Tuesday, June 01, 2010

The Rebellion of Jane Clarke by Sally Gunning


Title: The Rebellion of Jane Clarke
Author: Sally Gunning
ISBN: 9780061782145, William Morrow, 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction, #3 of the Satucket novels
Rating: B+
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: May 6, 1769. Jane Clarke stood in the sedge growth on the lip of the dune and looked out over the half-drained bay, the ribbons of sand rising up through the retreating water.

Jane Clarke is a daddy's girl, but recent events in the small village of Satucket on Cape Cod have made the teenager question her father's motives and integrity. When her father tells her to marry the man he has chosen for her, Jane rebels and travels to Boston to nurse her invalid Aunt Gill.

Aunt Gill lives near the British Custom House, and Jane finds herself in the heart of Boston's revolutionary fervor. She befriends bookseller Henry Knox, meets John Adams, and eventually finds herself in the middle of the Boston Massacre. As the situation grows more and more tense, Jane watches the men around her grow more aggressive in their hatred of British rule-- and less concerned with the truth. It's not long before she's forced to make a decision: which is more important, honesty or personal and political beliefs?

Although this is the third novel concerning inhabitants of the small village of Satucket on Cape Cod, it does not have to be read in order. I've been a fan of Sally Gunning since I read her novel The Widow's War, and now whenever I feel the need to read of Colonial America, I look to her. Gunning is supremely skilled at sharing loads of period detail without weighting the narrative down, and even though you're being steeped in knowledge, the author's writing is fluid and stays focused on her characters and the larger issues of human nature.

Jane was a character that I quickly came to like and to admire, and Gunning gives an entirely new perspective to familiar stories. If you enjoy well-written historical fiction with multi-faceted characters, you should definitely put Sally Gunning on your Must Read list.

6 comments:

  1. I read Bound by this author and really liked it, so glad you gave this one a review, I'm definitely going to read it now.

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  2. Thank you for introducing this author to me -- I made a note of it.

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  3. I picked this one up at BEA because the premise sounded so good. I didn't realize until I got home that it was part of series. I truly appreciate your comment that these do not have to be read in order and I'm also glad to see that you liked the book. I'm looking forward to it.

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  4. Kris-- Good! I hope you enjoy it. :)

    Kim-- Great!

    Beth-- I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on the book.

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  5. When I found out this book was being published, I told my afternoon book group. We have several members who have read all the books in this series. They were really excited and I'm planning on getting to it myself sometime. Maybe this summer. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!