Customer Reviews

The Carolinian

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Although written in the 1920s, Sabatini's most prolific and successful decade during which he wrote many of his greatest novels, The Carolinian (1924) does not quite rise to the same level. A brilliant student of the Italian Renaissance and British history, the author shines in his other novels set in those earlier centuries. But here the author enters the world of American history and (at least from an American perspective) seems just a bit awkward and out of his element. On the whole, the book fails to sparkle or convince, drags and even falls a bit flat at points, lacking the clever dialogue, suspense and unending plot twists throughout that made Sabatini a household name. He does not seem to get the American dialect right (in fact, one wonders if he had even been there at all!). Much of the suspense is thwarted since the author reveals more to the reader than perhaps he should. The ending, however, is true Sabatini.

A romance of Old Charles Town during the American Revolution, The Carolinian is not short of magnolias and palmettos, but the issue of slavery is almost conspicuous by its absence. (This is odd, since Charleston was the main slave-trading port for the Colonies.) House slaves are merely referred to as "servants." Understandably, perhaps the author found slave-holding as inconsistent with swashbuckling heroism, and mentioning that his hero was a slave-owner might have reduced the readers sympathy.

Although a bit disappointed in this novel, as a voracious Sabatini reader, I still found The Carolinian worthwhile, despite the problems mentioned. It does delight at several points and, while I would not recommend it to first-time Sabatini readers, it should be on the reading list for fans of the author.