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Traitors and Patriots
An epic family saga set amid the opening shots of the Civil War.
October, 1859. The United States reels in the wake of another attempted slave uprising, this time in the sleepy village of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. With a presidential election looming, long-festering social and political divisions threaten to split the Union in two.
Elsewhere in Virginia, Senator John Roscoe and his family appear to be perfect in every way. But as states secede and the Union unravels, the Roscoe dynasty’s dysfunction is laid bare through the unearthing of old wounds and family secrets.
With the outbreak of civil war, each member of the Roscoe family must now choose sides and carve separate paths through the bloodiest period in American history.
Experience a stirring debut novel that melds intricate historical detail, thrilling action, and raw human emotion. "In this war, there can be no neutrals. . .only TRAITORS & PATRIOTS."
October, 1859. The United States reels in the wake of another attempted slave uprising, this time in the sleepy village of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. With a presidential election looming, long-festering social and political divisions threaten to split the Union in two.
Elsewhere in Virginia, Senator John Roscoe and his family appear to be perfect in every way. But as states secede and the Union unravels, the Roscoe dynasty’s dysfunction is laid bare through the unearthing of old wounds and family secrets.
With the outbreak of civil war, each member of the Roscoe family must now choose sides and carve separate paths through the bloodiest period in American history.
Experience a stirring debut novel that melds intricate historical detail, thrilling action, and raw human emotion. "In this war, there can be no neutrals. . .only TRAITORS & PATRIOTS."
647 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2022
24 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Ryan McCarvill
2 books3 followersRyan McCarvill is an author and filmmaker from Prince Edward Island.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 26, 2022
3.5 ⭐
This is most likely the longest book I have read in a really long time, as it’s a heavy 801 pages. I will say, for the most part, I very much enjoyed myself while reading. I was a bit nervous at first because of the length, and while it was slow paced, it was still enjoyable to read. There are a lot of great aspects about this book. If you are enjoy a book that focuses more on characters and their flaws rather than a fast moving plot, then this is a good option for you. The cast is diverse and each character was written very well, with detail to their personalities and flaws. Even though some were not as likable as others, you truly get to know them while reading.
You can really learn a lot from this novel, if you enjoy historical fiction. The length, however, does prove to be an issue, as there were some points where it felt like somethings could have been trimmed down. I understand that this is to be a trilogy, and obviously there is a lot to cover in the Civil War. I really appreciated the depth of information, and it is clear that there was a lot of care taken to research heavily, but again, it was a lot of information for one book. I do also wish the ending had wrapped up differently. The last chapter seemed as though it could have been placed somewhere else near the end, but the chapter before seemed to wrap things up well enough that it made the final chapter almost unnecessary.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this novel. There are flaws, as to be expected in (what I believe is) a debut, and despite its length, it is a heart wrenching, difficult story that outlines the hardships of the time period quite well. I’d like to thank the author for sending a physical copy to the Gettysburg Heritage Center for me to read!
This is most likely the longest book I have read in a really long time, as it’s a heavy 801 pages. I will say, for the most part, I very much enjoyed myself while reading. I was a bit nervous at first because of the length, and while it was slow paced, it was still enjoyable to read. There are a lot of great aspects about this book. If you are enjoy a book that focuses more on characters and their flaws rather than a fast moving plot, then this is a good option for you. The cast is diverse and each character was written very well, with detail to their personalities and flaws. Even though some were not as likable as others, you truly get to know them while reading.
You can really learn a lot from this novel, if you enjoy historical fiction. The length, however, does prove to be an issue, as there were some points where it felt like somethings could have been trimmed down. I understand that this is to be a trilogy, and obviously there is a lot to cover in the Civil War. I really appreciated the depth of information, and it is clear that there was a lot of care taken to research heavily, but again, it was a lot of information for one book. I do also wish the ending had wrapped up differently. The last chapter seemed as though it could have been placed somewhere else near the end, but the chapter before seemed to wrap things up well enough that it made the final chapter almost unnecessary.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this novel. There are flaws, as to be expected in (what I believe is) a debut, and despite its length, it is a heart wrenching, difficult story that outlines the hardships of the time period quite well. I’d like to thank the author for sending a physical copy to the Gettysburg Heritage Center for me to read!
November 5, 2022
I've never been so close to not finishing a book with so little left. I was interested in the history and kept with it for so long assuming something redeeming would happen to some of the main characters. I understand the need for flawed heroes, but every character is so flawed that I ceased to care what happened to any of them. The two brothers are both awful. Their sister is such is dingbat that I can't even feel sorry for her. And everyone needs to make their point by giving multiple, grand, overly verbose speeches. Perhaps there will be redemption in a later book in the intended series, but this was too much investment for so little reward for me to find out.
November 3, 2024
An amazing piece of historical fiction that mirrors the modern political landscape very well while maintaining accurate scenarios and complications of the civil war period. The family dynamics are complex, detailed, and intriguing with everyone playing a key role to the story. Really looking forward to seeing the future books to see who comes out on top.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews