Primitive Passions

The Boschloper Saga #1

by John M. Cahill

When Sean O'Cathail deserted in New York Harbor in 1681, it was not to become a boschloper. He jumped ship to save his own skin. Getting into the fur trading business was just where he landed. As an Irish refuge hiding out in a Dutch colony now controlled by the English, Sean found he had a knack for diplomacy as he negotiated between the colonists and their Iroquois neighbors. This skill also helped with his love life, torn between courting a servant in town, while sleeping with an Indian lass when in the wilderness. As the French and their Indian allies encroach ever farther into their territory. Sean's diplomatric skills will be put to the test. Then, he learns more than a few pelts are at stake!

410 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2015

Reviews

[Yvonne Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. I enjoyed this very much and highly recommend it

[Paul Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

BLURB

When Sean O’Cathail deserted in New York Harbor in 1681, it was not to become a boschloper. He jumped ship to save his own skin. Getting into the fur trading business was just where he landed. As an Irish refuge hiding out in a Dutch colony now controlled by the English, Sean found he had a knack for diplomacy as he negotiated between the colonists and their Iroquois neighbors. This skill also helped with his love life, torn between courting a servant in town, while sleeping with an Indian lass when in the wilderness.

As the French and their Indian allies encroach ever farther into their territory. Sean’s diplomatric skills will be put to the test. Then, he learns more than a few pelts are at stake!

REVIEW

As an author who writes historical fiction of early America, I was fascinated with this truly enjoyable tale. Leading my interest is the author's descriptions of the lives of the Iroquois tribes that made up The Five Nations. It is evident that Mr. Cahill has done his homework regarding the 'savages', but also in the telling of the nature of the fur trade and its impact on the colonies as well as England and France. A strong mix of history and historical characters with a plot line with surprises and believable fictional characters make Primitive Passions a definite pleasure to read. So, dear readers, take a journey to America's beginnings, to a time when the beaver pelt trade made or broke men, and drove nations to war. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

[Celia Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a lover of early American colonial historical novels, Primitive Passions by John Cahill is the book you are looking for. From chapter one, the story takes off with two well-depicted action scenes as the young Irishman, Sean O'Cathail must first fight his ship mates due to their attempts at thievery, and due to the fight, he must then jump ship and desert. He finds himself in the former Dutch colony that is now New York, but before he can hide, he must escape members of the crew who are attempting to capture him. With the help of other Irishmen and women, he makes his way to Albany to take his chances in the fur trade. He learns and prospers and makes new friends, male and female, but his adventures are far from over as he takes on ever more responsibilities as well as risks. You will enjoy following Sean on his adventures as you visit 17th century lifestyles of the British, French, Dutch, and Indians (Native Americans). Cahill vividly captures not only the time period but the geography that plays an important role in the shaping of New York.
Celia Martin

[Joyce A Cockrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Very informative covering a lesser know period of colonial America. Good character development and a captivating story. I highly recommend!

[Laraine Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I finished this book I was looking forward to the sequel. The book has a fast pace with a good story that keeps you turning the pages wondering what is going to happen next. The descriptive passages and use of actual historical records makes you feel as though you are there with Sean, the main character, whether it is on the harbor front in old NY, in old Albany, or on the trails heading west along the Mohawk River. The interactions among the characters appear authentic. As per today, every New Yorker has their point of view, their needs to be met or achieved. I especially love the presentation of the Iroquois. What a doomed quandary they were in. They survived throughout all NYS history and are still going at it - a little decimated, but still here. I can't wait to share the book with my friend, Tom Porter, founder of Kanatsiohareke in Fonda, NY. The way Cahill has the Iroquois speak in the book reminds me so much of Tom. It's exactly how he talks and tells stories, using a relentless sense of humor whenever he speaks as well as being extremely sensitive and compassionate. In my interactions with the Mohawk I have found them to always want to laugh first, get down to business second. Whether Irish like Sean, Dutch, English, French or Native American, Cahill does a very good job of presenting everyone's perspective. What a fascinating time in World, American, and local history, which Cahill presents with charm and great aptitude.

[Bygone Era Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

from the Historical Novel Society Review:
“Surely, though, it must have been an exciting life!” a character exclaims to Sean O’Cathail at one point in Primitive Passions, the first volume in John Cahill’s Boschloper Saga. Right from the start of the novel, it certainly proves true: sixteen-year-old Sean, having enlisted in the British Navy in hopes of escaping his dreary prospects back in Ireland, deserts his shipmates and captain in order to strike out on his own in the New York of 1681, a wild frontier world of Dutch and English settlers, prickly Iroquois, and fortunes to be made. Cahill organizes Primitive Passions around the life and adventures of Sean as he learns the world of fur trading, the intricacies of colonial life, and, in the book’s most picaresque plotline, the ways of love, pursuing parallel relationships with both a serving girl in town and a Native American woman on the other side of the social divide. Sean’s faith-and-begorrah Irish “accent” can grow a bit tiresome over the course of four-hundred pages, but Cahill’s humor and energy more than compensate.

[Patricia Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story about the American frontier had me hooked. As young Sean O’Cathail contemplates his next adventure, fate takes a hand and he finds himself jumping ship on American shores. Wondering what to do next he becomes the apprentice for well known fur trader Aernout Viele, a Dutchman. This leads him into Indian territory and into politics between native Indian tribes on one hand and Dutch, French and English leaders all competing for economic gain on the other. I was transported back in time as I followed Sean’s adventures and budding relationship with Native Americans and their customs of survival in the wilderness. Sean also bonds with Aernout Viele and his family, who introduces him to how politics and life works in the frontier. Caught between two worlds, Sean is also caught between two women. This is tactfully settled, which left me applauding the outcome. The author drew me in with his knowledge about early American history and kept me absorbed in this tale until the end.

[Delaney Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about the "luck of the Irish"--Sean O'Cathail in PRIMITIVE PASSIONS seems to escape every bad situation and fall over and over again into good ones. John M. Cahill's book follows the fortunes of Irish immigrant O’Cathail in 1681 as he jumps ship, evades pursuers, and makes friends and allies up and down what eventually will become upstate New York. The book eschews detailed character development in favor of a fast pace. Mr. Cahill has a deft hand with research; one never feels as though the author is doing an "information dump." I particularly appreciated the scenes that share the interaction between the whites and the Native Americans, of which the author says, "The quotes are accurate as recorded, although I have updated the language." Looking forward to the sequel and to finding out more about the characters.