American Historical Fiction discussion

Looking for books that are historically accurate about the Revolutionary War, that are enjoyable to read, such as GWTW was about the Civil War.

Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell was good. Diana Gabaldon's later books in the Outlander series take place before and during the Revolution, but it doesn't really take center stage. The Tory Widow by Christine Blevins was enjoyable. I've read a few others that were nothing special, but I'm always on the look-out for novels set during the Revolution. Let me know if you find any others! (BTW, another great Civil War novel with a different perspective is Enemy Women A Novel by Paulette Giles.)

There is a six book series called Sparrowhawk, but I have read them. From a female perspective you might look at Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow. Set in Charleston.

Thanks for recommending the Sparrowhawk series. I'd never heard of it before. My library has them and I'm going to check out the first book, Sparrowhawk One Jack Frake

I would recommend Dawn's Early Light by Elswyth Thane, first in her Williamsburg saga.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...
Later books in the series extend through WWII.

I am also a big fan of Celia Garth.

Somehow I knew CLM would be a fit here :)

I love Gwen Bristow and all her books. Her Plantation trilogy about early Louisiana through WWI is very good. Hard to find on the cheap but libraries do have copies.

Misfit, thanks for the invitation. Since I am a "beginner" on this topic, I look forward for the group's recommendations.

Jenny wrote: "Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell was good. Diana Gabaldon's later books in the Outlander series take place before and during the Revolution, but it doesn't really take center ..."
About the Tory Widow, how is speech? I attempted her Midwife of Blue Ridge and could not for the life of me figure out what they were saying half the time. I hear Tory wasn't so bad, but I haven't met anyone ga ga over it yet.

Any of you ladies read this one: Shadow Patriots: A Novel of the Revolution? Been on my to read forever.

Tara wrote: "Any of you ladies read this one: Shadow Patriots: A Novel of the Revolution? Been on my to read forever."

I had that out once and for some reason it wasn't grabbing me. I've heard a lot of good things about it though.

Tara wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell was good. Diana Gabaldon's later books in the Outlander series take place before and during the Revolution, but it doesn't reall..."

I haven't read the Midwife book, though it is on my list. I really liked The Tory Widow until about 3/4 of the way through it, where it turned into more of a predictable romance. Not that I don't enjoy romances, because I read my fair share of them, but it started out being pretty good historical fiction and then seemed to morph into another genre. I liked it though, and I will read the sequel when it comes out. I didn't have any problems with the speech.

Thanks, Jenny. I will give it a go.

Jenny wrote: "Tara wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell was good. Diana Gabaldon's later books in the Outlander series take place before and during the Revolution, but it ..."

I'm with Jenny. I found it a good book, just not a great one.

Well,I really didn't come here to schlep my books, but I can' believe this topic is coming up just now. The Widow's War: A Novelis the first in an absolutely historically accurate series about the years just prior to the Revolution, and a widow's personal fight for her own independence. book:Bound|7124788]is the sequel I mentioned elsewhere in a discussion about indentured servants, and the third in the series, The Rebellion of Jane Clarke: A Novelcomes out in June. They've been most fortunate to get nice reviews.

Melanie wrote: "Looking for books that are historically accurate about the Revolutionary War, that are enjoyable to read, such as GWTW was about the Civil War." The best is Johnny One-Eye by Jerome Charyn), a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner award - it is truthful and juicy. You'll really understand George Washington and the times. A GREAT READ too

Lenore wrote: "The best is Johnny One-Eye by Jerome Charyn..."

I didn't care for Johnny One-Eye. I couldn't get into his style and I ended up skimming most of the book. I see that his new book about Emily Dickinson is getting a lot of press.

Jenny wrote: "Lenore wrote: "The best is Johnny One-Eye by Jerome Charyn..."

I didn't care for Johnny One-Eye. I couldn't get into his style and I ended up skimming most of the book. I see that his new book a..."

I almost gave up, too, at first, but then when I read the great press on Johnny, I determined to try again - and soon I was hooked. And it showed what a great general Washington was - more important than being president - he single-handedly held our budding country together.
It was different with the Emily book. I adored it from page one. Feel so much closer to her and her poetry now, and I can hear her voice.
Did you see Joyce Carol Oates' review in NYRB? She loved it.

I think this will be right place to ask this question.. Does anyone know any HF that features Nathan Hale as a main character?

The reason I ask is, I was just reading a newspaper article about the big textbook debate going on here in Texas and it used Nathan Hale as an example as someone being omitted from history textbooks for younger students to learn about.

Sadly I had to Wikipedia him to figure out who he was. Well he appears to be the first American "spy" in the Revolutionary War and he was hung by the British at the age of 21. Sounds like a good character to write a books about but all I can find are non fiction and children's books!

Nathan Hale: A Novel. Self published and only a few pages but it is a novel about him. I have had both hits and misses with these self published books by i universe. Also found this: The Story of Nathan Hale: A Learning Script for Radio Performers. Not what you are looking for BUT "This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web." If you can find it, you may have some questions answered.

Oh.. you can also read a couple pages of that last one on amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Story-Nathan-Ha..... look off to the right.. they will send you a sample for free.

This book is about Nathan Hale.The Once and Future Spy Robert Littell. I read it long ago and remembered really liking it, tried it again sometime after that and DNF.

I have a non-fiction book about him and I think he may have a big role in a novel on my list about Benedict Arnold. I'll double check and let you know. He had a bit part in The Tory Widow, if I remember correctly.

Washington and ceasar is a great book about the American Revolution, takes in a aspect not widly covered.

I am very interested in the American Revolution; have found a few good books but need more material (fiction & nonfiction), especially about Nathan Hale, to work with for my historical novel (excerpt below). Where can you find Nathan Hale: A Novel?

http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/6...

You're right, Marjorie. Kenneth Roberts was one of my favorite authors when I was younger (although I don't mean to suggest his books are for youngsters--they are meaty reads). My very favorite is LYDIA BAILEY. And I recently gave my mother a copy of OLIVER WISWELL because she expressed some curiosity about the Loyalist position during the RevWar. I particularly liked OLIVER WISWELL; it was very educational for me as a high school student to realize there was another POV to that war, and that many good Americans did not support the revolution. One year during the 1990s when I was teaching American History at a large university, I decided to teach the RevWar segment from the British POV, just to shake things up a little. It did. I was inspired in part by OLIVER WISWELL.
Excellent books. I recommend them all!

Thanks for the recommendations. I had not heard of these books. The only one my library carries is Rabble in Arms. I'll see if I can find some of the others. I've been doing a lot of research on the Revolution, particularly in the south, where it really was America's first Civil War with loyalists and patriots fighting and terrorizing each other. I'm just fascinated by this time in American history.

America's first Civil War. That was exactly how I characterized it in my classes. Some historians believe only about a third of the colonists supported the revolution (about a third were against it, and a third didn't care).

This discussion is so interesting to me because this is what I tried to convey in my forthcoming novel -- the gray area between the black and white. (The third, third, third - yes!) The Rebellion of Jane Clarke: A Novel It even carried me forward so that I'm thinking of continuing with the black and white sides for the next book. And I so loved Arundel and the "explanation" for Benedict Arnold that its really stuck with me all these years.

Mary wrote: "America's first Civil War. That was exactly how I characterized it in my classes. Some historians believe only about a third of the colonists supported the revolution (about a third were against it..."

That is a paraphrased quote of John Adams', frequently misunderstood to indicate he is speaking of the American Revolution. Actually, he was referring to the highly controversial French Revolution.

I don't know about that John Adams quote, but the statement holds true for the American Revolution, too. The vast majority of poor to middle class American colonists were more concerned with surviving and feeding their families than they were in pursuing independence from England, and just wanted to stay out of the fight. The wealthier, more educated colonists were radically polarized between maintaining status in the British Empire and breaking from it altogether. There was most definitely a lot of bloody fighting between American Whigs and Tories, there were entire battles fought in the south without a British soldier in sight, and it wasn't until later in the war when British atrocities against Americans became known that more people decided to take up the fight against them in the Revolution. I just can't even imagine living in a time like that, and yet I wish I had!

Probably around the time of the Stamp Act crisis in the mid-1760s when colonists, who still considered themselves Englishmen, began to complain that they were being denied their basic rights as Englishmen. I found a great quote from Christopher Gadsden that stated the sentiment perfectly. I'll try to find it and post it tonight. I'm going to look up Bridenbaugh's titles and see if I can get my hands on them!

Here's that quote:

“Will it be asserted by any friend to the natural liberties of British subjects, that, in order to retain those liberties, a man must never stir out of Britain, where they are indisputably and essentially his; or that the moment he sets foot on American ground, he has bid farewell to the dearest of them?”

~Christopher Gadsden, South Carolina rep at the Stamp Act Congress and leader of Charleston's Sons of Liberty; he would later represent SC at the Continental Congress and designed the "Don't Tread on Me" flag (which I just love, btw)

"If the British choose to send soldiers to America they will not find a rebellion; they may indeed make one." -- Benjamin Franklin 1768 (Subject of the NEXT book?!)

Oh, are you going to write about Franklin next, Sally?

Well, I'm going to Philly next week to see how it suits me . . .

Responding to Allie's question about Nathan Hale, one of my favorite books in grade school was a novel about Benedict Arnold's wife, Peggy Shippen, and Hale was a character. I bet adults would like it too. It is by Lois Duncan, before she started writing suspense. Peggy

However, I bet I am not the only one who read every Childhood of Famous Americans series; I am sure I read the one about Hale when I was 8 or so. My library owned dozens of this series. My mother did not approve because she thought they were mostly made up and wanted me to move on to better researched biographies. Eventually I did, but I think this series is good for early readers.
Nathan Hale Puritan Boy

My interest in American historical fiction began as a kid (reading books like CADDIE WOODLAWN and LITTLE HOUSE series) and in searching for more books to satisfy my growing addiction, our school librarian turned me on to a fictionalized a biography of Nathan Hale. I was so captivated by his story and the brand of heroism he displayed… I don't know the title (so long ago!) but I never forgot it, and I was compelled to include a scene describing his last words and execution when I wrote THE TORY WIDOW.

Liberty Tavern by Thomas J. Fleming -- he also writes non-fiction on the period
John Jakes -- Kent Family Chronicles
The Bastard
The Rebels
He also wrote the North and South series about the Civil War
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond was one of my favorites in school. My mother-in-law just gave me all of Jakes's Kent books!

I remember the book cold mountain and the movie

Another war, but what a wonderful book.

yes
thanks
what about
gone with the wind

Another great book. And more Civil War. Revolutionary War just doesn't get enough air time! (Which must be why I write about it . . .)

be calm Sally that's why we are here.You will lead me for the things that I am lack of with I am foreign a student who study american literature and I am willing to learn
there is a saying "if you dont know , it is not bad but if you dont learn ,it is the worst

I love this saying.

thanks my father used to say this when he gets angry

Where are you from?

Turkey

Oooh! I'd love to go to Turkey someday.

really I have many english friends who have a summer house here