The Northwest Country

by Jefferson Flanders

Northwest Territory, 1798. Merchant-trader Calvin Tarkington leaves behind his comfortable life in New York when he journeys to the frontier to assist an old friend who has fallen ill. Once in the Northwest Territory, he is drawn into the struggle between abolitionists and slaveholders. As a winter storm descends upon western Kentucky, Calvin and a group of fugitive slaves find themselves on the run, hunted by a band of ruthless slave catchers.

The third installment in the Tarkingtons series, The Northwest Country delves into the history of the emerging crisis over slavery in the early American Republic. Critics have praised the Tarkington novels for their mix of historical detail and compelling action, describing them as “brilliantly drawn,” and “riveting and spectacularly researched.”

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 25, 2016

About the author

Jefferson Flanders, a novelist, has been a sportswriter, columnist, editor, and publishing executive.

He is the author of CAFÉ CAROLINA AND OTHER STORIES, and the critically acclaimed First Trumpet trilogy of HERALD SQUARE, THE NORTH BUILDING, and THE HILL OF THREE BORDERS.

Reviews

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

With The Northwest Country, Flanders establishes himself as one of America’s best active American historical fiction writers. Highly recommended.

Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com

[Tovah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical fiction, fast read and interesting! I will be reading more by Jefferson Flanders!

[marvin shults · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Northwest Country

This is a very well written story . It is about a time most of us dont know much about. It should be of interest to anyone 14 years and older who enjoys books on American history.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book on Calvin leaving his merchant / trader life in New York right after marriage to help his old friend that has fallen ill in the Northwest Territory. It gives one the feeling of how it was in the early years in Kentucky and Ohio. It also gives you a feeling on how things were during the slave years. Calvin helped his old friend until his death and brought the friends family back to New York with him, along with two slaves that he freed after he got back home.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable and informative at the same time. I liked the characters and they were well developed. I enjoyed the detail given to the geographical settings. I was a little surprised and disappointed in the amount of content spent in New York rather than the Northwest Country as the title suggested the entire book would be about.

[Sheryl Branscombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ebook as an ARC
I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel set in the late 1700s about a well to do tradesman who becomes involved in assisting 2 slaves to freedom. There are events happening throughout the book that keep it moving quickly .

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the Goodreads giveaway program. A very good historical fiction novel. It took me some time to get into the book, but once I did I really enjoyed it.

[Gillian Wyckoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read, but I don’t care for the writing style. Good historical fiction, but a predictable story outside of the entertained history. It’s a one and done for me with this author.

[Lisa Paradis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, though, I almost didn't get past the first chapter. One of the characters is very religious, and there were so many mentions of God, that it became annoying to me. Fortunately, this is only one character, and he doesn't come back into the story until much later in the book. Calvin leaves his new wife to help a sickly friend, and stumbles into helping free two slaves. Overall, it was a great book. I feel like the ending was a little rushed as you don't get the feeling that Calvin and his new wife reconnect after he gets back from the wilderness and finds that she has been dealing with a secret that bubbled up from her past.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

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I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.