Standing Stone

by Patrick Egan

This book is historical fiction.  The 'history' line of the narrative follows the challenges a group of Royalist French emigres faced as they escaped Paris and came to Philadelphia in 1793. They proceeded to travel up the Susquehanna River to establish a town in what was then wilderness, French Azylum.  The 'fiction' element tells the coming-of-age story of one boy, Alain, who along with his mother manage an Inn at Azylum.  Alain falls under the influence of a man of questionable character, Gaspard, who has secrets from France and uses deceit to influence Alain in a way that may change the course of European history.  One central issue is why did Alain's father remain in France and not stay with his family as they made their way to Azylum?  Along the way, Alain grows up, learns vital lessons about class status, falls in love and ultimately learns the truth about his father.

Genres: Historical Fiction

244 pages, Kindle Edition

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.