As always, I was humbled as well as grateful to be asked to review a book, as opposed to choosing one on my own, which is what I usually do. Today I will discuss Saving Washington: The Forgotten Story of the Maryland 400 and The Battle of Brooklyn by Chris Formant, whose rock music mystery novel, Bright Midnight, I reviewed in 2016. When it comes to historical fiction set around wars, I usually end up reading about World War II, so it was an interesting change to instead read about a little known battle that took place during the American Revolution.The Situation: It is 1776 in Baltimore, Maryland, and 19 year-old Josh Bolton spends most of his days learning the merchant trade under his father. When he is not working hard, he is hanging out with his best friend Ben, a free black man. While the two young men would rather spend their free time simply hanging out at the local bar, The Cat's Eye, spotting young women and enjoying their remaining years of not yet being fully responsible adults, the atmosphere in and around Baltimore is full of tension towards the British. It seems that every day brings a new tax, or news of the seemingly imminent war that is about to break out between the colonists and their British rulers. The city of Boston is already in full-on revolution mode, and it is clear that Baltimore is not far behind.
The Problem: Though Josh and Ben are only 19, they believe it is their responsibility as colonists and men to fight for the freedoms the British continue to attempt to strip away. The danger is real, and the British have the numbers, the ships, the weapons, the training, and every other advantage you could name. Even so, despite the objections of his mother, Josh joins up, and is grateful to have Ben by his side. The training is difficult, but the actual combat proves to be worse. As the group from Baltimore, which will come to be known as the Maryland 400, make their way towards New York City in order to head off their opponents, it becomes clear that the men may be marching into an impossible situation. The British are simply too many and too well-trained, and there will need to be a group to help hold them off while everyone else escapes. Josh and Ben knew the dangers when they signed up, and Ben knew not everyone would be okay with serving alongside a man of color. While neither relishes the idea of not making it home alive, they both believe in the cause of the Continental Army. Amid spies, beautiful women who are not what they seem, commanding officers who are not as respectable as they appear, and an enemy that has nearly every advantage, the two young men commit to the fight and the American Revolution.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set in 1776, during the American Revolution. Beginning in early May of that year, the book begins after the unrest in Boston, and before it has truly reached Maryland, though it is not far behind. The book ends just after the little known Battle of Brooklyn, where the Maryland 400 managed the impossible and held off British forces just long enough for the city to be evacuated. While many of the events and locations are real, as are many of the historical figures, some of the main characters - such as Josh, Ben, the westerner Paddy, and the barmaid Tessa - are fictional. The author also admitted to taking a few liberties with the timeline, as the Battle of Brooklyn went on for longer than a mere 36 hours. Ultimately, the book brings to light a turning point in the war that not many people know about. Also, Formant was interested in the reasons why young men (one of them black), who were still teenagers, would see the need to enlist in an army that had the odds stacked against them from the beginning. Fundamentally, freedom was the goal, and it was something that the British had no interest in giving them.
My Verdict: My fear was that this book was going to be boring, and that certainly was not the case. My second fear was that it was going to be riddled with historical inaccuracies. The thing with that fear is that I would have to know a reasonable amount about the events in order to be able to spot those inaccuracies, and I do not. So with that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. And while Bright Midnight was a fun book, this one is more developed story wise. It is evident that Formant took a real interest in the events leading up to and around the Battle of Brooklyn. I think history buffs will enjoy it, if only because it sheds light on an event in American history that few know much about.
Favorite Moment: When a general stands up for Ben, a free black man, when another soldier attempts to deny him a brand new gun due to his skin color.
Favorite Character: Paddy is a westerner who joined the war effort almost as a matter of principle. Plus, if the British win in the colonies, then he reasons it would only be a matter of time before they continued into the continent and attempted to rule over people like him as well. He is big, he is friendly, he is a skilled hunter and fighter, and he watches out for Josh and Ben as if they were his own.
Recommended Reading: I usually do not make a point to read books that deal with actual battle during a war, so when it comes to the themes of espionage and the role women have played in wars, I recommend Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, and The Alice Network by Kate Quinn.
No comments:
Post a Comment