Kate Kasserman

Author Kate Kasserman has truly captured the spirit of the American Revolution in this sweeping romantic adventure. The novel follows young Rachel, an orphan raised by the same Cherokee tribe that killed her family, as she makes her way into the world just as the Redcoats have occupied Philadelphia. Rachel is taken under the wing of wealthy, self-centered Mrs. Addison, who is drawn to Rachel’s intelligence and quick retorts. Rachel becomes her personal maid, and as such, accepts with show more gratitude every little kindness Mrs. Addison bestows upon her. She and Rachel are such fully realized characters and Kasserman has drawn the relationship so deftly, the reader sees that Mrs. Addison is cunning, as she borrows Rachel’s observations about high society to make herself seem clever, but Rachel sees none of this. Servitude has been deeply ingrained in her, but her sense of self-preservation is stronger, and we grow along with her as her naivety slowly falls away and she begins to make out other people’s characters. It’s an almost painful process, because Kasserman’s excellent dialog pigeonholes Rachel in all her innocence. But in stark contrast to Rachel’s willingness to see only the good in people, she has a much stronger grasp of the politics of the day as the Addison’s take her to Philadelphia, and she stumbles upon the hellhole that serves as a jail for captured rebel soldiers. We also see the story from the point of view of lieutenant Bellew, an idealistic rebel officer who is unaware that Rachel has formed an attachment to him. Bellew and Rachel are thrust into the midst of a city and its people, both Loyalist and Patriot, struggling to maintain a semblance of normalcy amidst the corruption and inhumanity brought upon them by the occupying English forces. Familiar names from history spice the narrative. Especially diverting is the portrait Kasserman paints of the odious General Lee, an arrogant, slovenly man with barely tolerable manners for the time. Independence is book one of Rachel’s adventures, and although it’s not a slight volume at 471 pages, it’s easy to become immersed in the story and you’ll soon find yourself at the end looking around for the next in Kasserman’s excellent debut series. show less

ndependence by Kate Kasserman is 400+ pages of stuff happening to the protagonist. What I mean by that is the protagonist of this novel hardly, if ever, actually do anything to affect her lot in life. She is a leaf blowing in the wind of a war-torn world, and, in all honesty, is particularly boring for someone who’s had a somewhat interesting life.

The book starts out with Rachel as a young girl. Her family’s farm is attacked by the Cherokee, who kill her father and brother, her only show more living relatives. They then adopt her into their tribe and train her in the ways of the Cherokee. That is, until the Cherokee tribe is raided by some white people, killing Rachel’s surrogate family. Rachel is then integrated back into white society as a servant for a somewhat backwards family until they have no use for her, so she then works at an inn, serving drinks. It’s there that she meets a man she spends the rest of her life pining after, as well as a high society couple who take her on to be their maid.

Rachel is then caught between two opposing factions: those that want American independence, and those that don’t. At first, she sides with the British, but upon seeing the horrors of war firsthand, she reconsiders her opinion. And with every day, her past affects her present while she tries to forge a future for herself.

Sure, she does some stuff to improve her lot in life, but over the span of the book, it’s very little. Rachel spends more time following orders and letting things happen to her than she does trying to intelligently solve her problems. She comes off as a victim, and she comes off as boring. In fact, most of the characters in this book seem like pawns for some unseen force moving them from one spot to another with hardly a complaint. Just an air of stoicism. And every time someone DOES actively do something, they mope about it for paragraphs, pages, chapters afterwards.

Reading this book was a constant struggle. Each chapter was far too long for the level of interest it produced, and most of the time I wondered “Why am I even reading this?” The only parts that were truly interesting were the beginning and the end, like a jelly doughnut filled with a bland, tasteless paste. And to add to that: Right when the book was taking a turn for the better, it ended, promising a sequel.

My recommendation for Kasserman: take the whole of Rachel’s story, put it into one single volume, and take out any passages that don’t help get her to her goal, or provide an interesting challenge along the way. I’d suggest following Freytag’s pyramid a little closer, and making Rachel a more active participant in her own life. And remember those ever-so-helpful words of Antoine de Saint Exupéry: “Il semble que la perfection soit atteinte non quand il n'y a plus rien à ajouter, mais quand il n'y a plus rien à retrancher.”

I can’t in good conscience recommend Independence, unless you’d like to be independent of some otherwise valuable free time. show less

Life is never safe on the frontier. Rachel Kolkhorst was orphaned twice, first by the Cherokee and then again by raiders. Alone, with no family to advance her interests, she makes her living first working in a tavern and then as a lady's maid. She dances at a society ball and even has the opportunity to attend General Lee's foxhunt. Rachel soon finds herself lost in the heady bloom of first love with Captain Bellew. But her new life is not all pleasant. Even in her own home, Rachel comes to show more realize that not everyone embraces the same morals she does. And then there are the terrible events of war - the killing, the sickness - all of which Rachel witnesses but is powerless to stop. It seems in the end, the only thing Rachel can call her own is her life, her will, her independence.

When I first read the blurb about Kate Kasserman's novel, Independence, I was immediately interested by it. It called to mind my favorite "growing up" tales by L.M. Montgomery, Catherine Marshall and Ann Rinaldi. Tales where girls learn from their naivety and draw upon their inner resourcefulness to make the best of their situation, emerging as formidable young women. Kasserman's novel is the next step up for those of us who have never lost our affection for those schoolgirl stories. It's a beautifully immersive tale, rich in detail and long enough to stay with you for awhile. Just be forewarned that Independence is only the beginning of Rachel's story and you'll need to have some fortitude of your own to have the patience for volume two. show less

Life for a woman during Revolutionary times was difficult to say the least. Make that woman a mere girl and a girl without a family and one can only imagine what it took to survive. But the heroine of Independence does that and more. She is a a fiercely, yes independent woman whose story grabs you and doesn't let go. I love historical fiction and this book did not disappoint. It has everything you could ask for in a novel; love with the requisite is he, will she. And it shows a young woman's show more growth through adversity that we can only imagine in this day and time.

The writing is superb and the ending fantastic. I am looking forward to the next installment. show less