Drums Along the Mohawk (New York Classics) [Paperback]

Walter D. Edmonds (Author), Frank Bergmann (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: New York Classics | Publication Date: March 1997

Gilbert Martin and his new bride Lana, pioneers in the Mohawk Valley, live and protect their land through weather disasters, love and hate and Indian attacks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press; 1st Syracuse University Press ed edition (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815604572
• ISBN-13: 978-0815604570
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and well-written novel, January 17, 2003

By 

"benitoc" (Leominster, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drums Along the Mohawk (New York Classics) (Paperback)

This story of the Revolutionary War era settlers in the Mohawk River valley was excellent. Edmonds did considerable historical research and his characters come alive as he tells this tale of the conflict between the Tories who support the King and the farmers who are in favor of the revolt against England.

The story focuses on Gil and Lana Martin, two young settlers who work tirelessly to get a farm established in the valley.

Their hard work is repeatedly destroyed by the Destructives -- Tory and Indian raiders who burn the farms and crops and slaughter anyone who supports the Revolution. The farmer militias strike back at the Tories and their supporters and strike with equal savagery. As in Bosnia and Kosova, the conflict pits neighbor against neighbor.

The novel is about the people of the valley -- both the white settlers and to a lesser degree the Indians -- and their fight to survive in a very hostile environment. I found the story entertaining and I learned quite a bit about the people, the place, and the events that occurred there.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drums Along the Mohawk-, December 19, 2001

By 

An 8th Grader from Michigan (East Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drums Along the Mohawk (Library Binding)

Drums Along the Mohawk is the story of families in the Mohawk River valley that cope with Indian and British attacks on their homes and families. Many of these people fight for the American cause and are very serious about it. This is a different perspective, the fighting on the frontier. It may be hard to find, but it is worth the effort for a challenging and emotional book. The characters and their jobs, no matter how minor they are, come to life in one of the best books I have read about the American Revolution from a Patriot point-of-view. I would strongly suggest this book for a history or war reader and an advance reader.

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I was disappointed, July 21, 2002

By 

LaLoren - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drums Along the Mohawk (New York Classics) (Paperback)

No, I'm not some high school kid forced to read this for freshman English who hated it on principle. I am middle-aged, usually love the classics, am a history buff, and volunteer at the site of a Revolutionary War hospital. So, when I found this in a used book store, I was looking forward to the read. What I found was the Seinfeld of historical fiction--a book about nothing.

Well, of course, ostensibly this is a book about the Revolutionary War as fought in upstate New York--at that time the frontier. The writing is good. The history is accurate and well researched, but I kept expecting something to happen at every turn, and very little did. Instead of actual Indian raids, there were usually warnings of raids, so that the folks got into the fort on time. There they spent long, dreary days doing long dreary things--realistic, probably--but not the kind of thing I couldn't put down. In fact, I put it down often, and for long periods.

This is a shame because Edmonds' use of words is quite good, and he did an excellent job whenever he was depicting the relationship between Lana and Gil Martin, a married couple caught up in the events. I wish, in fact, that the author had focused more on their individual story, rather than trying to bring in so many different couples and individuals that they were very diffucult to keep track of, and worse, to care about.

I give this four stars for the writing style and the history, but, for me, it was pretty boring.