Description:

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Gunning's blazing third historical (after Bound) takes readers into the heart of Revolutionary War–era Boston, where young Jane Clarke has been sent to care for her great-aunt Gill after refusing to marry the man her loyalist father has chosen for her. Not long after settling into her aunt's house near the British Custom House, Jane is thrust into the milieu of violence and intrigue that eventually leads to a declaration of independence by the American colonists. She befriends the bookseller Henry Knox and meets John Adams, who employs her brother as a clerk. As tensions mount, Jane watches the men around her grow more aggressive in their aversion to British rule, and less concerned with truth. When she is caught up in the Boston Massacre, she must come to terms with the importance of honesty over personal and political passions. There's a history textbook's worth of well-done cameos, but it's Gunning's fluid writing and attention to the larger issues of human nature that really make this move. Good historical fiction offers new perspectives on old stories. This book succeeds handily at the task. (June)
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Review

“Gripping, romantic, historically sound, and completely satisfying...I’ll be surprised if I read a better historical novel this year.” (Historical Novels Review (The Historical Novel Society); "Editor's Choice" )

“A gifted storyteller . . . has given us a deeply affecting tale of a woman caught between the irresistible currents of her inner truth and the equally powerful strictures of her times.” (Anne LeClaire, author of The Law of Bound Hearts and Entering Normal )

“Readers will be swiftly turning the pages, eagerly cheering for the strong-willed widow.” (Booklist )

“A wonderful writer…Gunning’s attention to historical detail and riveting storytelling make for a compelling and intelligent read. ” (The Cape Cod Times on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )

“Gunning fills her novel with believable and complex characters . . . best of all she’s created an intriguing and admirable witness to history in Jane Clarke. ” (BookPage.com on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )

“[B]lazing...Gunning’s fluid writing and attention to the larger issues of human nature...really make this move. Good historical fiction offers new perspectives on old stories. This book succeeds handily at the task.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )

“Gunning had chosen a turbulent and fascinating period in American history…that suggests interesting philosophical arguments….Jane Clarke [is] a sensitive heroine, insightful enough to tussle with these difficulties.” (Washington Post Book World on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )

“[A] colonial page-turner...horrifying, spellbinding.” (Publishers Weekly )

“Unlike many historical novelists, Gunning makes the long-ago feel like this very day. Elegantly, she tells bitter truths -- that dignity and grace and even abiding love can flourish where it seems nothing can grow.” (Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean and Still Summer )

“Gunning’s exquisite use of language and imaginative scene-setting in times past will keep readers riveted . . . Anyone who loves history, storytelling, and Cape Cod will want to settle in for a long weekend of pleasurable escape.” (Cape Cod Life on BOUND )

“Sally Gunning is equally adept at depicting a city on the brink of rebellion, a young woman’s coming of age, and the beautiful Cape Cod landscape.” (Historical Novels Review on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )

“The descriptions are vivid; the characters have depth and a little mystery; and the history is accurate, from well-known events to daily living...[a] masterpiece of historical ficition.” (The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA) on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )

“Quietly compelling . . . . Gunning paints the ethical, emotional, and financial dilemmas of her refreshingly adult characters in surprisingly lively shades of gray.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Historical fiction at its best.” (Library Journal (starred review) )

“Provocative . . . Gunning infuses the story with suspense and intrigue [and] resists easy generalizations and stereotypes.” (Publishers Weekly )

“Heartrending ... Gunning’s vibrant portrayal of Lyddie’s journey shows that the pursuit of happiness is not for the faint of heart.” (Boston Globe )

“This well-researched and lively novel captures the mood of those turbulent [pre-revolutionary] times.” (Library Journal on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )

“Nobody brings the Cape’s history alive like Sally Gunning.” (Cape Codder on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE )