Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution (Paperback)

by Jeff Shaara (Author) "HE HAD BEEN IN BOSTON FOR NEARLY EIGHTEEN MONTHS, HAD COME ashore with the rest of His Majesty's Twenty-ninth Regiment after a miserable journey down..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, King George, Sons of Liberty (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Once more breathing vigor and passion into the dusty annals of our nation's history, the author of the bestselling Civil War trilogy (Gods and Generals; The Last Full Measure; Gone for Soldiers) demonstrates an ever-growing level of literary competence in the first installment of his projected two-volume saga of the American Revolution. Spanning the crucible years beginning with the Boston Massacre in March 1770 and continuing through the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July, 4, 1776, the story is told from the perspective of a handful of characters well known from our history books. In Boston, the Sons of Liberty activist Samuel Adams and his younger, more intellectual and oratorical second cousin, John Adams, speak out against King George III. In London there's aging Philadelphian Benjamin Franklin, who has resided for a number of years abroad, an agent for home colony Pennsylvania (and others). In New York, Gen. Thomas Gage is the ranking British officer on American soil. And heroic colonial planter George Washington has risen to full colonel in the Virginia militia fighting for George III during the French and Indian War. This masterful dramatization of the fateful escalation of the rebellion following the Boston Massacre moves from the battles of 1775 at Lexington, Concord, Fort Ticonderoga, Bunker Hill and the siege of Boston, through the convening in 1776 of the Continental Congress and the reading of the Declaration of Independence. Richly embroidered with portraits of such heroes as Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson, the tapestry chronicles America's plunge toward liberty. (July; on-sale June 12)Forecast: Ballantine is bringing out the big guns for this one: major advertising, a Boston launch, a 13-city author tour and Fourth of July Gettysburg media appearances. Simultaneous BDD Audio. Expect patriotic sales.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
The first of two projected novels on the American Revolution, Rebellion takes the reader from the Boston Massacre to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Shaara's (Gone for Soldiers) sympathies are evident on every page: the Adamses, Washington, and Franklin are his heroes, as is Abigail Adams, who, though she chafes at the restrictions imposed on her gender, supports her family as husband John travels to and from the Continental Congress. Their adversaries are harsh but wavering (General Gage), venal (Governor Hutchinson), and uncomprehending (the monstrous George III). These are not cardboard figures, however, but complicated human beings making difficult decisions in the midst of a crisis for which old wisdom holds no workable answers. Ultimately, what raises this fine novel above jingoism is the author's ability to make our national myths sing and our country's history come to vibrant life. Recommended.
- David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345427548
• ISBN-13: 978-0345427540
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,224 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful concept to lead to better understanding, July 3, 2001

By	Laura Ellis (Dothan, Alabama) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution (Hardcover)

I was enamoured of The Killer Angels written by Jeff Shaara's father, Michael. He took the principals of the battle for Gettysburg and after extensive research wrote the story through their eyes, reliving their experiences. Jeff continues the saga through the Civil War with the subsequent books. Last year he came out with a history of the Mexican War, a topic sadly lacking in my education. Now we have Rise to Rebellion, a story of the AMerican Revolution as seen though the eyes of the likes of Adams and Franklin. Having just finished David McCollough's book on Adams, this novel reiterated the story I was familiar with but told it in a very engaging manner. I found that while I had knew most of the facts I understood what happened better.

His style is wonderful. Shaara said that when researching the Civil War books the likes of Lee and Grant visited him, as in a dream. I expect that Franklin (my favorite character) did likewise. I truly envy him!

This is volume one of an expected two volume set. I read this book quickly today (devoured it!) and am looking forward to volume two.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The First Full Measures, July 16, 2001

By	John W. Bates "jaydubyah" (Americus, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution (Hardcover)

Jeff Shaara may have started writing to finish his father's The Killer Angels trilogy with Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, but with Gone For Soldiers and now Rise to Rebellion he is firmly established in the novelized history genre in his own right. The first of two books telling the story of the American Revolution, Rise to Rebellion covers the period from the Boston Massacre through the siege of Boston and Washington's moving the fledgling Continental Army to New York and the Declaration of Independence. Shaara focuses on John Adams, Ben Franklin, George Washington, and, from the British side, General Thomas Gage, but the emphasis is strongly on John Adams. This is an odd coincidence, given that this book was released at about the same time as David McCullough's acclaimed biography of John Adams. I cannot compare the two, not having read McCullough yet, but Shaara does a wonderful job of making John Adams and Abigail very real people. There is also wonderful background on Ben Franklin's time in England during the years before he gave up on mediating any kind of accommodation. There is also informative background on John's cousin, Sam Adams, whose name is often mentioned but whose contribution is not documented very much in general literature. Washington is introduced, and background provided, and we will probably see much more of him in the sequel. I found the material on Thomas Gage is also very informative. American history does not generally give us much information on this man, other than the fact that he was in command of British forces at the beginning. This is a very readable and very interesting book, and I look forward to the next volume.

65 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour de Force  Superb, August 30, 2001

By	Newt Gingrich (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews ("THE")

This review is from: Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution (Hardcover)

Jeff Shaara is rapidly emerging as one of our finest historical novelists. Now in Rise to Rebellion he tells deftly the story of the initial phase of the American Revolution. From the Boston Massacre and John Adams' decision to defend a British officer in court (a key step toward the rule of law which made the American Revolution so different from its French and Russian successors), to Benjamin Franklin's desperate and patient ten year effort to be an Englishman while representing the colonies in London to the quiet emergence of Washington as the disciplined force on which the revolution would succeed, Shaara creates a tour de force.
Anyone who would seek to understand the origins of the American Revolution and the precepts of political order, private property, individual liberty and the rule of law which made this the keystone for human freedom will find this a compelling book.Shaara captures with remarkable accuracy the process of how these revolutionaries placed themselves at enormous risk to create a new future. His portrait of how the Continental Congress moves slowly and with great agony toward independence is worth the entire book. His portrait of Franklin gradually becoming first disillusioned then embittered, then angry and finally defiant against the very Britain he had wanted to belong to is worth a dozen books.
I cannot recommend this book too strongly if you would like to understand how America came to be. I am looking forward to the promised second volume.