Seaworthy historical fiction at its best.
An exemplary reissue of Hill’s 1975 historical novel about one woman’s life and loves from the end of the American Revolution to the War of 1812.
After the Revolutionary War leaves Hannah Deems a destitute widow, she has no choice but to accept farmer Seth Adams’ offer to take care of her and her young daughter, Molly. Without the benefit of marriage, Hannah becomes little more than a slave, and Seth’s cruelty compels Hannah to save Molly by sending her to live with a kindly Quaker woman, Elizabeth Warden. Molly thrives as a servant under Mrs. Warden’s care, but when word comes that Hannah has drowned herself, Molly makes a life-changing decision: She will never allow someone else to control her destiny. She sets her sights on handsome young sailor Elijah Merrick, but her mother’s infamous past makes Molly look like damaged goods to potential suitors. Still, Elijah is willing to fight for her honor. But Molly cannot contain her desire for Isaac Warden, Elizabeth’s son, even after she marries Elijah. Molly plays a dangerous game—she may very well lose the one man who showed her the meaning of true love. Hill (House of Kingsley, 1978, etc.) creates a lush, vibrant landscape in post-Revolutionary Cape Cod with historical details that blend seamlessly with the narrative. Molly is a compelling, feisty heroine whose journey from orphan to servant to wife of a sea captain aptly shows how the American Revolution broke down class barriers and made it possible for even the lowest-level citizens to climb the social ladder. Elijah’s voyages offer a revealing glimpse into the perils of American shipping and his determination to succeed as a sea captain epitomizes the American self-made man so espoused by Thomas Jefferson. What compels the reader to turn the page, however, is Molly’s uncompromising will to not only survive but thrive in the midst of her persecution and the country’s upheaval. Though the narrative may drag for some who prefer a faster read, others will enjoy Hill’s slowed pace that allows for full immersion in American maritime history.
Seaworthy historical fiction at its best.Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0984441402
Page Count: 454
Publisher: North Road
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
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