​Publication date: April 1, 2023 by Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Historical, Fiction, Romance

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.

In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.

Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the cause, disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental army. Her impressive height and lanky build make her transformation a convincing one, and it isn’t long before she finds herself confronting the horrors of war head-on.

But as Deborah fights for her country’s freedom, she must contend with the secret of who she is―and, ultimately, a surprising love she can’t deny.

Véleményem a könyvről

Amy Harmon az egyetlen írónő, akinek soha nem tudok öt csillagnál kevesebbet adni a könyveire. Van valami olyan varázslatos az írásmódjában, ami a bekúszik a bőröm alá, ami megtalálja azt a pici zugot a lelkemben, ami igazán boldoggá tesz olvasás közben, és ami miatt nagyon hosszú ideig nem tudom elfeledni az írónő regényeit. A szerző karakterei számomra tényleg egytől egyig feledhetetlenek és ez ez alkalommal sem volt másképp.

Már többször említettem, hogy Amy Harmon alkotja meg a legtökéletesebb hősnőket, de szerintem Deborah Samson az összes eddigit túlszárnyalta.

Deborah Samson története egy forradalom története, és itt nem elsősorban az Amerikai függetlenségi háborúra gondolok, hanem a női nem forradalmára. Hogy 1781-ben volt egy olyan fiatal lány, aki nem elégedett meg azokkal a korlátokkal, amik akkoriban a nők számára voltak felállítva, hogy nem tanulhattak, hogy nem járhattak egyedül az utcán, nem vehettek fel bármilyen ruhát és főleg, hogy nem harcolhattak a hazájukért és egy szabad jövőért. Deborah Samson a fennmaradt írások alapján valóban hadba vonult a függetlenségi háborúban fiatal fiúnak kiadva magát, és nem csodálkozom, hogy az ő története inspirációt jelentett az írónő számára.

Nagyon sok szempontból volt számomra érdekes, izgalmas és letehetetlen ez a könyv. Az Amerikai függetlenségi háborúval kapcsolatban eléggé korlátozottak voltak az ismereteim, a töriórán tanultak nagyjából a bostoni teadélutánra, George Washingtonra meg a párizsi békeszerződésre korlátozódtak, ez a könyv azonban lassan végigvezet az egész forradalmon, a háború viszontagságain, az általa megkövetelt áldozatokon és főleg a mögötte húzódó ideákon.

Elgondolkodtató, izgalmas és inspiráló volt ez a regény és számomra annyira letehetetlen volt, hogy két nap alatt elolvastam, éjszakáimat sem sajnálva rá. Én őszintén ajánlom mindenkinek!

My Review in English

Amy Harmon is the only author whose books I can never give less than five stars to. There is something magical about her writing style that seeps under my skin, finds that little corner in my soul that truly makes me really happy while reading, and makes me unable to forget her novels for a very long time. The author’s characters are truly unforgettable for me and this time was no exception.

I’ve mentioned several times before that Amy Harmon creates the most perfect heroines, but I think Deborah Samson has surpassed all of them so far.

Deborah Samson’s story is the story of a revolution, and here I am not referring primarily to the American Revolutionary War, but to the revolution of the female gender. That in 1781 there was a young girl who was not satisfied with the limitations imposed on women at that time, that they could not study, could not walk alone in the streets, could not wear any clothes they wanted, and above all, could not fight for their country and a free future. Based on the surviving records, Deborah Samson really did join the Revolutionary War by posing as a young boy, and I’m not surprised that her fascinating story was an inspiration for the author.

This book was interesting, exciting and impossible to put down for me in many ways. My knowledge of the American War of Independence was quite limited, what I learned during the course was limited to the Boston Tea Party, George Washington and the  Treaty of Paris, but this book slowly guides the readers through the entire revolution, the vicissitudes of the war, the sacrifices it required and especially the reasons and ideas behind it.

This novel was thought-provoking, exciting, and inspiring, and for me, it was so impossible to put down that I read it in two days, not even sparing my nights. I sincerely recommend it to everyone!

My Favorite Quotes From the Book

“Many wonder what it is all for. I wonder what it is all for. And yet that truth, the truth of the ages, is that it is not for ourselves that we act. It is not our lives we are building, but the lives of generations that will come. America will be a beacon to the world—I believe that with all my heart—but that beacon is lit with sacrifice.”

“– My grandmother told me once that men may run the world, but women rule men. […] I find men are more apt to let us play if they believe they will triumph.“

“But “normal” changed, and though I was the first female schoolteacher in Middleborough, I doubted I would be the last. It only took one person to climb a mountain or reach a summit before others followed and sought new heights.”

“An education was about more than reading and arithmetic. It was about wonder too, and becoming able and useful people”

“Ours is a tree of strong roots and sturdy branches, filled with freedom-loving people.”
I wondered what strong roots and sturdy branches were good for if I was never given the opportunity to grow or to bloom.”

“It is not for the man who has everything and wants more that we fight, but for the man who has nothing.” They were the words that had inspired the revolution in me, and I believed them still.”