Our Lives, Our Fortunes: Continuing the Account of the Life and Times of Geoffrey Frost, Mariner, of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, as Faithfully Translated ... Contemporary Histories (Hardscrabble Boo [Paperback]

J. E. Fender (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Geoffrey Frost participates in a key battle of the American Revolution in the latest installment of the Frost Saga.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Fender continues the exciting Geoffrey^B Frost saga with an all new Revolutionary War-era adventure. Frost, the dashing^B mariner-turned-privateer returns to New Hampshire with a treasure trove of food and arms he has captured from the British. Learning that Washington and his troops are languishing in Pennsylvania, suffering from both low morale and a lack of supplies, he resolves to organize an expedition to transport his booty to the physically and spiritually impoverished Continental Army. Since the British control the coastal waters, the ever-resourceful Frost leads his men on a dangerous overland mission, proving that he is as adept on land as on the sea. Assisting Washington in the daring crossing of the Delaware River, Frost and company eagerly join in the battle for Trenton. Although considerably less^B salty than the previous two entries in this series, fans of seafaring fiction will still enjoy this action-packed tale. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Some of the most enjoyable creations in Our Lives, Our Fortunes are the characters of men who have, to us, become mythic -- men like Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and great Washington himself. Novelist Fender allows Frost to report on the crafters of the Constitution through the eyes of a practical, well traveled, disenchanted businessman who bears the brunt of the Revolution in his purse and his person. Fender reminds us that the images of the men on our currency were at one time just men, doing their best in trying times. I'm itching for the next Frost book!" --The Times Argus (VT)

"There's something pleasingly old-fashioned about [Fender's books] that does not arise solely out of the fact that they are set during the Revolution . . . These are not books for cynics or skeptics, even if Fender does toss in a little rebelliousness now and then. Most importantly, they answer the reader's hunger for a good story.--Valley News (NH)

"Vivid and exciting... graphic and thrilling... This is superb historical fiction, made all the better by Fender's skillful use of dialogue, suspense, and accurate historical description." --The Times Record

"Exquisitely written and overflowing with the stuff of life."--Lawyers Journal, Massachusetts Bar Association --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 322 pages
• Publisher: UPNE (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584653752
• ISBN-13: 978-1584653752
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,324,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Goody Two-shoes Goes Camping, November 29, 2004

By 

CDR USN (Ret) "bohm107w" (Eldersburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Lives, Our Fortunes: Continuing the Account of the Life and Times of Geoffrey Frost, Mariner, of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, as Faithfully Translated ... Contemporary Histories (Hardscrabble Boo (Paperback)

Have read all three of this series, and will read no more. Geoffrey Frost, the lead character, never quite reaches two dimensions, let alone three. He is always perfect in his tactics, his plans, and his response to any situation. The dialogue is wooden, and self-consciously done in the style of the period, to the point that it becomes a distraction. In this book, the story is also highly implausible, and requires a suspension of belief that belies its intention as an authentic period piece. And it's not just the primary character who is perfect: the "woods-cruizers" are all always in exactly the right place at exactly the right time, never miss a shot, always give sage counsel, and so on. The few villains that show up are all quickly redeemed by their mere exposure to Geoffrey Frost. I admit that I am holding this series to standards of Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin, which are classics, and by that standard, Geoffrey Frost only rates a C+. If you absolutely must read this series, do so at the library's expense, and not your own.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars simple and straightforward to a bad end, July 13, 2009

By 

Concord - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Lives, Our Fortunes: Continuing the Account of the Life and Times of Geoffrey Frost, Mariner, of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, as Faithfully ... (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) (Paperback)

I liked the first 2/3's of this novel as well as the others in the series, but it is such a challenge for historical fiction when it starts to blend in real people and events. In this case, much of the novel lands Frost with George Washington, and the hagiography is just way too much. (If you thought Frost was too perfect, you haven't seen anything yet.)Fender can be an entertaining writer, but let's hope he keeps his people in their own world from now on.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great swashbuckler with American History frosting., April 11, 2007

By 

Michael Jacobi "Alt-Mil-Hist" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Our Lives, Our Fortunes: Continuing the Account of the Life and Times of Geoffrey Frost, Mariner, of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, as Faithfully ... (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this series. It reminds me quite strongly of the Kenneth Roberts classics Arundel, Rabble in Arms and Oliver Wiswell. The period speach adds to the charm and I would hate to see it any other way. A big poroblem though is that the auther several times drips in sentences in Portugese or even Chinese..with no translations provided except for the structure of the story. I would like to have the direct translation at least as a footnote. The main problem with this series though is that the two softback volumes I got have the most miserable binding you can put on a book. It demands you use two hands to read it unless you are OK with breaking the spine. In short, it just will not lay open flat. I bought the third volume, used, in hardback and wish I had done so for the others. Go ahead and buy the book, you will enjoy it. But buy the used hard back volumes and avoid the problem.