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High Bridge
Upstate New York in the mid-19th century is a cauldron bubbling with the lure of fast fortunes, religious zealotry, and battles for civil liberties. This fervor centers on the Erie Canal, which successfully supports scores of villages brimming with opportunity. One such village, Fayetteville, shapes the lives of two future American leaders.
High Bridge tells the stories of a young newlywed, the only child of freethinking abolitionists, and a prankster lad who grows up in the large family of an austere reverend. Despite their different childhoods and worldviews, they form an unlikely friendship. Can they combine their skills to solve a mystery and vindicate a Black man accused of murder?
High Bridge tells the stories of a young newlywed, the only child of freethinking abolitionists, and a prankster lad who grows up in the large family of an austere reverend. Despite their different childhoods and worldviews, they form an unlikely friendship. Can they combine their skills to solve a mystery and vindicate a Black man accused of murder?
384 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2023
Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898), was an American writer and activist who campaigned for women’s suffrage, Native American rights, abolitionism, and free thought. Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) was an anti-corruption crusader who became the 22nd and the 24th president of the United States. Although both lived in the village of Fayetteville, NY, at the same time, and were not all that far apart in age, they only actually met once, much later, in a receiving line for President Cleveland held in 1888 for the National Woman Suffrage Association.
This did not stop Mr. Miller from creating a vivid piece of historical fiction in which Gage and Cleveland not only know each other, but become friends and fellow activists on a number of issues. They are there to help fellow citizens who are caught in the racial complexities of the time. They are there to help their families understand why blacks should be equal and why women should have the vote. They are there to support the underground railroad, which comes vividly alive throughout the book.
High Bridge makes the reader wish that the events really took place, as Gage and Cleveland were on the right side of history, working together against great odds.
Gage never got the full recognition she deserved for her contribution to suffrage and abolitionism, for reasons you can learn about in the well-drafted appendices which bring you back to actual history.
In High Bridge, you will become acquainted with two larger-than-life figures who each had a great historical impact and deserve the kind of treatment they get in this book. I recommend this gripping story.
This did not stop Mr. Miller from creating a vivid piece of historical fiction in which Gage and Cleveland not only know each other, but become friends and fellow activists on a number of issues. They are there to help fellow citizens who are caught in the racial complexities of the time. They are there to help their families understand why blacks should be equal and why women should have the vote. They are there to support the underground railroad, which comes vividly alive throughout the book.
High Bridge makes the reader wish that the events really took place, as Gage and Cleveland were on the right side of history, working together against great odds.
Gage never got the full recognition she deserved for her contribution to suffrage and abolitionism, for reasons you can learn about in the well-drafted appendices which bring you back to actual history.
In High Bridge, you will become acquainted with two larger-than-life figures who each had a great historical impact and deserve the kind of treatment they get in this book. I recommend this gripping story.
February 16, 2024
In "High Bridge", Michael Miller does what the historian must do: He convincingly transports us back to a time and a place, and introduces us to compelling characters whom we want to know better. With a light but precise touch, Miller imagines a youthful friendship between Grover Cleveland and human rights advocate Matilda Joslyn. In "High Bridge", you crouch in fear that an Underground Railroad rendezvous might go wrong; you can hear the noise from the docks along the Erie Canal; you sigh with relief when Joslyn successfully defends a Black man wrongly accused; and marvel that the impish Cleveland boy somehow became the solid two-time President. The imagined Cleveland-Joslyn relationship, in which the activist is the mentor and the future President is the protege, is the glue that holds the book together. "High Bridge" is a great history lesson, a great metaphor for the times we live in, and a great read. Highly recommended.
October 14, 2023
High Bridge is a fascinating novel that weaves together the lives of two lesser-known but influential, historical figures - President Grover Cleveland and an early universal-rights-activist and suffragette, Matilda Joslyn Gage. It very pleasantly takes you back in time with colorful descriptions and dialogue of the period. I felt like I was there with them, taken to the 19th century by a delightful, compelling time machine. After reading this book, I have a better appreciation for these two people and their contemporaries. As an avid reader, author, and longtime educator, I highly recommend High Bridge to all who enjoy historical fiction.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews