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The Glorious Cause (2003)

The Glorious Cause (2003)

Book Info

Author
Genre
Rating
4.23 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0345427580 (ISBN13: 9780345427588)
Language
English
Publisher
fawcett

About book The Glorious Cause (2003)

This is an extraordinary, historical novel by Jeff Shaara. From the opening chapter about the murder of a fisherman in Brooklyn’s Graveshead Bay by invading, sea-borne British troops (which in present day is nestled between the Verrazano Bridge to the north, and Sea Gate to the south), Shaara’s descriptive writing, coupled with his historically accurate research, creates a book of epic proportions, which left me extremely disappointed that his 638 page, single-spaced, page-turner, had to actually end.Shaara takes the reader on a tours de force of Long Island - via Brooklyn and Queens, culminating in the Battle of Long Island/Battle of Brooklyn, through present day Lower Manhattan, up to The Throgs Neck, Harlem and Fort Washington (now known as Washington Heights), and across the Hudson to The Palisades, all in the first 100 pages.In short order, you become privy to the intimate details of the lives of George Washington, Charles Cornwallis, Nathaniel Greene, Marquis de Lafayette, Nathan Hale and many other notable personalities in the Colonial War. What intrigued me was Shaara’s ability to merge his fictionalized account of the interactions of the participants in this eight-year struggle, with the accurate, verifiable historical account of both the Colonist’s and British strategy, tactics and results.I actually used Shaara’s book as a roadmap for my travels through Princeton, Trenton and Philadelphia. If you are both diligent and patient, evidence of the historic events that he writes of, and which actually occurred, not just where Pennsylvania and New Jersey meet on the Delaware River at Washington’s Crossing, but throughout this book, allow the reader to literally go back in time.Shaara’s story reminds America of the sacrifice that mere citizen-soldiers, who were under-manned, under-supplied, under-nourished and unappreciated, for their immeasurable sacrifice in forming our country, gave unselfishly in circumstances that were at best - overwhelming. Shaara allows the reader to live vicariously during the war that solidified the original thirteen colonies. His inimitable story telling is the reason you should read this excellent book.

It's been a long time since I laid down a book having finished it completely, and come away with the same feeling of thorough satisfaction. Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara completely filled the hours of my evenings and nourished my thoughts for almost three months. Never once did my interest lag as so often had happened in the past when working through the twists and turns of some fictional novel. It's true I had come to these books with an already piqued interest in history, notably the American Revolution which took place close to the very same hills and woods I live near and sometimes walk through. But the writing was very engaging, the language intelligent and informed. The dialogue, as described by the author in his preface, seeks to "...tread a fine line between the old and the new, avoiding at all costs any anachronistic words or phrases." Though Shaara "purposely [avoids] the use of foreign accents," the feel of the interaction between the players comes off the page with an extraordinary presence and sense of reality. Anyone even remotely interested in America during the late eighteenth century would definitely enjoy these books. (They must be read in tandem; a good many references in the second volume point to occurrences and characters in the first.) The books read like the perfect novel. Knowing they deal with historical fact make them all the more enjoyable!

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This epic sequel to "Rise to Rebellion" continues the story of the American Revolution, with this novel covering the years following the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the war's conclusion. Shaara does an admirable job of covering so much action and history through the eyes of several characters. My only complaint is that, while "Rise to Rebellion" included the battles as well as the pursuit of the congress and some of the home lives, this book is almost exclusively about the battles. The only exception is account of Franklin's negotiations with the French. While it's hard to fault, this book would get really long if added to the detail of the action that Shaara provided, it does make this a book with smaller dimensions than its prequel. Nevertheless, a fine novel on this period of history.
—David

The Glorious Cause is a very well written and often times epic in scope novel about the Revolutionary War. It mostly uses the point of view of the major people involved in the war, primarily through the eyes of George Washington, who is more or less the central character of the novel. Shaara really goes through great pains to show the struggles that the Colonialists had to go through before things finally turned around. They had to show amazing resiliency overcoming horrible situations. It’s one thing to know the history of what happened from a class or a textbook, but this novel makes it come alive. Of all the characters in the novel, George Washington is the one that really stands out with his inner strength and refusal to fail. The prose is strong and the voice that the author uses fits the narrative and the times. Although a bit long-winded this is a strong novel that I would recommend.Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
—Carl Alves

Another book that I should've reviewed days ago. Too much work .... too much going on ....The Glorious Cause continues the story of Franklin, Adams, Washington, Cornwallis, and more through the climax of the American Revolution. This is Shara's Schtick. He picks a few key players in great historical events and follows them through those events. As a reader you gain insight into the thinking, the strategy, the plots of these great people. The insight is fantastic.The approach is also a great weakness of the book. It does follow those great men, but it does leave untouched what I find more intriguing about historical fiction. What about the individual farmer - the small landholder or craftsman? History is not necessarily about the great and powerful. In many ways I like to read about the small person who is caught up in great events and somehow manages to shape those events through their pluck and luck. Wouldn't it have been cool to place a man or woman at the heart of the Revolution? Stealing British secrets on the sly to influence the course of the conflict? Or what about a Hessian mercenary who decides to desert over a shot at his own land? Or an English soldier who is conflicted about what his comrades are doing to drive the colonies away? I'm not saying abandon covering Franklin or Cornwallis, but just add more. (On the note of the great men, I did appreciate the focus on Cornwallis. He comes across very sympathetically.)Besides enjoying the stories, I also enjoy historical fiction because I learn about new periods and events that I was more or less ignorant of. In the case of The Glorious Cause, I had a first hand seat following the British army's Southern Strategy. Basically, with the war in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts at a stand still, the British sought to end the Revolution in the Southern Colonies and then work their way North. I had the chance to be at the Battle of Cowpens (yes, a real battle) and at the final surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Pretty cool stuff.Three and a half stars out of five. Rounding it down to three based on the fact that I wanted more average Joe, less great man.
—Mr. Matt

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