Patriots

I have to admit, until the last few chapters of this book I was visibly unimpressed. There was too much time spent on the historical backstory setting and not enough on the characters themselves. The PoV switched far too often and I never felt I was really getting any empathy for the characters. But....then came the ending, which if you've read this you know what I'm talking about. I swear I was crying for 20 minutes straight while I read it. The Christ metaphor was obvious, but not even close to the point of being obnoxious. The only little complaint I had was the straight rip-off from A Tale of Two Cities--which is also a great literary allusion. All in all, I think the book's end almost saved the entire novel; it definately made it very memorable. Now if the rest of the book had had a quarter of the intensity of the last chapters (and less of the history lesson) I would've given this a 5+

Do not be paranoid about this book. It is an absolute masterpiece, beautifully written by Jack Cavanaugh. I first read it at 11, and I still read it now. Why, you may ask? Surely you must be a devout american, you say? Wrong. I am a proud Canadian. You don't need to be american to enjoy this book. I became so attached to Esau and Jacob, that in the dramatic climax, I can't stop crying. This book is about another generation of the Morgan family. Esau and Jacob, twin brothers, are at odds again. Jacob had stolen Esau's fiancee for his own. But Esau stil loves her. The fiancee has to hurt Esau in order to make him able to love again. In this beautiful story, George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and Benjamin Franklin all come out of the clouds. Arnold is a good friend to Esau. Franklin is a friend of the boy's father. Washington is just a normal military officer. You should read this book.

I have read this book several times, and each time it gets better. I have the whole series, and consider the Colonists and the Patriots the best two. I like the treatment this book gives to famous revolutionaries and to common soldiers as well. It also remembers the home front. I only wish the series had more than eight books (hint, hint, Mr. Cavanaugh), and I will be buying the book he is releasing soon.

The 3rd book in this incredible series, The Patriots displays the authors love of history and fascinating writing style which enables him to weave spellbinding fictional stories into painstakingly accurate historical events. I was captivated once again by his amazingly deep characters and his use of romance to toy with your emotions. His understanding and prediction of human nature continues to astound me. I highly recommend this book to history lovers everywhere (of which I am one) and also to Christians, teachers, and anyone who loves a good novel. Although I did not find this book quite as difficult to put down as the other two, it was still a wonderful reading experience and every bit worthy of my time and I venture to say yours too.

This was a GOOD book! Not only could I not put it down, the twists and turns in the plot only made for better reading. The prophetic naming of the main characters Jacob and Esau (twins that are at loggerheads over their place in the family) was great. The history comes alive through the many characters of the American Revolution woven into it. It was truly one of the best books I have read in a while. (Caveat: Having read the first two in the series as well, I obviously liked this one best - so far. I'm about to start book 4.)