Sally Gunning

Just returned from Paris, Thomas Jefferson's daughter Martha is on the brink of womanhood. Clever and refined, she knows little about running a household, but is highly qualified to be the wife and companion of a gentleman. When she is swept off her feet by her handsome cousin Thomas Randolph, Martha must decide if she is ready to leave Monticello, her father's beautiful home. Throughout her married life, Martha frequently returns to Monticello, but as time goes by she must accept the fact show more that her father has stopped fighting for the cause of abolition -- and she also must grapple with the ramifications of her father's relationship with his slave Sally Hemings.

I found this an engaging and fascinating look at Martha Jefferson Randolph's life. Though the book is subtitled "A Daughter and Her Father," the book is about all of Martha's relationships, including her relationship with Monticello itself. Of course, her relationship with her father is one of the most significant of her life. Readers who enjoy thoughtful historical fiction about real people in American history will find this read rewarding. show less

Who knew? We have barely been taught anything about Crispus Attucks, a black man slain in the Boston Massacre, and now there's the hero Jane Whitehouse, herein known as Jane Clarke. Gunning is a genius at combining historical themes with modern sensibilities, and this is a suspenseful tale of the events leading up to the American Revolution. Jane is a native of Satucket (Brewster) on Cape Cod, the prized daughter of a mill owner who lives to please her father. And then, as a consequence of show more spurning a suitor her father favors for his potential role in his financial schemes, Jane is banished to Boston at the height of the redcoat occupation. Jane meets such towering colonials as Sam, Abigail, and John Adams, Henry Knox, and the tragic figure of James Otis, beaten so badly by British soldiers that he loses his mind. As she tries to find her place in the world without her family, Jane makes many difficult decisions and plays a critical role in the Boston Massacre trial. Such a stirring historical novel, with distinct feminist overtones.

Quotes: "She made her way over the gunwale with the assistance of a few well-placed and misplaced hands."

"Was this what gave her such an unfettered voice in that marriage? Perhaps part must come from a husband strong enough in himself to greet such life without attempting to beat it down, to silence it." show less

Here is the mother of all colonial historical novels! Lyddie, 39 year old widow of a whaler from Satucket (part of Brewster, Cape Cod), struggles to prevent church and custom from tearing her away from her home after her good husband's mysterious drowning. How joyous it is that Lyddie's an unabashedly sexual woman, not a cardboard cutout mashup of Abigail Adams and Betsy Ross. She's demanding, stubborn, and cantankerous as she seeks her independence. The obtrusive men in her life - her show more son-in-law, her attorney, and her native American next door neighbor, all feel it is their duty to plant themselves in her way. It's a rewarding, triumphant thrill ride for the reader. show less

Why do I like historical fiction? I view historical fiction as an opportunity to learn something new, to step outside the history books and view well-known historical events with fresh eyes, and to understand what life was like long ago. The Rebellion of Jane Clarke succeeds in each of these key points. Jane's plight not only takes a fresh look at the Boston massacre and presents what life was like for an unmarried twenty-something girl, while using true historical figures to help with show more authenticity.

With a title like The Rebellion of Jane Clarke, the reader knows that peace and happiness will elude Jane through most of the novel, no matter how much she might crave it. With events surrounding the Boston massacre as the backdrop, Jane's own rebellion mirrors that facing the colonials. Truth and free will are the end game but discerning that truth and earning that free will are more difficult than either side ever considered.

Jane is a likable character albeit rather naive in her trust of others. She is granted more freedoms and allowed to express her opinion more openly than one might have thought possible. Whether this is indeed true or literary license remains unknown. Her confusion about the events in Boston and her own choices feel authentic, however. Her doubts about both keep the reader interested and move the story towards its satisfactory conclusion.

Likable is how I would describe The Rebellion of Jane Clarke. It was an enjoyable novel, even though it is fairly simple in its context. Highlighting how easy it is for the truth to become clouded is probably its best feature, and Ms. Gunning does an excellent job of showing how the Boston Massacre was distorted and used as fuel for the colonials' purposes. Jane herself is not very memorable and is more representative of all single women of the era. Still, The Rebellion of Jane Clarke is a pleasant addition to pre-revolutionary historical fiction, and historical fiction fans could definitely do worse than check it out for themselves. show less