Jeff Shaara dazzled readers with his bestselling novels Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure, and Gone for Soldiers...
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Jan 01, 2008
Ryan
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Great book. First, I love that it's in novel form; this makes it much more engaging than, say, 1776, which although filled with great info, was kinda dry and hard to get into. Second, Shaara makes the characters so memorable. He has a great knack for bringing characters to life, and while I'm fairly sure he just turns letters into thought monologues, or exchanged letters into conversations, I don't mind. Third, I liked the changing viewpoints and how the story, when told from a British viewpoint
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Jul 15, 2011
Barbm1020
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This book made the roots of the American Revolution clearer to me. I met the Sons of Liberty as real people, and Ben Franklin, and George Washington and the other movers & shakers who drew the Colonies together in defense against the tyranny of the British governors and the Redcoats. It reads like a great novel, but it's history, told in a more lively way here than in our old High School textbooks.
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Mar 20, 2009
Stacy
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I had few expectations for this book; it was a used bookstore find. I read it in September, just as I was gearing up to teach American history. So the timing was perfect: this is a book about the early American Revolutionary period, with great details about the battles in Lexington and Concord and the Continental Congress meetings. The history is solid and sound; with enough details for someone well-versed in the subject. I would think that readers who don't teach US history for a living wo
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Jun 01, 2008
Darin
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I love books about the American Revolution time period. This is definitely one of my favorites. Jeff Shaara has hit upon a great formula which pulls you into the story and teaches something along the way. He does a great job of using fictionalized dialog to convey history without straying too far from the facts. I definitely recommend this book as a starting place for anyone interested in learning more about the founding of our country.
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Jul 21, 2010
Ryan
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I read this for the second time recently, to dust off some of my Revolutionary War history. The author hits the highlights of the decades leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The book is presented mostly from the perspective of John Adams and Ben Franklin, with a few of the British thrown in for good measure.
I found the story solid, and Adams was very thoughtful and likeable character. Reading this book helped me get a more human perspective on the ev More...
I found the story solid, and Adams was very thoughtful and likeable character. Reading this book helped me get a more human perspective on the ev More...
Jan 22, 2009
Joe
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In the Shaara style, I was bounced around to the worlds of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Gage, and others. The time frame is from Spring of 1770 to the summer of 1776 and the primary settings are Boston, London, and Philadelphia.
If you have read and enjoyed McCullough's, "1776", and/or watched the HBO series, "John Adams", you will thoroughly enjoy comparing and contrasting them to the Shaara book as you read it.
I found that I be More...
If you have read and enjoyed McCullough's, "1776", and/or watched the HBO series, "John Adams", you will thoroughly enjoy comparing and contrasting them to the Shaara book as you read it.
I found that I be More...
Apr 06, 2010
Tim
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Very much a Michael Shaara book - multiple, intertwined character stories - and, frankly, that approach gets a bit tedious, but he clearly has a knack for turning history into a good fictionally-embellished story without damaging the true history.
I don't know that I learned much from the book that I didn't already know about this period of pre-revolution America, but there were a few things. He tended to make some of the revolutionary characters everyone knows about seem more anci More...
I don't know that I learned much from the book that I didn't already know about this period of pre-revolution America, but there were a few things. He tended to make some of the revolutionary characters everyone knows about seem more anci More...
Feb 23, 2009
Chris
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Having never read any of Shaara's Civil War works, I was new to his writing but enjoyed this immensely and am currently reading the second part of the story, "Glorious Cause". The book recounts the period of 1770-1776, from the Boston Massacre to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, as a well-executed novel, primarily from the perspectives of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, General Gage, and, much later in the book, George Washington. Drawn primarily from their own written
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Apr 20, 2011
David
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After writing two novels to complete a Civil War trilogy started by his father's novel The Killer Angels, Jeff Shaara took what he learned about writing historical novels to the Revolutionary War and penned the excellent Rise to Rebellion. The timeframe is just before the Boston Massacre and the book closes with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Shaara does a wonderful job of bringing our national forefathers to life, particularly with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, both of wh
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Sep 09, 2011
Tamara
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This book read more like a novel than either 1776 or John Adams, but Shaara managed to use enough of the founders and revolutionaries to capture the struggle, conflict, and spirit of the time. I cried through the book. I was impressed mostly by how inadequate most of our founders felt, not quite fit for the task and also how this humility inspired pleas to heaven. I loved how each man's particular talents were used for their specific roles. Each of their "little bits of genius" came to
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Jul 26, 2011
David
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Having made the decision to read Jeff Shaara's books in the chronological order of the events portrayed, not publishing order, this story of March 1770 through July 1776 was the place to begin. There were two advantages in reading this book. First, I had seen the award-winning John Adams miniseries about two months previous, so the facts were fresh and Shaara does nothing to disagree with them. Second, I was able to read this for the first time on the week leading up to July 4th. Shaara take
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Jan 28, 2012
Julia
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I loved this book. Jeff Shaara takes you on a journey through the leading days to the American Revolution through the eyes of Ben Franklin, John (and Abigail) Adams, George Washington, and British General Thomas Gage. We see the Boston Massacre, the turmoil surrounding taxation, and the attempts to get Parliament and the King to treat the colonies as regular citizens. The characterizations and plot development make this book flow very well; you learn about people's background and motivations tha
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May 28, 2010
Adam
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If you are a fan of American history and the events leading up to and during the revolution this book and its sequal "The Glorious Cause" are a MUST READ! As far as historical fiction authors go, Jeff Shaara is unparalleled in his ability to give the reader a since of the "everyday" thoughts and actions of history's most prominent fiugres as well as the common citizen/soldier. Benjiman Frankilin and George Washington to Lord Cornwallis and General Howe are transformed More...
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Sep 21, 2010
Jonathan
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I like to read about the American Revolution and this was a good one, it is written from the points of view of different people who had a hand in the revolution, on both the American and British sides (John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Gage, etc). This book starts in 1770 with the Boston Massacre and goes through about August of 1776. I am currently reading the sequel, which covers the Revolutionary War. This is a good book to read in order to learn some basic things, such as the sequence of
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Feb 02, 2011
Rudy
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In this book the author takes the reader from the early days of the colonies rejection to British rule through the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He covers numerous characters that were critical and some that played a supportive role in the founding of the USA, e.g., George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and some of the British generals. The author is very detailed in giving his view as to the thinking and emotions of the cast of characters in the book. The book was easy
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May 25, 2010
Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com
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This book is a fictional account of the events leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Mr. Shaara takes the reader on a journey through events as supposedly seen in the eyes of notable figures of the time. Most of the events are covered through the fictional accounts of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Lieutenant-General Thomas Gage, and, later on in the book, George Washington.
I am a fan of history and enjoy all sorts of historical fiction as well, but I found this book a bit h More...
I am a fan of history and enjoy all sorts of historical fiction as well, but I found this book a bit h More...
Dec 26, 2011
Christine
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Excellent! It's supposed to be fiction, but all the "characters" were the real people - General Gage, Joseph Warren, Revere, Washington, etc. Also, the dates and happenings were the real deal. I guess the only fictional aspect to it was when he portrayed discussions between husbands and wives and political colleagues. As much as I loved it, I would be selective in recommending it. It was extremely detailed in the timeline and it would have to be someone who is really into this period i
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Nov 04, 2010
Frank
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Very good reading! What I most enjoyed about this book was the ease with which I could lay it down for extended periods and pick it up right where I left off, without any lag in interest. This is not always easy for me with standard fictional novels. The fact that this is a"novel," though absolutely historically-based, made it more stable in its connection to truth - i.e. the characters were already well-known to me and digging back into who they were, what their backgrounds were, etc.
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Jun 12, 2010
Jon
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This was a good read for two reasons: 1. It fleshed out American Revolutionary history, which I usually find to be dry/skeletal and lacking character. 2. The progression of that history was actually quite captivating. Jeff Shaara's father wrote the Killer Angels, which was also quite captivating. The way that I think the son improved upon the historical novel is that Jeff Shaara's character's create the context of action, making the reader care more for the American Revolution on a personal
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Mar 09, 2010
Elaine
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Jeff Shaara is known for his detailed and riveting historical fiction. This book did not fail . I listened to this book on tape, and was transported to the men and woman who changed the course of our future by fighting against government control and unfair taxes. It is a great book to read around the 4th of July because I sometimes think we forget about the reasons and precepts that founded our country and the hope and dreams our patriots had for the future of our country. Recommend you read i
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Aug 21, 2010
Olivia
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This is a historical fiction book about essentially the 'rise to rebellion'. It starts with the Boston Massacre and ends with the Declaration of Independence. This book is good because it was one I could get into. I tried 1776 and had no luck. This was awesome because you get the feeling like you're actually there. At times, it seemed like it was never going to end though, after all it is 548 pages. Also, when there are more than one person's perspective to read from, I sometimes become attached
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Feb 21, 2011
Ed
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This is a fictional account of what was going on in the 13 colonies from 1770 to 1776. It focuses on four people crucial to the American Revolution. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington and General Thomas Gage. There are, of course, many other people who were involved, ranging from Abigail Adams to William Franklin to Patrick Henry to King George III and many others. While Shaara will leave one of these four major characters from time to time, most of the story is told from one o
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Mar 18, 2008
Nancy
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I was never able in school to keep the names and dates of event straight or to understand how event influenced the Revolutionaly War. Why was Boston such a nest of dissatisfaction and why is it considered the home of the movemet for independence? Mr Shaara, through the review of letters and public documents creates characters from our American past that have personalities, families and opinions - He manages to put these together in a way that makes the pre Revolutionay War years make sense - w
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Aug 01, 2011
Tom
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When I read historical fiction, I always research the subject to learn the actual history. That is why I love Shaara's books. He does meticulous research to ensure that his history is solid, while telling the story from the viewpoints of the major historical characters. I really felt the frustrations of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams toward the British aristocracy, attitudes, and final condemnation of the rule of law. The events of 1770-76 come alive like no history textbook can do.
Sep 28, 2010
Joshua
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Years ago I read the Killer Angels, a historical fiction novel about the Civil War written by Jeff Shaara's father Michael Shaara, before visiting Gettysberg, and I loved it. Like that book, Rise to Rebellion is a historical novel of the events leading up to the revolutionary war from the point of view of Ben Franklin, John Adams, etc. I also enjoyed this book, and look forward the second part to the series, The Glorious Cause.
Dec 31, 2009
Ryan
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Good historical fiction Pre-American Revolutionary War. Relates the events from 1770 to the Declaration of Independence and the reasons for the revolution. Inspiring to read about the dilemma faced by the founding fathers and whether to break from England or not. Some dialogue is forced, but it must have been hard to put thoughts and words to so many great men (Franklin, John Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Gage.)
May 11, 2009
Shaunadee
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Any book by this author makes historical characters come alive. I normally don't like books on war, but the author emphasizes the people in the war, not the savagery. This book, Rise to Rebellion, got me so interested that I was excited when I came up the Boston Tea Party, for example, that I was anxious to keep reading to see what happened next (as if we don't all know what happened after the Tea Party).
Jan 01, 2011
Jmcmurphy
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One of the very best historical novels! This is the one that got me hooked on revolutionary war histories. All the good stuff really came before the actual war... And this book ends at the beginning of the war. What comes before is a fascinating look at the lives and events that led to independence. Get the unabridged version! There is NOT a lot of fluff... Its all good. Highly recommended!
Sep 09, 2009
Valerie
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Kassie and I read this for AP US History, but it's worth reading on its own. It tells the story of the years before the American Revolution and gave me a much better sense how all the pieces fit together to lead to war. I love stories of our country and of early America. I have read Shaara before (The Killer Angels) but have found some of his work dry--for me, this was always interesting.
Aug 05, 2011
Definitely interesting. Getting into the heads of both the British and the Americans adds depth to the story. Objectively portray the passion with which American Loyalists held to the belief that their king could not knowingly perpetrate stress that on them a deprivation of liberty made the story more touching.
Anybody intrigued by this should read the nonfiction Founding Brothers. Joseph Ellis has chosen episodes that read like a novel and are compelling in their detail. More...
Anybody intrigued by this should read the nonfiction Founding Brothers. Joseph Ellis has chosen episodes that read like a novel and are compelling in their detail. More...
