Saving Washington: The Forgotten Story of the Maryland 400 and The Battle of Brooklyn

by Chris Formant

Saving Washington Film Rights Optioned by Producer of HBO's Big Little Lies

The lost story of “America’s 400 Spartans”—an army of unexpected heroes who changed the course of history.

On a marshy Brooklyn battlefield on August 27, 1776, four hundred men from Baltimore, Maryland assembled to do battle against a vastly superior British army. Seemingly overnight, these young soldiers had matured from naïve teenagers to perhaps the most important, yet most forgotten, citizen soldiers in all of American “America’s 400 Spartans.”

Saving Washington follows young Joshua Bolton and his childhood friend Ben Wright, a freed black man, as they witness British tyranny firsthand, become enraptured by the cause, and ultimately enlist to defend their new nation in a battle that galvanized the American nation on the eve of its birth.

Chris Formant’s gripping tale blends real-life historical figures and events with richly developed fictional characters in a multi-dimensional world of intrigue, romance, comradeship, and sacrifice, transporting us two-and-a-half centuries back in time to the bustling streets of Baltimore and the bloody, smoke-filled carnage of battle in Brooklyn.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, American Revolution

320 pages, Hardcover

Published February 19, 2019

About the author

From his early “garage band’ days, to a seat on the Board of Trustees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chris Formant has been a student of rock and roll his whole life.

A collector of rock memorabilia and an avid reader of rock histories, he has absorbed the stories of rock legends in much the same way as his lead character, Gantry Elliot in Bright Midnight.

As an executive in a leading global company, running a multi-billion dollar business, Formant is the unlikeliest of authors of a murder mystery.
But the continued unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of our most iconic rock legends led Formant to first speculate and then re-imagine what would happen if cutting edge technology were applied to these famous cold cases.

Doing his own research into the archives of the Hall of Fame, studying advanced forensics techniques and gaining creative insights from top doctors, FBI investigators and a former editor of Rolling Stone Magazine, Formant crafted what is being referred to as the “Da Vinci Code for Rock and Roll Fans”.

Reviews

[Sibil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and to the editor. I received this book in exchange for an honest review
I was really curious about this book because I am quite ignorant on the matter and I wanted to know more. And here the author asks himself why a lot of young guys have chosen to go to war? How did that happen? What made them drop their life and go to battle? And I was quite intrigued by this. Because yes, sure, freedom and independence are important, that's true, but usually, they are abstract values, so how those abstract things became real?
So, the idea was intriguing and really good, but I think that the author has still a long way to go. Josh and Ben, our protagonists are well developed, they are naive, yes, but cute and real, and I appreciated their friendship. And I liked some of the secondary characters, like Paddy and Brown. They were well developed, too. And yes, Brown is a bad character, and he's just the kind of character that I despise, but the author did a great job with him. And that was great, really. But there are some not so good things, too.
Tessa is the main problem. She's not so well developed as the other characters, and it seems like the author has some mixed feelings (and ideas) with her because he tries to make her a mysterious character, an ambiguous one, but... he didn't manage it, and she comes out like a confused one. And the ending of her storyline is... bad. I am sorry for the brutality, but it is so.
And the romance part? Laughable! Maybe the author tried to put a bit of romance in his story to make it more real, or maybe because a bit of romance helps out with selling the book, but we could have really done without! It's just not relevant to the plot, it doesn't add something to the characters or to the story, nothing!
And some of the dialogues are not so natural andthey are romanticized, a lot! Not all of them, that's true, for the most part, the dialogues are quite good, but sometimes they just aren't.


Ero davvero curiosa di leggere questo libro, perché parla di un argomento di cui non sapevo assolutamente nulla. Certo, la storia a grandi linee mi è nota, dato che è ambientato durante le guerre di indipendenza americane, però qui l'autore decide di raccontarci i particolari di una battaglia e, cosa ancora più interessante, l'autore si domanda cosa abbia spinto dei ragazzi a prendere le armi e andare in battaglia. Perché indipendenza, libertà e meno tasse sono motivi importanti, sì, ma sono davvero sufficienti a spingere dei ragazzi ad imbracciare le armi? E' questa la domanda che lui si pone, e a cui cerca di rispondere con questa storia.
E' un punto di partenza molto interessante e ho apprezzato l'idea, ma diciamo che sullo sviluppo l'autore ha ancora del lavoro da fare.
Josh e Ben, i nostri protagonisti, sono davvero carini e ben sviluppati, e la loro amicizia mi è piaciuta molto. Ho trovato anche ben delineati alcuni dei personaggi principali, come Paddy, che mi è davvero piaciuto molto, e Brown, che è uno dei cattivi più cattivi di sempre, con un sacco di qualità che lo rendono veramente detestabile. Peccato che non facessi il tifo per lui, perché è esattamente il tipo di personaggio che detesto. Però devo riconoscere all'autore che con lui ha fatto un bel lavoro.
Ma poi iniziano le crepe. Tessa è la più grande. Intanto non è un personaggio ben caratterizzato, l'autore ha le idee un po' confuse con lei, o almeno così sembra, perché cerca di creare un personaggio ambiguo ma... no, è solo confuso. E la sua uscita di scena? Penosa. Mi spiace essere brusca ma... è l'aggettivo più adatto. Ma se preferite potete usare anche "ridicolo", che ci può stare.
Inoltre l'autore prova a mettere anche un pizzico di romance, forse per dare un po' più di spessore e umanità ai suoi personaggi, o forse perché qualcuno gli ha detto che così avrebbe venduto di più, non lo so, ma se ne poteva tranquillaente fare a meno. Inutile, inconcludente, che non aggiunge nulla ai protagonisti o alla storia, ma ci porta via solo del tempo.
E poi alcuni dialoghi li ho trovati decisamente troppo "romanzati" e "idealizzati in maniera romantica" oltre che leggermente forzati. Non tutti, la maggior parte dei dialoghi funziona bene, ma ce ne sono alcuni che, per me, non funzionano per niente.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publishing company. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: One of the main characters is African-American

Publication Date: February 19, 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 18+ (violence, war, gore)

Publisher: Permuted Press

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: On a marshy Brooklyn battlefield on August 27, 1776, four hundred men from Baltimore, Maryland assembled to do battle against a vastly superior British army. Seemingly overnight, these young soldiers had matured from naïve teenagers to perhaps the most important, yet most forgotten, citizen soldiers in all of American history: “America’s 400 Spartans.”

Saving Washington follows young Joshua Bolton and his childhood friend Ben Wright, a freed black man, as they witness British tyranny firsthand, become enraptured by the cause, and ultimately enlist to defend their new nation in a battle that galvanized the American nation on the eve of its birth.

Chris Formant’s gripping tale blends real-life historical figures and events with richly developed fictional characters in a multi-dimensional world of intrigue, romance, comradeship, and sacrifice, transporting us two-and-a-half centuries back in time to the bustling streets of Baltimore and the bloody, smoke-filled carnage of battle in Brooklyn.

Review: I thought the book did well with the world building and with the writing. The plot was also intriguing and I liked the part where an actual battle was described.

However, I did feel like this book was really slow and the characters weren’t that interesting to me in the end. Maybe it was just me, I was having an off weekend.

Verdict: If you like History you’ll love this.

[Madelon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The term historical fiction may seem like a misnomer, perhaps even an oxymoron. I have found such books to be an easier representation of the past to comprehend than textbooks full of dry dates and so called facts. We all know that history is written by the victors who give little credence to the people going about the business of living during times of great change or great upheaval. I would venture to say that Americans are familiar with the name George Washington, the father of our country, Revolutionary War general… Do any of them think of him as a person? Do they think of him eating dinner and sipping wine with Martha?

Really good historical fiction is immersive. It takes you to a time and place that you never personally experienced. Along with presenting accepted chronicled information, the narrative is flavored with descriptions of places as they were and dialog that contains the vernacular of the day. As I started reading SAVING WASHINGTON, I senses neither of these vital ingredients. In an afterward comment, the author does say that he is writing to a younger audience. To my mind, that is akin to changing the name of the first Harry Potter book from HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE to HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE in the American edition… god forbid that American kids learn something new. Language is a part of history along with the people and places. Case in point, the word 'optimal' was first used in 1890… more than 100 years after the American Revolution. I was also put off with the frequent use of "pop, pop, pop" to describe the gunfire on the colonial battlefield. Somehow, those words evoke the description of a drive-by shooting rather than the muskets being used. There are some very poignant scenes that evoke real emotion; however, getting caught up in universal feelings really doesn't add to experiencing a war that happened 243 years ago.

I see SAVING WASHINGTON as a continued dumbing down of America.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action-filled and fast-paced book, especially the last half which describes the actual battle.

This is a fictional account of the battle of Brooklyn in the Revolutionary War, a battle that is not often mentioned even in histories of the Revolution, and about which not much is actually known even today.
Josh Bolton, the son of a merchant, and his friend, Ben Wright, a free Negro, live in Baltimore and are not initially very interested in politics. Josh’s mother, in particular, is not anxious for her son to join the incipient militia being recruited by Colonel Smallwood. But as time passes and the number of British insults begins to weigh on them, and as they are urged to action by various friends and events, they both decide to join up.

The culminating event for them is the death of Josh’s father at the hands of the British authorities during a riot at a gathering in Annapolis where he has gone on a business trip.

They encounter the deaths of friends and betrayal by a girl Josh thought he loved. But their resolve is strong, and they eventually arrive at the site where the British are lying in wait to drive the Colonial troops out of New York and capture George Washington, their general.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

[Bookroomreviews.com leonardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves reading Historical Fiction. My favorite subject being American History I could not wait to dive into this book. I of course knew all about George Washington’s army escape from New York at the beginning of the American Revolution.At least I thought I did. It must be admitted I was never aware of the Maryland 400 and their part in the battle and their sacrifice.

I think the author gives us a very good understanding of the turmoil of the times and the leading up to the revolution. The book is not only about the Battle of Brooklyn. Chris Formant helps the reader understand what led the American Colonies to their desire for independence. He also shows us what young men at the time might have been thinking and what made them want to join up and fight. In the eyes of these American Revolutionary’s it must have seemed an impossible task. At this time in history Great Britain was The Super Power in the world.

This is a great book for any age. If you are interested in history , especially American history put this book on your shopping list. As Historical Fiction goes Saving Washington ranks right up there. Like The Killer Angels by Michael Sharra and John Jakes Kent Family Chronicles, Formant intertwines historical figures like Washington ,Cornwallis and others very nicely.

As for the story itself I learned quite a bit. Although the author does admit to taking a few “Liberties” in the writing to help move the story along. It’s for the most part factually correct.The friendship between the two young men is inspiring. Joshua and Ben are unsure at first what this uprising is all about. Through a series of unfortunate events they become true Patriots. They join the Maryland Militia thinking more in terms of protecting and keeping the peace in their home Colony of Maryland. They soon find themselves on the road with their regiment marching to New York and to war.The story of the Maryland 400 is inspiring and after reading this book I did a little more research about them. The importance of what these men did should never be forgotten.They literally saved the Revolution and of course George Washington.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review available on my blog.

My fear was that this book was going to be boring, and that certainly was not the case. My second fear was that it was going to be riddled with historical inaccuracies. The thing with that fear is that I would have to know a reasonable amount about the events in order to be able to spot those inaccuracies, and I do not. So with that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. And while Bright Midnight was a fun book, this one is more developed story wise. It is evident that Formant took a real interest in the events leading up to and around the Battle of Brooklyn. I think history buffs will enjoy it, if only because it sheds light on an event in American history that few know that much about.

[Dwina Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saving Washington by Chris Formant was a fascinating read. Until I read this fictional account,.I was not aware of the Maryland 400 or of the pivitol role the Battle of Brooklyn played in the Revolutionary War. Josh and Ben, the protagonists, are fictional characters but others characters in the book were real people. The locations and battle scenes were real.

The book begins in Baltimore as revolutionary sentiments are filtering down from New England. Loyalties are divided among Maryland's population. Josh and Ben, life-long friends, are young men in their late teens. They are working on the docks associated with Josh's Dad's business. They see the impact Britain's increased taxation has on businesses. They experience the disdain many of the British soldiers and sailors have for the colonists. They hear the plea for young men to enlist in the militia to help protect their colony. After Josh's Dad is senselessly killed, both young men enlist. They are soon called up to help the Continental Army and to be part of a special unit to disrupt the British military. Running in the background is a British spy network that seeks to take down Washington and his army.

This was a great read that brings to life relatively unknown heroes. I highly recommend it.

[Auburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical fiction lovers dream. This book is all about getting history right and teaching you not just the well known facts but also the smaller facts that lead to Washington's escape. A picture is painted of how each decision lead to the next and how the Maryland 400 really helped save the day.

Perfect for all ages of historical fiction. This book really gives a truer view while teaching facts that not many may know. I learned things I never knew and am excited to have friends of history read this as well.

[Julie Failla Earhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was attracted to this fragment of forgotten history because of the first line on the dust jacket: “Somewhere deep beneath the bustling streets of Brooklyn, New York, lie the remins of perhaps the most important citizen soldiers in American history; the heroic men from Baltimore, Maryland, who held back superior British forces long enough to preserve the Continental Army and save the life of General George Washington.” After reading it. I expected a story about finding the graves, how they were exhumed and relocated to a place of honor. This is not that story.

The time is 1776. Baltimore teenager Joshua Bolton and his BFF, Ben Wright, watch as the British Army does its best to make the American Colonists’ lives so hard that they would give up that idiotic notion of independence and return to a civilized way of life. As the boys watched the tyranny, they knew tha hey had to do something. When the call went our for new recurits for he 1st Mayland Regiment, they boys enlisted.

I know this is historical/biographical fiction, but I was surprised that a black man, even a freed man, was allowed to join the fight. I need to brush up on this aspect of American history, obviously.

The story illustrates the hardships of the citizen-soldiers, and what they wre up against. At first I was surpised that Josh and Ben were teenagers, but then again,I’m not sure we really know how many young adults fought alongside their adult counterparts. A lot I imagine.

The language of the book makes it obvious early on that it is written for young adults. On the downside, I didn’t feel the tension of the situations that the boys got themselves into until the Battle of Brooklyn was underway. I never felt that they were in any real danger. But that’s the point of view of a middle-age female.

I think young adult readers will enjoy this book. I like that it tells a tale of forgotten heroes, that we all need to know more about.

“Saving Washington: The Forgotten Story of the Maryland 400 and The Battle of Brooklyn” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

[thewanderingjew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the story moved between Baltimore and Pennsylvania, with the massing of troops and the staging of battles, the training of men and the searching for informants, it grew more and more interesting. There was a division between the colonists who supported Washington and the Continental Army and the loyalists who defended Great Britain and the crown. Some supported independence, some the royal family.

Although the characters, Ben and Josh, who moved the story toward its conclusion were not real, the historic figures who fought the battles were. The spies and traitors were real; The Maryland Regiment with Major Gist was real. The battle in Brooklyn was real.

So, the novel is more than a story of Washington, it is a novel about bravery and equality, justice and liberty for all. It is about independence, about love of country and the courage to fight for and defend it. It also highlights the danger that exists of treason, betrayal and deception.

The British are portrayed as brutal, dishonest, arrogant and cruel. The way they waged war and the men they hired for their lack of decency, as in the mercenaries and their spies, seemed to be about greed. Everyone had a price.

War is so ugly; there is so much sacrifice, but the author forces the reader to admire the bravery of the soldiers who were naïve and unaware of what was to come in the days after they enlisted. They thought they would be like policemen, but they were forced to become soldiers and to fight for their lives and their countrymen’s freedom.

When I first began reading the book, I thought the author wasn’t sure if he was writing to the middle grade student or the young adult. Although the subject matter seemed geared to the adult and there was some crude language which I thought was unnecessary, the early dialogue seemed to be written for the middle grade. It was a bit contrived and corny. Some books are not sure what they want to be and this one may be that kind of a book. It feels somewhere between middle grade and young adult, but not quite either one. Content is geared for older students, but the presentation feels a bit younger, especially for the first ¾’s of the book. Perhaps it would be better to call it a crossover that would please both audiences.

I also felt that the demographic picture of the novel, with the two fictional young men, one white, Joshua Bolton and one free black, Ben Wright, perhaps did not ring true. Both men viewed each other as brothers which was perhaps a bit idealistic. The mothers were friends, as well, and it didn’t ring that true because the novel takes place in a time when slavery still existed, although it was not practiced in the north where the children were raised. Still, racism was alive and well then, and the character Ben experienced it. His behavior was depicted as exemplary, and that too seemed a bit contrived, as he was made the model of behavior. In his shoes, I might have reacted more strongly to many offenses, at least emotionally. The relationship between the mothers was also not clearly defined, as well. I felt that on the one hand, the author tried to minimize racial differences and on the other to magnify them in certain moments. The presentations competed with each other.

However, as the book moves on, the friendship the boys share seems genuine as they share a common sense of loyalty and love for each other. In a perfect world, such friendships could have existed then.

The last ¼ of the novel is riveting. The re-imagined Battle of Brooklyn seems especially realistic. The author has put the reader directly onto the battlefield, complete with the war cries, the fighting, the suffering of the injured, and the dead. The bravery exhibited by the young men in battle as they fight for their freedom is laudable, and hopefully, the kind of dedication that readers will want to imitate. It is hard to imagine such devotion today, though, from the young men and women who have been brought up in a time when they do not believe they will ever have to really engage in warfare or even face conflict. Everyone gets a participation trophy, so everyone is happy. As a result, the young find it easy to criticize their country without realizing the hard fought battles that took place, along with the sacrifice of so many, that went unsung and unrewarded to provide them with the good life they have.

At first, I questioned the idea of a fictional presentation of the history, but learned later that little was known about Washington’s engagement in Brooklyn. I also came to believe that the main idea of the book was not necessarily the history, but rather the philosophy of fighting for a cause, of loving your country and what it gave you, of respecting your freedom and wanting to maintain it without the huge arm of a government weighing down on your life, of loyalty vs. betrayal. The framework regarding the battles and the generals was authentic, as were the British and their spies. There was no shortage of traitors. Everyone had a price, be it money or glory.

I thought the book began like a fairy tale, with a kind of hokey conversation between Martha and George Washington, but it ended with a powerful message about war, with its need for loyalty, nationalism and civil rights. It sent a message about liberty for all that cannot and should not be ignored.

*I wondered at the use of the word dreck which is derived from German and Yiddish and which didn’t come into common use until much later in the 20th century. However, there were Hessians, brutal mercenaries from Germany engaged in the fighting, and perhaps that is why the author chose to use it. I received this book from Meryl Moss Media Relations.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saving Washington is a riveting story and Chris Formant is a brilliant storyteller. Rarely does a book hold my interest from beginning to end, but Saving Washington had me from the first few pages-- I simply could not put it down. Told through the eyes of two young men, one white and one black, I found the story to be inspirational and carried an impactful message in our current divisive political environment. It actually brought me to tears numerous times as I deeply felt the conflicting emotions of the characters and how the purity of the ideal of freedom that drove them to save the country on August 27, 1776.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical fiction based on real people and events that you'll find hard to put down. The characters were interesting, but felt a little underdeveloped. The action scenes (the battle) were very well described and moved along quite quickly, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you read. The plot moved a little slowly for me outside the action scenes, but still went along fairly smoothly. If you're an American Revolutionary War buff and love historical fiction based in that era, you're going to want to grab this one!

[Mark Luongo · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can consider me a snob when it comes to my historical fiction. I like historical accuracy, detail and period language when appropriate. This novel doesn't have too much of that. The premise of "American Spartans", the Maryland Regiment at the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776 is fine but without those things I mentioned it falls very flat. Despite having met the author and having it autographed, it's not a keeper.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, as I learned a bit about history that I did not know. The story was a bit confusing at times - lots of chatacreters to keep straight and the geography and mechanics of the battle scene was sometimes hard to follow. But otherwise it was exciting and hard to put down.

[Tambra]

Great book Loved it, Im from Md so interesting to read.

[Lisa Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't wait to see Chris at the Annapolis Book Festival - April 2020

[elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so yeah I rated it two stars but that wasn't because I hated the book. I didn't HATE it. It was just that it was I expected so much more. The title and the description made it seem fascinating and enthralling.

Yet it ended being probably the most poorly written book (or poorly edited) that I have read in a long time. Dialogue is supposed to be on separate lines whenever a new character begins to speak, and yet there were two instances of that not happening here, where the dialogue from one character and the other's response were on the same line.

And it was confusing because the details and the setting were not written as descriptively as they could be, and I was confused as to who was where and who was doing what from time to time.

And as a history major, I obviously love history, but this book was HARD to get through, and if I'm super invested in the book I can read for hours. But so much of the book, supposed to be in the Revolutionary War time, seemed like it took place in modern time--the language that was used and some of the author's vocabulary just seemed too modern.

And TESSA. Oh, gosh. First of all, please don't introduce a character that has an importance for part of the book and then just leaves...like, she played a large role and then was just taken out and forgotten. She didn't even die, it was just that she was removed because of something she did but as the reader we do not even get to know how her story ends. STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT AND SKIP THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH--SPOILERS--And other than Josh's mother (who I admired because she is a strong woman in her own right), Tessa is basically the only woman in the book--and she's used as a villain? I don't know, but I feel like this could have been done differently and they could have included a woman as a character who was honest in both her personal life and what she did for a living. And Ben's mother, well, I wish I knew more about her.

Ben's whole family sounds like they have a complex backstory that I would have liked to hear more about, and his mother seems like a pretty good person. But of course they barely went into that.

Lol after all of this it may seem like I do, indeed, hate this book. BUT it had its good qualities--it was fairly interesting and I appreciate the friendship between Josh and Ben, because I love how they care for each other, especially in wartime and through the hardships that are faced by them. And Ben was amazing--kind and intuitive--probably one of my favorite characters. (Haha sorry that leads to another complaint--Ben totally didn't get enough credit and did not have enough of a role in this book. Yes, he played a major role in the Tessa drama but at the end the focus seemed to be on Josh too much).

Anyway, if you do like history I do recommend this because it was decently interesting, but beware that it isn't the best historical fiction out there, even though the author did a ton of research (I did like how this story was told with real characters in it--aside from Ben and Josh and probably Tessa--and how this told the story of something you don't hear about in history. To me, this is reason enough to read it, especially if you like history).

Oh, and if you are a younger reader, just be aware that there is a LOT of cussing in the book.

[BookTrib.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Chris Formant’s latest novel, "Saving Washington: The Forgotten Story of the Maryland 400 and The Battle of Brooklyn" (Permuted Press), young Joshua Bolton and his childhood friend Ben, a freed black man, witness British tyranny firsthand, become enraptured by the cause, and ultimately enlist to defend their new nation in a battle that galvanized America on the eve of its birth.

Formant’s gripping tale blends real-life historical figures and events with richly developed fictional characters in a multidimensional world of intrigue, romance, comradeship, and sacrifice, transporting us two and a half centuries back in time to the bustling streets of Baltimore and the bloody, smoke-filled carnage of battle in Brooklyn.

For more on Formant’s transporting tale, read BookTrib’s exclusive interview. https://booktrib.com/2019/01/290531/

[Craig Pearson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was written for the mass market, not historians or anyone familiar with American history. There are many situations and terminology that just aren't right. In the late eighteenth century there were no zippers on clothing nor had Baltimore clipper ships come into use. The places the black childhood friend went and how he acted did not seem realistic in a southern city such as Baltimore. The dialogue was just too twentieth century to be believable. Hard to stay interested in a book that has such agregious errors.

[Sue Blanchard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thankyou to NetGalley, Permuted Press and the author, Chris Formant, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Saving Washington in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I really enjoy the historical fiction genre which is why I jumped at the chance to read this book. I have to admit, sadly, that I had a lot of trouble reading it. I found no connection to the characters and struggled to maintain interest. Unfortunately not a book for me.

[Brandie Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is well written but it was not what I had anticipated.. I was looking for more battles/action. It seem to drag on for me.

[VALERIE WELLAND · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you for this opportunity. I will be honest and say that I had a hard time with this book. Realizing this is considered Historical Fiction, I was expecting characters created to be inserted into real events. I do feel this was somewhat accomplished. However, the story-line seemed to be missing something, perhaps to hard of editing? For example, the beginning we see George and Martha Washington, it seems that there were pieces removed from this section? Or the scene was not completely realized? At times, I felt like I was reading a play's script, there was much detail about the surroundings, but the story-line was lacking. I hope this feedback does not offend, that is not my intent. I want to be honest in my reviews.

[Mark Vetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saving Washington is a fascinating blend of fact and fiction set during the Revolutionary War at the little known Battle of Brooklyn. It tells the story of a band of 400 Marylanders who engage a vastly superior British army. They are rightly compared to the Spartans and their courage is inspiring. Any fan of history will find this story compelling, indeed, it kept me up late into the night.