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The Clever Mill Horse (CMH, #1)

Jodi Lew-Smith (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · Rating details · 34 ratings · 20 reviews

Winner of the 2014 James River Writers Indie Novel Contest
Winner of the 2015 Feathered Quill Book Awards for Best Historical Fiction and Best Debut Author

A young woman’s gift could weave together the fabric of a nation...

1810, upstate New York. 21-year-old Ella Kenyon is happiest gliding through the thick woods around her small frontier town, knife in hand, her sharp eyes ...more

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Paperback, 424 pages

Published August 15th 2014 by Caspian Press (first published June 4th 2014)

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· 34 ratings · 20 reviews

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Sep 21, 2014 Tara Chevrestt rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, kindle

I wanted to like this book. I love historical fiction featuring strong women and the idea of a woman engineer in this time period--the days of slavery and horses and carriages and Native Americans not yet conquered to the point of near extinction--just really appealed to me.

The book got a rocky start. Though the heroine is an inventor, she prefers to spend her days roaming the forest tracking and hunting. Those scenes bored me to pieces. It's not something that interests me at all. On top of tha I wanted to like this book. I love historical fiction featuring strong women and the idea of a woman engineer in this time period--the days of slavery and horses and carriages and Native Americans not yet conquered to the point of near extinction--just really appealed to me.

The book got a rocky start. Though the heroine is an inventor, she prefers to spend her days roaming the forest tracking and hunting. Those scenes bored me to pieces. It's not something that interests me at all. On top of that, there was an entire repeated scene and incorrect then and thans. This could be the mobi file I was provided for the tour.

I hung in there, fully aware that review copies contain glitches and while I am pleased that the editing greatly improved, the story didn't. It's a historical fiction, don't get me wrong, but it felt more like a girl's adventure story. There were simply too many things I found preposterous. This young woman, for example, running around with her siblings and an Indian, wearing pants, just riding all over the country. She doesn't even have a chaperone half the time. She's a young woman who races boys like a fourteen-year-old. Her character never acts the same age. It's unclear. One minute she acts like a child. The next she's a grown woman trying to get a patent. I love women who defied society, but it must be believable and this just wasn't. The most believable character for the time period was her mother, a woman who felt she had to stay with an abusive man. Every other character was doing things or behaving in a manner that had me raising eyebrows considering the time period they were in. I mean, young while girls were not permitted to run around with grown Native American men, let alone travel the country with them.

The aunt and her Native lover... her grandfather's faked death. How easily her and Zeke steal her horse back. Seriously? I could go on but I choose not to.

And the story also went all over the place. It felt like in the end, the invention and her being an engineer were only just a very small part. We follow her on her trek as she meets people and they share their stories of war and whatever. She just keeps getting sidetracked by slaves, groups of Indians, card-playing tavern girls, on her journey and this means the story itself was constantly sidetracked.

Full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/... ...more

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Nov 15, 2014 Leila rated it liked it

Jodi Lew-Smith's historical novel The Clever Mill Horse piqued my interest when I first read the synopsis. A young heroine who is equally comfortable throwing a knife and inventing machines? Well, ok, that got my attention. I love strong female characters, and a novel centered on a young woman's invention in the early nineteenth century sounded unusual enough for me to give it a try.

And I enjoyed the book overall. The Clever Mill Horse read, in my opinion, like a Young Adult novel, although it ...more

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Sep 18, 2014 Stefanie Krantz rated it it was amazing

I just loved this book! It captured my attention right from the beginning and I was swept up by the story. I kept reading late at night to see what would happen next. It is a mystery set in the early 1800's about the development of the flax-milling machine. The story grabs your attention with a web of family relationships,Native American culture and detailed descriptions of nature and botanical medicine. I can't wait for the sequel. I highly recommend this book. ...more

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Jun 27, 2017 MaryMargaret Ragno rated it really liked it

An easy read; good story about a coming-of-age young woman with engineering skills and a strong and supportive grand-dad. Valuable historical background. For me, a luke-warm and disappointing finish - but a tantalizing hint that there's more good words to come. ...more

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Nov 21, 2014 Erin Al-Mehairi rated it liked it

I first wanted to read The Clever Mill Horse because I love history of the 1800s and have some strange obsession with mills and grist mills (might be in my blood, my great x6 grandfather owned a mill). As well, I like weaving and textiles and all those old sorts of professions and inventions. I enjoyed Jodi's foreword quite a bit about the flax vs. cotton mill and the history and I thought it was going to be a wonderful read about inventing the flax-mill and how it worked and changed society.

Tho I first wanted to read The Clever Mill Horse because I love history of the 1800s and have some strange obsession with mills and grist mills (might be in my blood, my great x6 grandfather owned a mill). As well, I like weaving and textiles and all those old sorts of professions and inventions. I enjoyed Jodi's foreword quite a bit about the flax vs. cotton mill and the history and I thought it was going to be a wonderful read about inventing the flax-mill and how it worked and changed society.

Though I don't think that initial wish came true, there was still much in the book to be enjoyed. I did hope that it would have an independent and incorrigible female protagonist that was determined and defied the odds. Check! It did. That was clear right from the start with Ella and carried on throughout the book, as she gave us a well-rounded, intelligent, and feisty female that the rest of us can all admire. That was her best formed character, followed by Aunt Lucille, the Native American from the Oneida tribe named Pete, and Jenny, Ella's sister. I also enjoyed the antagonist, Emerston, as he was conniving, manipulative, and wholly dimensional. I felt those characters were the best done and those are the ones I'd remember as the stars of the book. At first I wasn't sure that any of her characters would be memorable like Ella, and almost found them flat or surface in the beginning, but by halfway in, she proved me wrong as the other characters began to show themselves. I was glad to see so many strong female characters in this book.

I have to admit when I started the book I wondered where it was going and if it was reading like a middle reader more than a novel. It was slow to start and I wondered if I'd want to read it. However, eventually it picked up so if you read it and think this, don't give up on it. I saw at least by chapter four that there was suspense, a mystery, clues, and much more just beyond the innovation of a flax-mill, which really took a back seat to the family and town drama as the story becomes more a journey of the soul of Ella as she discovers her worth and purpose.

Though I was unsure of the jilted English language she presented Pete to have as a Native American, I did admire her treatment of the Native Americans in the story, the historical background and tribe background, and how she presented him as loving, gentle, kind, and giving and had him incorporate into their lives. She was sympathetic to the Native American plight and their assimilation with white settlers who took their homes and land. I enjoyed the forbidden romance he was involved in and her gentle message to us that we shouldn't discriminate, especially in love.

As an advocate for domestic violence, I hated that Ella's mother did not leave Ella's father, her abuser, and it was hard to read some of the sections for me, but I understood her character's claim as in that time period life was hard for anyone, let alone a single woman. Those sections in the plot was very sad and emotional. Her characterization of the abuser and the abused was remarkable. She dealt with many other raw and human issues in her book too, but I don't want to give all the surprises away.

Overall, I really liked the suspense, the journey/adventure they ended up going on during the second half of the novel, how several of the characters showed great growth and courage, the mysteries (that's where the horse in the title comes in too), and the pioneer intrigue. There were plenty of surprises, secrets, reveals, and drama. It was clean enough (no sex, bad words, etc.) that I would be able to let my teenager read it and I like that about it too.

The novel's plot and theme reminded me some of the writer Elizabeth Camden (that's high praise, she is a wonderful author who writes these types of historical suspense, features strong female leads, and has hints of clean romance). Now what Jodi needs to do with her potential is to practice her craft and hone in on her sentences, her dialogue, and her focus. She is a great plot weaver and I look forward to seeing her grow her writing skills.

For her first novel, Jodi shows promise as a real storyteller that knows how to funnel the sensitivities of human emotions, the trials of life, the power of the female, and lessons learned messages. She was able to mix that with a plot full of suspense, drama, and mystery, in order to create an entertaining historical read that showed how one young girl could overcome any odds. I look forward to reading the next novel in the series!

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own on www.hookofabook.wordpress.com.
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Jan 02, 2015 Nancy rated it liked it · review of another edition

In 1810 twenty-one year old Ella Kenyon needs to keep her promise to her grandfather and finish designing the first flax mill to strip raw flax into the silky fiber used to weave linen. The invention will provide for her family and assure the entire town of Debroahville in Upstate New York steady employment. But can she trust the man who wants to help her file her patent? The path to Washington, DC is fraught with danger. Just when her dream seems within grasp Ella must make the ultimate decisio In 1810 twenty-one year old Ella Kenyon needs to keep her promise to her grandfather and finish designing the first flax mill to strip raw flax into the silky fiber used to weave linen. The invention will provide for her family and assure the entire town of Debroahville in Upstate New York steady employment. But can she trust the man who wants to help her file her patent? The path to Washington, DC is fraught with danger. Just when her dream seems within grasp Ella must make the ultimate decision between familial love and success and fame.

The Clever Mill Horse is historical fiction, a mystery, and a melodrama romance. Jodi Lew-Smith has done impeccable historical research into the places, times, and material culture of 1804-11. I was interested to follow Ella and her companions as they travel down the Susquehanna River to Wilkes Barre, into the Pocono Mountains, down the Delaware River to Camden, to the New Jersey Pine Barrens, to Glassboro, into Philadelphia, and finally to Washington City where President Madison was in office and the Superintendent of Patents Latrobe was designing the Capital building. Having lived in and around Philadelphia these are all familiar places to me.

The story is full of action, suspense, and horrible events. The early part of the novel reads like a book for younger readers, but things turn very dark and Ella suffers kidnapping and physical abuse that gives the book a PG13 rating. Yet I think the story would appeal to many readers.

The first law of writing is "show, not tell." I was frustrated by pages and pages of being told, the author missing opportunities for action. Like many mysteries, one reason why most don't appeal to me, someone has to explain the whole background story to clear up the unknown. Much of the character insight is through long passages of being told their thoughts.

Strong women characters with masculine activities or abilities are trendy right now, the Action Hero Warrior Woman showing up in film, television and movies. I do have trouble with such characters placed in historical settings where they are not 'probable.' The characters act like 21st century thinkers. Some historical fiction captures the time and place with characters that are of that time. As I am finding, some uses the historical setting but tell a more modern tale.

And yet the story does not read modern. The 'Perils of Pauline' aspect of Ella's journey was too much for my taste. Many will love the roller coaster ride of twists and turns. I personally like something deep and transformative to happen as the character grows and struggles with a problem.

The author is horticulturist with a lifelong interest in books and writing. The Clever Mill Horse is the first book about Ella's adventures. Read more about Jodie Lew-Smith at http://jodilewsmith.com

I received an e-book copy of The Clever Mill Horse through NetGalley and Caspian Press for a fair review.
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Dec 14, 2014 Richard Sutton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Clever Mill Horse is initially an intriguing and endearing look at the life of young women in small towns in upstate New York in the early 1800s. A major backdrop is provided as Britain's behavior on the high seas moves the young Nation towards a new war. Author Lew-Smith drew me in with mentions of specific places I had traveled through and Iroquois traditions which I've always had an interest in. After only a couple of chapters though I was really connected with the characters' struggles. The Clever Mill Horse is initially an intriguing and endearing look at the life of young women in small towns in upstate New York in the early 1800s. A major backdrop is provided as Britain's behavior on the high seas moves the young Nation towards a new war. Author Lew-Smith drew me in with mentions of specific places I had traveled through and Iroquois traditions which I've always had an interest in. After only a couple of chapters though I was really connected with the characters' struggles. The story of siblings and friends is contrasted by the emotional and interpersonal damage done in an abusive household. Some of the cuts run deeper than expected. Siblings partially estranged renew their connections as they fight to preserve the legacy of their grandfather and their oldest sister.

Ella is an awkward girl according to the standards of feminine behavior of the times, She feels more at home in the forest than in her own home, but she is as smart as a steel trap and has a spark of creative genius when it comes to machine engineering. She becomes her grandfather's right arm at his mill and forge due to her uncommon abilities deciphering problems. But not all. Her knowledge of her own heart is incomplete among other things. She and her siblings are put to a difficult test beginning with a deadly confrontation with horse thieves. This fight involving several players has wide spreading and unexpected results. When repeated violence finally takes its ugly toll, the sense of duty they feel to the family and to each other elevates a journey they must make, to an adventure.

Through several surprise turns and twists, shifting loyalties and even questions of their own bloodlines, the siblings have few faithful allies. Still family must prevail, no matter "who" that might mean. For me, this was a real page turner with taut, well-conceived pacing but still enough narrative to get a solid feel for the settings. The characters are especially well-crafted. I'd highly recommend it to any reader of historical romance and especially to anyone who lives in the Northeastern states. The Clever Mill Horse makes an outstanding start of a new series and I'm primed to anxiously await Jodi Lew-Smith's next book. ...more

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Jan 21, 2015 Sharon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: families, fiction, first-reads, historical-fiction, womens

Wonderful entertainment! The book had me creating time to read, wishing to get back to it often. Ella is a non-girly girl, learning the ways of the woods, engineering and self protection from her grandfather and a native American. Her mother and two younger siblings endure abuse from a constantly drunken father but he learns to leave Ella alone. The grandfather exacts a promise for Ella to continue his work should he die before it's done -- the invention of a flax milling machine. The fabric of Wonderful entertainment! The book had me creating time to read, wishing to get back to it often. Ella is a non-girly girl, learning the ways of the woods, engineering and self protection from her grandfather and a native American. Her mother and two younger siblings endure abuse from a constantly drunken father but he learns to leave Ella alone. The grandfather exacts a promise for Ella to continue his work should he die before it's done -- the invention of a flax milling machine. The fabric of the time was flax for clothing and soft goods, however extracting usable fibers was a laborious process. A machine that could simplify the process would be a marvel and make the inventor wealthy.

In Ella's small town are relatives, friends, and people that have grown up together for generations. People are not always who they seem. Someone wants to steal the flax machine design with patent under his own name and has the means to do so. Then the adventure commences and doesn't release the reader until the end of the book. No wait. Not then either. The author has left the door wide open for sequels.

After many harrowing months of near-death experiences and unexpected turns in fortune, not to mention Ella's young adult character working out who people really are and aren't, stray ends are knitted together nicely, if not in a wholly satisfying way. Ella has unusual courage for a young female of her time, through unusual access and freedoms to explore her world. We see her grow through each adventure and experience, learning.

I think the title is too abstract, although I see the correlation loosely. This is not a book about a horse, although there are a number of horses in it. The book is about a family, a feisty brave young lady, and the history of the time. It's about the freedoms women did not have. It's a compelling story and I look forward to the sequel. I hope the author will be cognizant of not making scenes too coincidental so as to be unbelievable. A couple near the end bordered on this for me, however, so do some of the stories in the newspaper every day.

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Dec 11, 2014 J.R. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Ella Kenyon, a strong-willed young woman, struggles against harsh odds and devious men to fulfill her grandfather’s dream and learns much about herself as well as her companions and enemies.

I love a good quest novel, and this debut work set early in the 19th century in the eastern United States has much to offer.

The plot centers on a promise Ella made to her grandfather to perfect and patent a flax-milling machine which has potential to rescue her mother and siblings from dependence on a drunkar ...more

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Nov 13, 2014 Stephanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Ella has worked tirelessly with her grandfather to develop a working machine to mill flax. When her grandfather is killed by a band of horse thieves, his dying wish is for Ella to finish the machine and secure the patents. This turns out to be much harder than expected. Ella's father is a drunk and routinely beats her mother and siblings, Ella has become their protector by learning knife throwing skills from a local Indian, Pete. Also, some parts of the machine are wearing down quickly and Ella ...more

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Sep 27, 2014 Linda rated it really liked it

Shelves: america, hist-fic

In the 1700's, most Americans relied upon linen for their everyday textile needs; cotton had to be imported and was costly enough to be considered a luxury fabric. By 1830, however, the invention of an efficient cotton gin and the emergence of Southern cotton plantations led to a reversal in that state of affairs. But what if an efficient flax gin had been invented first?

Jodi Lew-Smith has written a historical coming-of-age tale built around that question, set in the first decade of the nineteen ...more

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Oct 28, 2014 Rachel Pollock added it

Shelves: giveaway-wins, abandoned

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway when i won one of the copies offered.

Oh, y'all, I wanted to like this novel. I wanted to love it, in fact. Historical fiction about the industrialization of the textile industry, with a female engineer protagonist? Sign me up, i thought. I was on board, i was down.

But i just couldn't get into it. I tried so hard, and no dice. I read in the author's note that she thanked her editor for paring the book down from a much longer draft, and i feel like it ...more

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Nov 25, 2014 Steve rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, review-requested

A story with a strange premise. A girl's quest to patent a design for a flax machine.
I'm not quite sure what drew me to this story but I'm so glad I make the investment to try it.
This is a sweeping historical drama that involves a little mystery and some adventure.
I became so engrossed in these characters that I was terribly disappointed with the ending. Perhaps because it lacked a certain finality to it. Maybe it was simply that the story I enjoyed so much was over.
You are pulled into a stark ...more

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Oct 29, 2014 Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) rated it it was amazing

A young woman in a small frontier town has spent her life perfecting a machine to process flax, a project she inhereted from her grandfather, who was killed unexpectedly when she was a child. The design is complete now, almost, and she must secure a patent on her design soon, before a crafty neighbor steals her design and patents it for himself. Set in the years leading up to 1812, this book is a great alternative to Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, one starring a young woman more skilled in woo ...more

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Oct 20, 2014 Nancy rated it really liked it

I was so excited to receive The Clever Mill Horse as a First Reads giveaway. I really enjoyed this book about a young girl who is working on a flax mill machine patent with her grandfather. It is set in the early 1800s, well before young women were recognized for inventing things. Ella faces many obstacles, many times on her own, in order to try to create the flax mill machine and then try to patent it. Travel was difficult at that time and the pace of the book is set by the amount of time it to ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Mary Meyer rated it it was amazing

This is a historical adventure featuring a great female character. I couldn't put it down.

The main character, Ella, is a complex, independent young woman who is feeling the burdens and responsibilities of becoming an adult. She has terrific adventures and interesting relationships with friends and family members. The author infuses a great sense of humor into her writing, making this an interesting and all around fun read. ...more

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Nov 28, 2014 Jane Hoffman rated it it was amazing

This is a great read...a fascinating "what if" flax milling had overtaken cotton...how would that have effected American history? And the strong female character loves both nature AND engineering. Get this book now and read it...so you are ready for the next book in the series which is in the works. ...more

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Jan 21, 2015 Pamela rated it it was amazing

This book was very good!I love reading books from the 1800s' and this took place in 1810.The main character is a 21 year old woman named Ella who is a very strong and determined person.She stuggles to get her and her Grandpas' flax mill machine patented and has to deal with a lot of dishonest people and believes that her Grandpa was murdered.
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Oct 13, 2014 Sandra rated it liked it

Fun historical fiction.

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About Jodi Lew-Smith

Jodi Lew-Smith

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Jodi Lew-Smith lives on a farm in northern Vermont with her patient husband, three wonderfully impatient children, a bevy of pets and farm animals, and 250 exceedingly patient apple trees which, if they could talk, would suggest that she stop writing and start pruning. Luckily they’re pretty quiet.

If you'd like to receive periodic posts on cool historical topics, sign up here for my "Peeks and Ex ...more