been the reverse. Give us nine scenes where we can see that things are different and just a few lines where one of them recognizes the differences.

All in all, if you like historical fiction and/or have a particular affection for South America, I think you’ll really enjoy this story.

[Bill Thibadeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that this book exists as it gave me a quick summary of the struggle for independence of some South American countries. That was not enough for me to give this book a good review.

I think that this story of historical fiction is reminiscent of James Michener's two volume set of the beginnings of South Africa. That tome was enjoyable and dealt with the full history of South Africa.

A Storm Hits Valparaiso misses the boat in telling a thoughtful story of the independence of some South American countries. It is choppy and muddled. I found some chapter breaks in the middle of a continuing thought and at other times, dramatic changes were not chapter breaks.

This book takes on too many countries in one story. It would have fared better by concentrating on expanding the story to provide more continuity and depth of data so the reader may understand what was happening in a interactive manner. I felt the author was reporting to me on some aspects of history instead of living it with me.

There were also too many inconsequential characters. I would rather that the author would have concentrated the main people in the story. I found St. Martin and Cochrane well developed and interesting.

If you are a fan of historical fiction and would like a cursory history of the lower South American struggle for independence, then this may be a good choice for you.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I found the overall arc of the story to be an interesting look at the war in South America, I thought the author would have been better served focus on a smaller set of characters and a smaller portion of the history. The books follows a large number of characters, some more interesting than others, through their individual roles in the liberation of South America from the Spanish. The sense of timing was difficult for me to follow, as some chapters would cover one afternoon in one character's life, and then the next chapter of equal length would cover a multi-month military campaign including pivotal battles dealt with in a paragraph or two. Many of the events in some characters lives that we learned about (again, often in more detail than any of the actual battles of the war) ended up just being anecdotes; unrelated to what happens to the character later in the book.

Overall, the book kept my interest, but I think there was a much more interesting, and better written, book that the author missed the mark on.

I do appreciate the list of references the author included at the end -- I will likely read some of the histories of this time period to better understand the events!

[M. Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine and deftly woven account of the long struggle for South American independence. Through rotating viewpoints, author David Gaughran shows the various groups participating in that struggle: Chilean tavern keepers daughter; runaway black slave with this master's brand burned into his chest; Indian miner from the mountains of Peru; young cousins raised as brothers on a subsistance rancho in Argentina; a brilliant strategist from the British navy; and the visionary leader San Martin.

The story is lively and fast-moving. While there's plentiful description of numerous battles, the detail never slows the pace. Through it all we see the tremendous human cost of liberating an entire, vast continent.

To help readers imagine the scale of the struggle described here, imagine trying to draw together small factions scattered from Washington State to Florida and from Maine to California -- in the early 1800s without even so much technology as the telegraph.

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched and well-written fiction often gives us a more genuine and “truer” picture of the past than history books do. This is also the case with this novel about the independence wars of important parts of South America. In A Storm Hits Valparaiso, history is shown through the eyes of individual everyday characters from different countries and all walks of life and society: among others, the rebellious Catalina turned prostitute, the runaway slave Ze, the brothers Diego and Jorge, Pacha, the indigenous mine worker, all the way up the ranks to the commander and sea captain Cochrane and the great general Jose de San Martin. Each of them experiences these turbulent times in a very different way and all of them together give us a vivid picture of an important moment in history. A suspenseful, informative, and moving story, well worth reading more than once!

[Rich Meyrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scope of this novel is impressive, taking place as it does across South America, but also partly in Britain and mainland Europe. What makes it even more relatable to me personally, is that I’ve visited several of the places in the book, including the battlefield at Chacabuco and Valparaiso itself. David Gaughran’s descriptions of the events that took place at those places familiar to me, really brought my memories of them alive (thanks for that, David). I’ll definitely be picking up another of Gaughran’s books in the near future.

[Serge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work of historical fiction reads more like a history textbook than a novel. The events are all there, but overall the writing appears to me to be unfocused and, at times, one-dimensional. The few main characters never seemed to come to life for me, and perhaps I was expecting too much of a novel which attempts to cover so much history over many years. Three stars.

[Danita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the history and the characters. There are many characters though, and although they are very well described and built up, it gets confusing at a point. In the end all comes together, however and the book is worth a read. As with all war stories, sadness prevails. There is a very poignant scene in the book after the battle of Maipu which will stay with me for the rest of my life.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about the South American countries as they waged revolutionary wars for their freedom from Spain. Historical fiction, and I usually enjoy it, but this one had way too many battle descriptions for my liking.

[Denise Stoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved this in the beginning, but the second half read like a history text. I was disappointed that these great characters were left to such flat, static endings. Could have been an amazing historical novel...very disappointing.

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written historical novel about the fight for independence in South America. It was a bloody, savage fight for freedom from the Spanish, and the fictional part of the story keeps you interested while you are actually learning history.

[SANDRA ABEL · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book moves slowly and gets tiresome to read. It doesn't flow at all.

[Evelyn Garner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Idk

Meh
Idk
Idk
Idk
Idk Idk idk Idk Idk Idk Idk Idk 😐 😳 😔 😬 😕 💀 😐 😳 😔 😬 😕

[Wendy Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay writing and absolutely fascinating history. Fictionalised account of the liberation of Argentina, Chile and Peru from the Spanish colonial government. An enjoyable read overall.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

KSKS

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Storm Hits Valparaiso read like a bad history text with occasional fictional bits to fill in the gaps. There was nothin in here for me to enjoy, nor did I care one way or the other for any of the characters. I suppose this kind of book is something someone might like, but I cannot imagine who that would be.

[James Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is a very entertaining, smooth flowing, ambitious and eminently readable work of historical fiction. Gaughran takes us inside the lives of some of the lesser known figures of the various South American wars of independence (or one giant one, depending on how you look at it), juxtaposing their very well-researched activities with fictional characters serving to give us a view into the various archetypes and cultural mores of the era. The end result is a sprawling tale of military commanders and their families, farmers-cum-soldiers, slaves-cum-soldiers, mercenaries and prostitutes, and how their lives intermingle in the long struggle for freedom from the Spanish colonialists who weren’t about to give up their precious gold and silver without a fight.

Gaughran shows a thorough attention to both historical and geographical detail, and the storyteller’s knack for giving it to us straight when need be, but fudging things here and there where it suits the story the best, as all historical fiction inevitably does at some point. While some of the characters are obviously more intriguing than others, each chapter is short, and so even if you’re finding yourself not immensely interested in what’s happening at that moment, you’re quick to move on to something else.

While the book is overall solidly written and the story well-told, there are of course some minor quibbles. There are some unfortunate typos and grammatical mistakes that should have been picked up prior to publication. Also, while the real historical characters feel very genuine and flushed out, some of the fictional characters are unfortunately slightly one-dimensional – the fiery Latin prostitute, the adventurous young farmhand, etc. However, I will say that what Gaughran does with these characters throughout the book – the way they interact with each other – makes up for their slight lack of well-roundedness.

That being said, I think there was maybe one or two main characters too many. One in particular, a runaway slave who joins up with the army, seems there simply to ‘represent a demographic,’ as his story really doesn’t affect the overall narrative at all. Also, I almost wish the book was much longer; while it makes for a cracking read at its current length, I would not at all have minded if the book was twice as long, and delved into much more of the political and military details. There were some minor characters who suddenly became very important for short bits here and there, then disappear; I would have liked to have learned more of them. As you can see, this is a criticism in favour of the author – I was made to want more that wasn’t there.

One final thing, though – this could be one of the most ill-suited titles I’ve ever come across. It’s a very, very poor choice, as it really has hardly anything to do with the book, and actually detracts from the novel’s epic scale. Based on the title I was expecting something like Seven Samurai, but instead it’s more like War and Peace. But naught to be done now, I suppose.

It’s still a recommended read.

[TC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Storm Hits Valparaiso is quite a sea change considering the previous books by this author. If You Go Into the Woods and Transfection are short stories whereas this a full length historical fiction novel. Having given the former 5 and 4 stars respectively I was looking forward to reading this book.

This book is largely set in South America in the early 1800s, detailing the impact of the struggle for freedom from Spain on a number of characters. Catalina has always been able to take care of herself; dealing with the patrons of her father's cafe has taught her plenty. When she loses her father and her home the skills she has honed come in very handy. Diego and Jorge are brothers who are both fighting for the Patriots but see life very differently and find a chasm building between them. Other central characters are important historic individuals like senior British Naval Officer Thomas Cochrane, whose radical politics saw him targeted and marginalised, and Jose De San Martin; a key military figure in the fight for independance.
The author provides details at the end of the book about some of the key facts and characters woven into the story, and while working within the facts David Gaughran has still woven a captivating story of the lives of several people and how their paths cross during this dangerous period in South America's history. This is place and time I am not particularly familiar with so I didn't know what the outcome would be for the nations and the real characters. Before reading the end note I suspected that the author couldn't have taken too many liberties with major figures of the period but it felt like a piece of fiction rather than a straightforward, dry, historical account. The highs and lows of the senior miltary men are dramatic, but I found myself drawn in more by the stories of the "little people", whose lives were so affected by those men. Despite the story being told from several perspectives it was not hard to keep track, something probably helped by the good formatting. This is a well presented work.

This story is something of an epic, covering decades and detailing major events as well as small domestic details. I was pulled into their world and read on to find out who would survive the turmoil and how they would do so. One of the aspects of David's work I particularly enjoy is his ability to create a real impression of the characters and places without resorting to lengthy descriptions. With minimal words I felt I was getting a real feel for the people. While in some places towards the end there were parts summarising historic events that were a little flat in comparison, overall I very much appreciate the author's style.

I already knew the author wrote great short stories and I now know he's a deft hand with full length novels too. This was a really good read, loaded with drama, characters who develop throughout the book and a strong foundation in fact. I'd happily recommend it to fans of the genre.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully researched details coupled with inspiration add sparkle and authenticity to this historical novel.

The first several chapters introduce characters and take the reader into the days right before the revolution. At first I wondered if I would be able to keep these characters straight, but there was no problem with that, as each character is unique, with his or her own personality and goals. All come from different walks of life: a runaway slave, an English lord and sea captain, a tavern-keeper’s daughter, an unwanted orphan and his brother, and of course General José de San Martín, a brilliant strategist, born in Argentina and a defector from the Spanish army. Gaughran’s story makes it easy to understand why San Martín is regarded as a national hero of Argentina and Peru.

I was particularly fascinated by Thomas Cochrane, in whom I found a character I could wholly root for, as the popular underdog fighting the establishment.

While much of the story is centered around freeing South America from Spain and thus involves military machinations to that end, Gaughran also takes the reader into the intimate lives of his protagonists. Each is expertly fleshed out, with fears, hopes, love and suffering. I appreciated this aspect of A Storm Hits Valparaiso. Every chapter deepens the reader’s engagement. I became particularly synced to the triangle of Catalina, Jorge, and Diego.

The fighting scenes are vivid and brutal, the military planning intriguing, the work and commitment involved in the freeing of a country fascinating, the love stories poignant. I was not familiar with this history, and was intrigued enough to get online and do some reading. Thomas Cochrane, for instance, is called “The ‘real’ Master and Commander.”

Reading this book left me pondering why countries invade other countries and subjugate them. It’s inevitable that somewhere, sometime, those suppressed people will rise up in revolt and fight for their freedom. Conquering armies can never take a truly easy breath. Eventually, they will have to fight to keep what they've taken, again, and again, until at some point, they lose or give up, and many have to die on both sides. Yet history never seems able to impart this lesson, and new, would-be conquerors continue to attempt their overthrows.

Highly recommended historical fiction. It really captured my imagination.

[Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Storm Hits Valparaiso is a sweeping historical fiction which captivates and entertains in an epic story of love & hate, brotherhood, power and revenge – told from the points of view of a variety of characters. David Gaughran has created fully dimensional and believable characters with distinct personalities and traits one would expect in a story of this scope.

The story follows a deserter from the Spanish army who returns to South America to lead the fight for the continent’s independence from Spain, an escaped slave fighting for his freedom, two brothers trying to survive a war and the changes between each other, a betrayed British sea captain and a young inn keeper who turns to prostitution when she loses her family and her livelihood. Each strives to survive in a world turned upside down by war and personal tragedy.

What I liked which earned 5 Stars

A Storm Hits Valparaiso is a well-told saga of several integral characters with differing world views. The historical aspects came across as authentic and the dialogue is distinct between characters. You can hear the differences in the voices of the Spanish commander, the runaway slave, the Argentine soldier, and the British sea captain. It’s very good.

The pacing is consistent and builds on itself – it’s never boring. Setting and scene is rich and visual. You definitely get a feel of place.

What needed work that earned 3 Stars

Some of the characters were developed very well, like San Martin and Cochrane, and I wish I could have cared as much about the other characters as they seemed very interesting and wish they had been better established.

The story was too big. With all the characters and events involved there was enough story that it could have easily gone another 50,000 words of story and still be interesting and perhaps would have felt more developed and complete. He could have better developed scenes in which he could have done more showing than telling in certain areas of the story.

Overall, for such an ambitious first novel of this magnitude, I’d have to give it a solid 4 Star rating.

Come, sit down, open the book and march through the mountain passes and deserts, feel the heat of battle and ride the high seas in this exciting, sweeping story.

[Jason Beech · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked David Gaughran’s A Storm Hits Valparaiso. Latin America and its drive for independence seems to get scant notice in the North Atlantic region, so its great to see it treated to such epic detail from the Sweden-residing Irishman. The story revolves around a large cast of characters, but mainly San Martin, an Argentine who fought for Spain against Napoleon, but is now fighting against Spain for South American independence; Thomas Cochrane, a wronged Brit fighting the British establishment, then involving himself in South America’s conflict; Diego, a lowly soldier; and Catalina, a strong woman who ends up a prostitute.

They all get caught up in the decisions of the decaying Spanish Empire and those of their own politicians. The novel’s themes, of freedom from Spain, and slavery, love, and survival, play across Argentina, Chile, Peru, and London. Geographically, it’s massive. The character population is also huge.

And that’s why I liked it, rather than loved it. A book like this needs to reach War and Peace lengths to give the characters any kind of depth. Each chapter moves from one character to another, which is fine, but it makes each feel like a short story, and with much of the dialogue coming across as stiff, especially San Martin’s. A couple of lowly characters, who have their own story strands, barely develop before they die on the battlefield.

If not given the length to breathe, then maybe the book could have concentrated on a few key characters. I would have liked to see San Martin as a background character, with the focus aimed at brothers Diego and Jorge, and Catalina. The book starts with Catalina in her father’s tavern, shooting verbal fire at Spanish sailors who are trying it on with her. It sets the scene beautifully. If it could have centred around her and the brothers, their passions representing the larger struggle between the colonies and Spain, then this would have been truly epic. In the end, too many characters dilute its impact, all not given enough room to expand their lungs, making it read for much of the time like a history book rather than a novel.

A good read, then, with magnificent historical research, but it could have been so much better.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spanish vs. South America

When this reviewer began reading this book, she had little knowledge of the history of South America and, consequently, she had some difficulty of knowing in which country the action was occurring. It was a well written historical novel based on much truth of both famous men and battles. At the end of the book, the author gave his references for both people and events. Although I couldn’t always be sure of what country the story took place in, it didn’t detract from the actions of his famous characters. He added a little romantic interest by introducing a young woman, Catalina, who worked in her father’s bar until Spanish troops entered Valparaiso and he sent her away. She appeared off and on throughout the story because two young cousins, raised together as brothers, were in love with her.

This reviewer didn’t know that the Spanish had such a foothold in South American countries, although they were harsh in most countries they conquered. Down there they were harsh with the citizens of the countries they had to reconquer, and especially the indigenous Indians whom they worked as slave labor in their silver mines and black slaves that had been shipped in to work the farms. But at the time this story took place, there were many other ethnic groups in South America who had an interest and were determined to drive the Spanish out, which took several years of fighting, And this is the substance of this novel, but the author described the main actors and the countries succinctly so that the reader could picture the scenes, even though never having seen them. For those readers who enjoy history, and especially if the tediousness of straight history is discouraging, then this is a good book to read. I agree with one of the other reviewers that the title is misleading and underplays the depth of the story, and perhaps it could have been longer and more detailed, but I can recommend as it now stands.

[Martin Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a stirring and gripping read. David Gaughran has chosen to write about an epic time in history, the long and tragic wars for independence in South America. His book is huge in scope and ambition. It takes place over a number of years and with a vast geographical area. It has a large cast of characters who seem at first to have nothing in common.

What they do have in common, however, is that they will become part of General San Martin’s herculean effort to free the continent from the Spanish yoke.

San Martin is a brave choice for a protagonist. He was aloof and taciturn and lacked the charisma of his fellow liberator, Simon Bolivar. Such a hero is a challenge for any novelist and Gaughran rightly chooses to people his novel with other, more vivid characters to help enliven scenes with the General.

These characters stay in the imagination. We travel with them through the terror and trauma of war. The heroism of these times of courage and sacrifice is bought vividly to life.

This is Gaughran’s debut novel and, goodness, it is an impressive debut. I eagerly await to read more from him.

[J.J. Toner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable historical novel set amid the revolutions that led to Argentine, Chilean and Peruvian independence from three centuries of despotic rule by the Spanish conquistadors. A captivating cast from the lower echelons of life appear side by side with major historical figures like Jose de San Martin, Bernardo O’Higgins and Admiral Lord Thomas Cochrane of the British Royal Navy.

I knew nothing about the period before I started reading, so I can’t be sure how much of the history depicted is factual and where are the boundaries between fact and pure fiction. In this regard it might have been helpful if the author had included a note outlining the major historical events, battles, historical characters etc. (I see that he supplies information along these lines on his web site, btw). Also, a bibliography would have been useful. I’m giving the book five stars for the quality of the writing, the scope of the novel, the depiction of the characters. I feel the book would have been stronger if the cast had been reduced by one or two; I found it difficult to keep them all in mind. So four and three quarter stars.

An excellent debut novel, highly recommended.

[Quentin Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical fiction that brings to light some of the leaders in the independence movements in South America. This is my introduction to men such as San Martin and Cochrane who were commanders in the struggles of Argentina, Chile, and Peru in winning their independence from Spain. From reading this book I learned what drove some of the leaders to give up everything to join the revolutions in South America.

The story of A Storm Hits Valparaiso involves not only the leaders and men in the history books, but also the people who were being directly affected by the changes that were coming about in their lives. Stories from the point of view of two cousins who were raised as brothers, a runaway slave, and the daughter of a bar owner all bring in the "little people" of the revolution. It is these stories that bring the revolutions down to the people that were truly being affected by what the leaders were doing.

A very good read and one that opens new history for those that want to explore the growth of independence movements.

[Pam K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Librarything back in January. Sorry for the delay in reading and reviewing.

The story follows the lives of a dozen people, all involved in different ways in the war for South America's freedom from Spanish rule. Some matter greatly; such as Jose de San Martin or Jorge and his brother Diego, who fight for the army. Some not so much; such as Catalina, whose story is sad and intriguing but doesn't mean much for the revolution; or Ze, who I found pointless and totally missed why I even had to read about him.

The war story is interesting. The author seems to have done his research to be as accurate as possible. There are many aspects to this tale. Love, honor, freedom, war, and the losing of friend and/or family.

I had a hard time keeping interested. But I like the book and the writing style

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the revolutionary period in South America in the early 1800s, from the points of view of both real historical figures and Mr. Gaughran's fictional characters. I found it interesting because this is a time and place in history that I know very little about. The book could probably stand to be twice as long as it is. (How often do you say that a book would be better if it was longer?) I felt like it skipped around a lot, leaving out major portions of the characters' lives. In some places it reads like a history text, albeit a very engagingly-written history text, when what I really wanted was to dig deeper into the lives and experiences of Mr. Gaughran's likable and interesting characters. But it's well worth reading, especially if you're interested in learning about a period in history you might not know very much about.

[Jonathan Dalar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that is very well written. Gaughran goes into a lot of detail throughout, showing he has definitely done his research on the subject. If you're a fan of historical novels, this one is a good read.

There are a lot of characters, and I found myself naturally drawn to some more than others. The only real complaint I'd have against the book is that it's hard to follow all of them well until you get to know them better, and some of them seem to fall by the wayside to follow other, less interesting ones.

Still, it's a very good story - intriguing, interesting - it pulled me along to the end.