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I find it interesting that descriptions of this book focus mainly on her dressing as a highwayman, making it sound like she was a bored thrill-seeker. Not hardly! This is a grand, sprawling work of historical fiction, something you don't normally see in YA. Young Sovay does indeed dress as a man in the first part of the book to rob a stage . . . several, actually, but she has good reason to do so. Across the Channel, in France, the Revolution has degenerated into an unstoppable horror of violenc
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Sovay, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, has recently taken up the occupation of highwayman. Initially it is to test the loyalty of her fiance, who she finds lacking, but she begins to enjoy the danger and the freedom of posing as a man. When her father goes missing, Sovay travels into London with her manservant Gabriel to find him, and uncovers a vast conspiracy. The powerful aristocrat Dysart is trying to frame Sovay's family as sympathizers to the French Revolution. Along the way, Sovay joins
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Maybe I'm being too fussy about this sort of thing but... I don't like the "mere bystander plays major role in Historic Affairs" style of writing. The gold standard of historical fiction for me is Ring Out Bow Bells (Cynthia Hartnett): there are major events (Agincort, the Luddite rebellion) but I never got the sense that the hero was being forced into the action. Here, Sovay is forced into a story that ranges from England to France during the French Revolution. I almost expected Robespierre or
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Jun 26, 2008
Carrie
marked it as to-read
Jun 27, 2008
Paige
marked it as to-read
Sep 02, 2008
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
marked it as to-read
Jan 18, 2013
CLM
marked it as to-read
