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#156 ~ The Tory Widow
The Tory Widow
Anne is married against her will to a much older man in order to create a business relationship between her husband and her father. Both men are printers and her husband’s shop, with its Tory leanings, is in New York City. Her marriage brings her no joy outside of her son. Once he was born, she was seen as no more and no better than another servant. When smallpox takes both her husband and her son, Anne is forced to h take control of the print shop, its politics, and her own life in a volatile climate that ultimately leads to the Revolutionary War. She has no choice but succeed in order to ensure that she is never another man’s pawn again.
Living on your own for the first time with the added stress of running a business on your shoulders just after losing your son would be a daunting task for anyone. When you add that this business had ties to those with Tori political leanings through your ex-husband when the entire city is about to explode because of the conflict between the colonies and the crown makes matters that much more perilous. What keeps Anne moving forward is the fact that her father talked about marrying her off to another printer almost immediately after she was widowed. As much as she grieves for her son, the loss of her family was mixed blessing for her because she has a level of freedom almost unheard of for the women of her day. With that freedom comes every bit of responsibility, too. She is now fully responsible for the product produced by the printing press. If those patriots seeking out justice against the Tories in their midst caught her supporting the Tori cause, her life, let alone her livelihood would be at risk. Anne’s adaptations to her new life and the turbulent political climate made this novel enjoyable for me. I appreciated Anne’s fortitude and strength.
Anne’s growing relationship with Jack did not work as well for me. While I can see how one entering a loveless marriage can hang on to romantic notions, I never really could wrap myself around her overlooking and forgiving some of the abhorrent things that Jack did in the name of his country and liberty. Anne pointed out herself that he wasn’t the man she thought he was during their brief first encounter. He did one particular thing to Anne out of spite during a raid of her print shop and never apologized for it. Jack’s character, however, was true and believable. I have a hard time believing that Anne would not in some ways find him to be somewhat like her father in that he does what’s best for him – in Jack’s case his cause – without much consideration for others.
In The Tory Widow, which is the first in what will be a trilogy about the Revolutionary War, Christine Blevins weaves a story of the early days of the Revolutionary War that is well researched and interesting. The details in this novel are wonderful and I enjoyed reading about the workings of printing presses at the time my country was born. Although I enjoyed this novel, I liked The Midwife of the Blue Ridge better, I think this novel would really satisy those who are interested in the Revolutionary War, New York City, or early American politics. Blevins has a way of bringing early American history to life. I She puts more than just her time and energy into her novels. When you read about how copies of the Declaration of Independence were printed and distributed, you know that she puts her heart into each one.
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April 24, 2009 | Filed Under Historical Fiction, book review, female author, fiction
Comments
10 Responses to “#156 ~ The Tory Widow”
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Arleigh
Posted: Apr 24th, 2009 at 12:13 am1Reply to this comment.I need to read more American historical fiction… adding it to the wishlist. Thanks for the review!
Arleigh’s last blog post..giveaway: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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Ruth @ Bookish Ruth
Posted: Apr 24th, 2009 at 12:14 am2Reply to this comment.Excellent review! I just got The Tory Widow from Early Reviewers and am looking forward to reading it.
Ruth @ Bookish Ruth’s last blog post..Quotable – Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
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rhapsodyinbooks
Posted: Apr 24th, 2009 at 9:23 am3Reply to this comment.Great review, and I love the hypertext links – what a nice touch!
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daphne
Posted: Apr 24th, 2009 at 11:25 am4Reply to this comment.I’m going to be reading this soon. Sounds like it will be a good read.
daphne’s last blog post..Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace by Kate Emerson
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Darlene
Posted: Apr 24th, 2009 at 12:30 pm5Reply to this comment.Yet another book you’re reviewing that I wanted. lol. I’ll have to check out her first book too as I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.
Darlene’s last blog post..Guest Post with Sandra Gulland, Author of Mistress of the Sun & Giveaway
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Kathy
Posted: Apr 24th, 2009 at 12:39 pm6Reply to this comment.Great review. I’d like to read more historical fiction, too. I think I’ll look for Midwife of the Blue Ridge first.
Kathy’s last blog post..Review: The Teashop Girls
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Marg
Posted: Apr 24th, 2009 at 9:03 pm7Reply to this comment.I want to read this soon. I think it sounds really good!
Marg’s last blog post..An Anzac Day tradition
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Ladytink_534
Posted: Apr 25th, 2009 at 12:51 am8Reply to this comment.I’m so excited that I won this from a blogger today. I can’t wait to read it
Ladytink_534’s last blog post..Well… It’s Shaped Like a Book
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pingback:
Posted: Apr 26th, 2009 at 11:27 am9The Sunday Salon ~ 04.26.09 : literatehousewife.comReply to this comment.[...] on Facebook. It was a lot of fun to read and would make a wonderful escape from April showers. The Tory Widow is the first installment of a trilogy surrounding the Revolutionary War written by Christine [...]
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Lana
Posted: Jun 14th, 2009 at 11:59 pm10Reply to this comment.I had trouble liking Jack as well – the romance aspect was probably the weakest for me. I kept thinking that she could do better! But I really enjoyed reading a story about the American Revolution that wasn’t completely rah-Patriots.
I enjoyed your review, so I’ve linked to it here.
Lana’s last blog post..The Tory Widow – Christine Blevins
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