WHIPPONOCK CREEK

In this historical novel set in the late 18th century, a successful tobacco farmer in Virginia finally joins the revolution against the British and serves under George Washington.

William Traylor grows up in Virginia on his father’s planation, Tall Pines. His family is not wildly wealthy but rather “landed gentry,” the owners of nearly a dozen enslaved people. His childhood upbringing—deeply religious, the kind that inspires both humility and a relentless work ethic—stands in sharp contrast to that of his best friend, Charles Crowder, the heir to a nearby plantation as magnificent as his family fortune, a boy prone to frivolous mischief. When only 17 years old, Will marries Priscilla “Duck” Perkinson and they start a family. When Virginia becomes embroiled in what comes to be known as the Seven Years’ War, Will avoids enlistment by purchasing an exemption—he’s a bookish man yet not a particularly political one and is loath to undertake a dangerous commitment that pulls him away from home, a predicament intelligently depicted by Pastecki. But years later, now the head of a large family and a thriving tobacco plantation, Will finds it harder to resist the call of duty when the Revolutionary War breaks out. He is given additional inducement when his brothers, Ted and Thomas, enlist as well as Will’s oldest son, Junior. But the final catalyst comes in the form of a sepulcher when Duck dies shortly after bearing Will another child. The best of this novel, based on historical facts—the real-life Will Traylor is Pastecki’s fourth-great-grandfather—is the chronicle of the protagonist’s service as a scout under Washington during the war, a remarkable story. Unfortunately, some of the writing is leaden, as in this passage in which Will bemoans Duck’s death: “No, no. This can’t be happening. How many times have I held you over the years, Duck? This can’t be the last time. We were supposed to grow old together. And now you are gone.” In addition, the tale has a soap-operatic quality, offering a series of family dramas that aren’t likely to sustain readers’ attentions unless they, like the author, have a relative who fought in the war.

An illuminating but melodramatic tale about the eventful life of a Revolutionary War scout.