aneides's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic, a Buckley novel not set in the quagmire of DC--it was fun. Always entertaining to see characters in the past with an amalgam of old and new vocabulary and attitudes.
The only thing I disliked about it is what I dislike about most of Buckley's stories: the last quarter or third of the story careens pell-mell through dozens of scenes and situations and feels more like a bus crash than a conclusion.
The only thing I disliked about it is what I dislike about most of Buckley's stories: the last quarter or third of the story careens pell-mell through dozens of scenes and situations and feels more like a bus crash than a conclusion.
doowopapocalypse's review against another edition
3.0
There are a lot of books this book wanted to be. Just read one of those books.
u311082's review against another edition
5.0
I just loved this book. It's quirky and it's funny and it's confronting in parts. I haven't read anything this entertaining in a good long while. Kudos to the author for making historical fiction not dry. If we lioved back then, we'd probably be pissing ourselves too.
shamfeldt's review against another edition
3.0
V. Similar to Relic Hunter and disappointing re: Repent at end.
robconner88's review against another edition
4.0
To be completely honest, I would give this book 3.5 stars. It is a solidly written book, it’s plot is a bit predictable but that does not take away from the enjoyment I had reading it.
I think what I was most surprised to learn was that a lot of the characters in this novel were real people, I thought the majority of the main characters were made up as part of the fictionalization. However this is not true. I think this, in part, makes this an excellent historical fiction piece for those interested in the history of colonial america.
I wish I had more to say about this book, it was just a solid little story about an adventure in the new world to hunt those who killed the king of England (or atleast signed his death warrant). Decent book, nothing mind blowing, but give it a shot if you’re into historical fiction or adventure stories.
I think what I was most surprised to learn was that a lot of the characters in this novel were real people, I thought the majority of the main characters were made up as part of the fictionalization. However this is not true. I think this, in part, makes this an excellent historical fiction piece for those interested in the history of colonial america.
I wish I had more to say about this book, it was just a solid little story about an adventure in the new world to hunt those who killed the king of England (or atleast signed his death warrant). Decent book, nothing mind blowing, but give it a shot if you’re into historical fiction or adventure stories.
abeanbg's review against another edition
4.0
A light, fun romp. Some of the archetypes are rather stale, but Buckley moves it along briskly and in good form. Good vacation reading.
bocca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bent's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't know any of the history as it concerns New Amsterdam, which I only know was a thing from the old song Istanbul (Not Constantinople), so it was interesting to learn that so many New York city names came from the Dutch (Brooklyn, Harlem, etc.), and of course, it hadn't occurred to me that the term New England had a historical reason behind it, and wasn't just some random thing. I suppose I never thought that much about it - I live in Toronto, so I see the English influence all over in our names, and knew that the States were a colony at one point too, but hadn't really considered the different influences and how they affected names and such.
Beyond that, the book was quite amusing, doing a good job of blending fact and fiction. I had only read Thank Your For Smoking by Buckley before, and so didn't know what to expect - the topic is so different. It was a lot of fun and a very quick read. I liked that he included a bit of a follow-up in the back so that you know what became of the historic figures and how their influence still permeates public life today.
A fund book and I recommend it.
Beyond that, the book was quite amusing, doing a good job of blending fact and fiction. I had only read Thank Your For Smoking by Buckley before, and so didn't know what to expect - the topic is so different. It was a lot of fun and a very quick read. I liked that he included a bit of a follow-up in the back so that you know what became of the historic figures and how their influence still permeates public life today.
A fund book and I recommend it.
ramreads's review against another edition
3.0
Let me begin by saying that when I first started this story I had every intention of giving it five stars. Long has it been since I’ve read a book that has captured my interest from the first chapter, and held it long after. The first hundred and some pages are a delight. There was some point every chapter that had me laughing out loud (there is one joke in particular about a catamount that still makes me laugh every time I think about it). The majority of the characters were interesting, the plot was engaging, and the history was the perfect cherry on top.
Many of the characters were a joy. They all had a distinct voice and were memorable. The author did an amazing job bringing multiple historical figures to life. My favorites ended up being Balty and Hiram who are the two that this story focuses on the most. Balty is a very dependent character who is a bit of a tit, so he easily gets on people’s nerves. He brings a lot of humor into this story. Hiram was my ultimate favorite. His role was to guard Balty on his mission, and he was much more reliable and well read than Balty.
I was always excited to read their interactions because their chemistry was amazing. The author created an interesting dichotomy between these two characters. Though they were complete opposites, throughout the book their friendship grows and you can see how important they become to one another. This was my favorite part of the story.
The plot never bored me. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The history that it was written around captivated me because I had never heard or read about New Amsterdam. I wasn’t aware of how New York came to be, and that in its place hundreds of years ago New Amsterdam was located there. The author does a great job of leading the reader’s through the events leading up to the siege of New Amsterdam.
So you might be wondering why I rated this book three stars when I liked it so much? Let me reiterate that I planned to give this book five stars, but after reading so many books that have strong female characters and diversity it is hard for me to accept anything less. And boy does this book give me less in that regard.
In this book there is only one female character of importance, Thankful. She is a bit of a tit too, and not in the fun way. Her only reason for being in this book is simply for the romance, so of course the author gave her no personality.
To me, it seems that the reason romance is written into every book is to attract female readers, so I don’t get why male authors continue to write romances like these where the female character has no personality. Her only traits are that she is pretty, perfect, and needs to be protected. Her only purpose is to romance the main character. And I will admit that the addition of this character into the story is what made my love for it falter.
At first she caused my love to fall to four stars. I tried to give the romance a chance, I really did, but once I noticed she would have no personality and the “romance” just consisted of Balty finding her pretty and feeling bad for her without any meaningful conversation between the two, my love for the book diminished. I was sad because I really had enjoyed the book up to this point, but when I’m rolling my eyes at their every interaction then I have to admit to myself that the book is no longer that great. It didn’t help that in order for this romance to exist Balty had to cheat on his wife.
Then Thankful caused my love for this story to fall to three stars because I noticed that the plot was being handicapped just for the sole purpose of having her be present for Balty to fawn over. There were multiple times where I was ripped out of the story that I was invested in because she appeared out of nowhere and seemed very out of place.
Honestly, if the author wanted to include romance, it should’ve been between Balty and Hiram. And if the romance really needed to be straight, then the author should’ve made Hiram a girl. Keep everything but replace the pronouns (and I guess the physical appearance).
tldr
If having well rounded, dynamic female characters isn’t important to you than read this book. I definitely think you will enjoy it. If you like having more than one female character of importance present in a book, and for that character to have more importance than romance, do not read this book.
Many of the characters were a joy. They all had a distinct voice and were memorable. The author did an amazing job bringing multiple historical figures to life. My favorites ended up being Balty and Hiram who are the two that this story focuses on the most. Balty is a very dependent character who is a bit of a tit, so he easily gets on people’s nerves. He brings a lot of humor into this story. Hiram was my ultimate favorite. His role was to guard Balty on his mission, and he was much more reliable and well read than Balty.
I was always excited to read their interactions because their chemistry was amazing. The author created an interesting dichotomy between these two characters. Though they were complete opposites, throughout the book their friendship grows and you can see how important they become to one another. This was my favorite part of the story.
The plot never bored me. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The history that it was written around captivated me because I had never heard or read about New Amsterdam. I wasn’t aware of how New York came to be, and that in its place hundreds of years ago New Amsterdam was located there. The author does a great job of leading the reader’s through the events leading up to the siege of New Amsterdam.
So you might be wondering why I rated this book three stars when I liked it so much? Let me reiterate that I planned to give this book five stars, but after reading so many books that have strong female characters and diversity it is hard for me to accept anything less. And boy does this book give me less in that regard.
In this book there is only one female character of importance, Thankful. She is a bit of a tit too, and not in the fun way. Her only reason for being in this book is simply for the romance, so of course the author gave her no personality.
To me, it seems that the reason romance is written into every book is to attract female readers, so I don’t get why male authors continue to write romances like these where the female character has no personality. Her only traits are that she is pretty, perfect, and needs to be protected. Her only purpose is to romance the main character. And I will admit that the addition of this character into the story is what made my love for it falter.
At first she caused my love to fall to four stars. I tried to give the romance a chance, I really did, but once I noticed she would have no personality and the “romance” just consisted of Balty finding her pretty and feeling bad for her without any meaningful conversation between the two, my love for the book diminished. I was sad because I really had enjoyed the book up to this point, but when I’m rolling my eyes at their every interaction then I have to admit to myself that the book is no longer that great. It didn’t help that in order for this romance to exist Balty had to cheat on his wife.
Then Thankful caused my love for this story to fall to three stars because I noticed that the plot was being handicapped just for the sole purpose of having her be present for Balty to fawn over. There were multiple times where I was ripped out of the story that I was invested in because she appeared out of nowhere and seemed very out of place.
Spoiler
Two prominent moments are when Balty and Hiram discover the Cobbs and she’s all the sudden there crying over their bodies. That one really threw me for a loop. The second moment was when Hiram is about to sneak off to rescue Balty when Thankful pops up on a horse out of nowhere. The plot just staggered so much when she was in the picture.Honestly, if the author wanted to include romance, it should’ve been between Balty and Hiram. And if the romance really needed to be straight, then the author should’ve made Hiram a girl. Keep everything but replace the pronouns (and I guess the physical appearance).
tldr
If having well rounded, dynamic female characters isn’t important to you than read this book. I definitely think you will enjoy it. If you like having more than one female character of importance present in a book, and for that character to have more importance than romance, do not read this book.