After spending four years in Williamsburg, I'm always interested in Revolutionary War settings. But I've never read a book set in upstate New York during the war - a part of history I didn't know much about!
Gift of the Heart by Miranda Jarrett
(1996, Revolutionary War) 8/26/06
Grade: 4
In 1778, Rachel struggles on her farm in upstate NY, raising her young son, with her husband at war and probably dead. When a wounded soldier stumbles into her barn, she helps him, although she keeps her musket handy. He soon becomes a part of the family. But can they build a life together when he’s fighting on the other side, with a bounty on his head?
A simple but charming story, with an interesting setting. This is a fairly typical “man hardened by war is saved by the love of family” story, but it’s well written, with interesting and well-rounded characters. The focus is on the character development, which is a nice change from more plot-oriented books. Although the main focus is the romance, it also reveals a part of the revolutionary war that I hadn’t known about, and it’s refreshing to read a book with this kind of setting. The only negative is the ending, which is too rushed and tries to wrap up all the loose ends in just a few pages. This wasn’t a keeper, but it was enjoyable and well done.
I miss American-set books! I don't understand why they aren't more popular.
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