John Smolens has written a historical novel with the quick-beating heart of a thriller. Written in crisp, cinematic prose, the novel has echoes of the best noir. - Dan Chaon, author of Await Your ReplyA fine writer with a profound knowledge of human behavior gone awry. - Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the FallSmolens has written an intelligent, first-rate thriller, as though Sinclair Lewis was fused with Alan Furst. - Tom Bissell, author of The Father of All ThingsAbout the AuthorJohn Smolensis author ofCold, The Invisible World, Fire Point,andThe Anarchist.He received his MFA from the University of Iowa in 1984 and is currently head of the MFA program at Northern Michigan University. His novelThe Schoolmaster's Daughterwill be published by Pegasus Books in paperback in September, 2012.You can visit his site atwww.johnsmolens.com. what are the top 20 books of all time The Schoolmaster's Daughter: A Novel of the American Revolution
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Schoolmaster's Daughter - reviewBy QueenDThis is about the history of Boston and the eventual Battle of Bunker Hill. The writer has written an intriguing book about people we rarely read about in history books, namely the spies...how they communicated, who they trusted and how sometimes, families were pitted against each other in their beliefs...I come from Boston, so it was such a treat to read about places I knew and could use my imagination given the colorful characters in the book, to understand what the Patriots were willing to do for their country...but this book has more...it has wonderful characters around whom the author has built a story of how this country was founded....how love didn't conquer all, but became meshed into the history of Boston....I couldn't put it down....an excellent book. I loved it.14 of 15 people found the following review helpful. It was okBy Debra BoltonWhile I enjoyed the intimate look at Boston before and during the war, I ultimately didn't find this book very believable. While I enjoyed the story's protagonist, she seemed too liberated and twenty-first century than I found credible. She had the freedom to run around a soldier-occupied town at all hours of the day and night and seemed a little too free and easy with her body (as did the other female characters). I just couldn't get into the story with such a jarring representation of my era set into the time of the Revolutionary War.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Boston, post Lexington ConcordBy travelerI cannot rate Smollens' accuracy of the Boston siege of 1774, but it certainly rings true. The daughter, and 2 brothers, are provincials and their parents are loyalists. I imagine there were splits in families. I learned about the hardships of closing the gates of the Boston neck, and halting trade in the Boston harbor. It transported me to a year that was blank in my memory from school. Certainly Lexington and Concord are taught, and Philadelphia and the Continental Congress, but the immediate repercussions in Boston had been hazy until I read this book. A good read for those who enjoy historical fiction and for those who know Boston.