Independence

by Kate Kasserman

An orphaned girl in revolutionary America tries to hide her damning past and save the rebel officer she secretly loves. Violence destroyed Rachel's first home on the colonial South Carolina frontier, when the Cherokee razed her father's farm and killed her family. Revenge took her second home, when white settlers slaughtered the Cherokee who had adopted Rachel into their tribe. And war snatched her third home, when revolution drove away the household where seventeen-year-old Rachel worked as a maid and the family left her behind. Determined to make her way in the world on her own, Rachel seeks her opportunity in the chaos of the fighting. She falls in love with a rigid, idealistic rebel officer who shows her a passing kindness and finds a position with a rich benefactress who has ties to both sides of the revolution. But the rebel officer remains unaware of Rachel's attachment, and Rachel's situation hangs precariously on the whims of a demanding mistress. When her beloved Lieutenant Bellew is captured by the redcoats, Rachel tries to use intelligence from her employer's English connections to save him. But she stumbles across dark secrets about both sides of the conflict, secrets that endanger not only her security and position but her life - as well as the fate of a nation, and an empire.

Genres: Historical Fiction

476 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess to feeling a bit daunted before starting this novel, as its 471 pages looked formidable. I should have known better, having read the first couple chapters in manuscript form a couple years ago. The only quibbles I managed on that first reading were questions of historical accuracy: Did Indian tribes in the East have access to horses? Was it customary to tip waitresses in the 18th century? But the author seemed to have control of her facts as well as the ability to spin a good yarn. So I welcomed the opportunity to pick up the narrative again and see what happened next. And when I did, those pages just fell away behind me.

It's subtitled "A Novel of the American Revolution," but the focus is far more on the drawing room than on distant battlefields. The evils of war are apparent, notably in the conditions under which prisoners of war are kept. However, the point of view is that of the noncombatant -- one who has no clear view of the relative merits or prospects of the warring factions. The men go off to fight, or to be captured, or to strut about in uniforms and abuse their privileges. In this kind of world, what can women do?

The main character, Rachel, has a precarious existence. At the beginning, Indians burn her home and kill her family. They take her to live with them, but when she finally accepts that way of life, her Indian family is wiped out as well. She then spends most of the story in the employ of a high-society lady who is about as trustworthy as a scorpion. Through all that happens, Rachel continually struggles to assure herself and those around her that she has only the best of intentions. The point finally came at which I decided that the girl doth protest too much, because I found nothing in the text to undermine her claim. The word saccharine came to mind, although it would be wildly inaccurate and unfair, given Rachel's complexity as a character. Above all else, Rachel is a survivor.

All characters, in fact, continue to acquire depth, and their motivations acquire complexity, as the story progresses. It would not be amiss to say that every sentence adds weight and meaning. This is as it should be, of course, but regrettably I do not get that sense with every book I read. This one qualifies as literature that entertains and explores human character while also shedding light on a point in history. It goes into my permanent library.

[Melissa Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

. 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 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.

[Catrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Kolkhorst is a young girl who has faced a lot of adversity in her short life. By the time she was 17, her family had been killed by the Cherokee, the Cherokee who took her into their tribe were murdered, and the family that took her in as a maid left her behind as the war broke out. Rachel found herself in the employ of a wealthy woman with ties to both sides of the war.

When Rachel falls for a Rebel Officer, she finds herself in a very precarious position.

I can't wait to find out the rest of Rachel's story!