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redheadedjen1's review
4.0
This book had ups and downs. It made me smile and cry and it engrossed me in Revolutionary war Philadelphia and New York. I highly recommend it.
eastoflaura's review
4.0
Normally, a book becomes an all-time great in my mind with the perfect mashup of character and prose. But neither of those was what made me so happy I read this book. Robson's prose was more straightforward and less colloquial than I normally like, but she absolutely transported me back in time to what it must have been like living in NYC during The Revolutionary War.
And even though I wouldn't say character-building was Robson's strength, I couldn't stop myself from falling into the wikipedia-hole researching in greater detail the majority of them. And wow, sometimes fact ends up way more interesting than fiction. I'd already been to a lot of the places mentioned in the book in NYC, but after I finished it, I took a trip up to Tappan, NY to see some of the locations up there. Five stars for peaking my (undoubtedly already high) interest in this time period, and three stars for the actual book itself. Unequivocal recommendation to any history nerd!
And even though I wouldn't say character-building was Robson's strength, I couldn't stop myself from falling into the wikipedia-hole researching in greater detail the majority of them. And wow, sometimes fact ends up way more interesting than fiction. I'd already been to a lot of the places mentioned in the book in NYC, but after I finished it, I took a trip up to Tappan, NY to see some of the locations up there. Five stars for peaking my (undoubtedly already high) interest in this time period, and three stars for the actual book itself. Unequivocal recommendation to any history nerd!
kelseyjobrien's review
3.0
I debated giving this three or four stars, but finally settled on three (really three and a half but Goodreads doesn't have half ratings..) because while it definitely held my interest, it was completely different from what I was expecting. Spoilers ahead!
Like I said, this book really captivated me. It was clear that Robson had done her research, and it was fascinating reading about the lavish parties and the different styles of dress, and that was my favorite part of the novel. The section in which the macaroni dress style was explained was particularly funny. I could picture 1770's America, and I also liked that she put it in the view of a Quaker. Most times, we get taught what it was like through the perspectives of soldiers or American/British ideals. To have an unassuming Quaker narrate 1776-1780 in Philadelphia and New York was really interesting.
However, Robson failed to deliver what the book promises. The premise is that a Quaker, Kate Darby, becomes a spy and falls in love with Robert Townsend, who was perhaps the most effective spy throughout the war for the patriots. This premise is not quite true. The novel doesn't focus solely on Kate. Instead, it changes narration to her brother, Seth, who was my favorite character, so I didn't mind that. What I did mind was the fact that I went into this book expecting it to be all about spies. Kate doesn't actually become a spy until about 250 pages into the novel. Spying is talked about, but the bulk of it comes at the end.
I also detested the characterization of Peggy Shippen. Though she may have toyed around with young attractive men before she was married, she was dedicated to her husband, Benedict Arnold. She was also very smart, and is thought to have orchestrated most of the spying between Arnold and British major John Andre. Robson wrote her as a very self-absorbed young girl who flitted around and cared about no one but herself and John Andre, when, in fact, historians can't accurately say whether or not they even "dated". In the novel, she also had "spells" where she would literally go insane, yelling and screaming, throwing dishes against the wall, and ripping her bed sheets with her teeth. This is not the Peggy Shippen of real history.
The pacing was also off in some parts of the book, too. Robson would write an entire chapter dedicated to Seth and how he was freezing at Valley Forge, and then the next chapter, within two paragraphs, we learn that Kate's house was burned down and then she tries to find her family in New York. However, the pacing wasn't too bad, and other than a few different times where I had to stop reading to digest what had just happened, it was ok.
Other than that, I did very much like the side plots, which involved Seth and his time in the army, and his relationship with Lizzie, Kate's maid. I actually would have rather preferred the book to have been all about Seth, because he was the best written character in the novel.
I did surprisingly like Kate and Robert's relationship, too. It didn't overwhelm the story, it wasn't anything too sexual, and it wasn't forced. I do believe it happened too fast, because within one paragraph, Kate is saying "yes" and in the next they get married, but with the pacing, I was used to it by then.
My biggest complaint with the book though was the ending! I know from history that spy 355 (the Culper Ring's code for "lady") dies, so I was expecting Kate to die from the beginning, but at the end, it's all very vague. We get Kate's feelings, which is completely understandable because the book is in her perspective mostly, and the writing was actually quite beautiful, but I wanted to know what had happened to Seth and Lizzie and their son, and how Robert dealt with his wife being hung. I became completely invested in these character's lives, and I wanted more!
As a final note, I also liked that Robson added historical facts in the afterword, where she explains the Culper Ring and its members in greater detail.
All in all, I did like this book a lot, but it was totally different from what I thought it would be. It had all my Revolutionary faves (though I would have liked a hundred more pages on Tallmadge and Lafayette) and a very compelling story. I highly recommend it to lovers of the historical fiction genre!
Like I said, this book really captivated me. It was clear that Robson had done her research, and it was fascinating reading about the lavish parties and the different styles of dress, and that was my favorite part of the novel. The section in which the macaroni dress style was explained was particularly funny. I could picture 1770's America, and I also liked that she put it in the view of a Quaker. Most times, we get taught what it was like through the perspectives of soldiers or American/British ideals. To have an unassuming Quaker narrate 1776-1780 in Philadelphia and New York was really interesting.
However, Robson failed to deliver what the book promises. The premise is that a Quaker, Kate Darby, becomes a spy and falls in love with Robert Townsend, who was perhaps the most effective spy throughout the war for the patriots. This premise is not quite true. The novel doesn't focus solely on Kate. Instead, it changes narration to her brother, Seth, who was my favorite character, so I didn't mind that. What I did mind was the fact that I went into this book expecting it to be all about spies. Kate doesn't actually become a spy until about 250 pages into the novel. Spying is talked about, but the bulk of it comes at the end.
I also detested the characterization of Peggy Shippen. Though she may have toyed around with young attractive men before she was married, she was dedicated to her husband, Benedict Arnold. She was also very smart, and is thought to have orchestrated most of the spying between Arnold and British major John Andre. Robson wrote her as a very self-absorbed young girl who flitted around and cared about no one but herself and John Andre, when, in fact, historians can't accurately say whether or not they even "dated". In the novel, she also had "spells" where she would literally go insane, yelling and screaming, throwing dishes against the wall, and ripping her bed sheets with her teeth. This is not the Peggy Shippen of real history.
The pacing was also off in some parts of the book, too. Robson would write an entire chapter dedicated to Seth and how he was freezing at Valley Forge, and then the next chapter, within two paragraphs, we learn that Kate's house was burned down and then she tries to find her family in New York. However, the pacing wasn't too bad, and other than a few different times where I had to stop reading to digest what had just happened, it was ok.
Other than that, I did very much like the side plots, which involved Seth and his time in the army, and his relationship with Lizzie, Kate's maid. I actually would have rather preferred the book to have been all about Seth, because he was the best written character in the novel.
I did surprisingly like Kate and Robert's relationship, too. It didn't overwhelm the story, it wasn't anything too sexual, and it wasn't forced. I do believe it happened too fast, because within one paragraph, Kate is saying "yes" and in the next they get married, but with the pacing, I was used to it by then.
My biggest complaint with the book though was the ending! I know from history that spy 355 (the Culper Ring's code for "lady") dies, so I was expecting Kate to die from the beginning, but at the end, it's all very vague. We get Kate's feelings, which is completely understandable because the book is in her perspective mostly, and the writing was actually quite beautiful, but I wanted to know what had happened to Seth and Lizzie and their son, and how Robert dealt with his wife being hung. I became completely invested in these character's lives, and I wanted more!
As a final note, I also liked that Robson added historical facts in the afterword, where she explains the Culper Ring and its members in greater detail.
All in all, I did like this book a lot, but it was totally different from what I thought it would be. It had all my Revolutionary faves (though I would have liked a hundred more pages on Tallmadge and Lafayette) and a very compelling story. I highly recommend it to lovers of the historical fiction genre!
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