Customer Reviews

For Love of Country (The Cutler Family Chronicles)

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I thought it would be impossible to top his first book, but I was wrong. Mr. Hammond has eclipsed my expectations ten fold and has me eagerly awaiting the next installment in what has become the favorite series of books I have ever read. Characters you feel like you know, places that you feel like you are at, and though I have spent many years at sea he takes me to sea on sailing vessels and makes me yearn for a more glorious time when ships were powered by wind not gas turbines. If you are a nautical fiction lover like me do yourself a favor and read A Matter of Honor quickly followed by For Love of Country, you will not regret it. You cannot even fathom what you are missing if you do not read this book. I have read almost every piece of age of fighting sail fiction out there and this very quickly became one of my favorites as I consumed it in a matter of days. Thank you Mr. Hammond, looking forward to book 3 and many more to follow!!!

FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY, a novel, by William C. Hammond, Naval Institute Press, will appeal most to readers interested in naval history. This is the second novel in the Cutler family series. It's probably best to read this series in order. Because I hadn't read the first book, A MATTER OF HONOR, I found the early parts of FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY a bit confusing. For example the main character, Richard Cutler, is married to Elizabeth Cutler, the same name as his mother, plus has a cousin named Lizzy Cutler. Too many Elizabeths? There's also a deceased older brother named Will, a son named Will, and an uncle in England named William. Perhaps this is historically accurate to the time, the 1780s, but there are other names common to the 18th century, such as Caroline or Margaret or Jane for females and Joseph or Peter or Paul for males, just to name a few. Another option would be to provide a cast of characters to which the reader can refer.

I was pleased a glossary of sailing terms was included at the end of FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY but a few line drawings showing the different ships mentioned in the text would be a helpful feature. I also was glad of an atlas of history and an adequate supply of maps in my home library to keep pace with Richard Cutler's journeys.

FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY certainly endorses the maxim that history repeats itself. Much of the novels' 18th century content is reflected in the events of the 21st century. America's conflict with the Islamic world, an inactive Congress, commercial wars, trade restrictions, the differences between the Federalists of the North and the southerners who favor States' rights over shared sovereignty, and pirates are prominent features of both time periods.

And there are surprises. In the first few pages the reader learns that Sweden had colonies in the Caribbean, Saint-Barthélemy for nearly a century. That the Swedes traded land holdings with the French isn't surprising. The current Swedish monarch is a Bernadotte, a descendant of one of Napoleon's field marshals. The surprise lies in the tropical Caribbean location of that land. Another revelation was the true name of the Bay of Gibraltar, Algeciras, a familiar name in the current day.

Once past the early chapters, the story of Richard Cutler's journey to Gibraltar, the Barbary states, and through France in the revolutionary days of 1789 should engage even the casual reader who hasn't read the first installment of the Cutler saga and has limited interest in naval history.

"For Love of Country" is the second entry in William Hammond's Cutler series set during, and following, the American Revolutionary War period. It follows "A Matter of Honor" (2007), in which Richard Cutler and his family joined with the likes of Captain John Paul Jones to help win America's independence. Now, in the mid-1780s, the Cutlers, a prominent shipping family operating off the coast of Massachusetts, are doing well despite the lack of an American navy to protect their vessels from those of hostile governments and Barbary Coast pirates.

As the story begins, one of the family's ships has been seized, and its crew and contents are being held for ransom (or as the pirates prefer to call it, "payment of tribute") in Algiers. Making the troublesome situation even more disturbing is that twenty-one-year-old Caleb Cutler is a member of the imprisoned crew. One of Richard Cutler's brothers was brutally flogged to death by the British during the war, and he is determined that he will not lose another to a bunch of North African pirates. Now, having been granted official diplomatic status by the fledgling U.S. government, raised the funds to pay the ransom, and outfitted a small warship, Richard Cutler hopes to negotiate the return of the ship and its crew. The governor of Algiers, unfortunately, has other plans.

"For Love of Country" references the backstory of the first book in enough detail that readers will feel comfortable in their knowledge of what motivates the Cutler family and those around them. This is a closely knit family, one still recovering from the loss of one son when another is suddenly snatched from them. Recovering Caleb Cutler and his crewmates is the most important thing in their world and, over the next two years, it is all the family thinks about.

But Hammond's depiction of family life of the period, however heartwarming it may be, is just part of the story. The author is a sailing devotee of some experience, and his narrative particularly shines when describing life and battles fought on the open sea. Hammond's description of the book's deciding battle between the pirates and Cutler's crew is especially well written - exciting, but so precisely written that even non-sailors will have a clear understanding of the tactics used by both sides during the chase and resulting firefight.

Readers for whom "For Love of Country" is their first exposure to the Cutler family now will likely want to go back and read book one, "A Matter of Honor." And those who have read both books will be looking forward to the third.

In this second novel in the Cutler Family Chronicles, Bill Hammond paints for us a well-rounded, colorful portrait of life in early America. He also profiles for us a loving and close-knit family that lives on both sides of the Atlantic and in Barbados, a family that becomes caught up in world events that affect not only the family's business fortunes, but also the very lives of several of its members.

What struck me most in For Love of Country was how historical figures became three-dimensional in the blink of the eye. One example is the meeting between Richard Cutler with Thomas Jefferson, America's consul in Paris in 1789. Within three paragraphs I felt as though I knew Jefferaon personally. I was there to see his reactions, facial expressions, his humor, his intellect, his political views. Just as in an actuall meeting, I drew a mental picture that allowed me to judge the person I was meeting for myself.

For Love of Country profiles the growing pains of a post-revolution America that struggles to find its roots and its place on the world stage. We learn of the Barbary pirates and the complex role they played during this time in history. Later we see France in turmoil as the leaders of the budding United States make bold and far-reaching decisions that will define what kind of country the United States is going to be. We come away with the understanding of what was and continues to be the driving force of our economy, the concept of free trade, and we understand what our enemies and out"fair weather friends" did in collusion to try to block our commercial growth. Importantly, we also learn what it took to finally convince our newly-formed government to authorize the construction of a navy to protect our sailors and merchant fleets.

Bill Hammond is a superb researcher and student of history. His knowledge of American history is broad and deep enough to bring to a radio show called the "Relic Roundup" a cogent discussion of the artifacts of that time period, and to suggest what a collector today might look for as relics of our nautical history.
For Love of Country is an engrossing novel and an important book. I highly recommend it.

Craig Anderson
Our History Project

Reading this book was not a normal experience. The characters not only seem life like, but I felt a part of the book. Hammond's description of events, locals and the richness of the dialogs made me feel as if I were a party to events. His style is unique and engaging.
The book creates a mental time line in American and European history that is simple to understand, but grasping the French Revolution was occurring at the point our revolution was ending was enlightening.
My wife and I just returned from Boston and visiting the USS Constitution. We were suprised she was not commissioned until 1797.

Amazing book and a compelling read.

The title of this novel and the artwork on the dust jacket are both a bit misleading. One may get the impression that this is a novel of naval action. There is a little of that, but it is mostly historical fiction set during the time of the emerging United States, when politicians were thrashing out the details of the U.S. Constitution (with disagreements and meetings that seemed to drag out endlessly), and US maritime commerce was emerging on the world scene with cut-throat competition with European powers, problems with the British Navigation Act and Orders in Council, and attacks on merchantmen by Barbary pirates wanting ransoms for crews, etc. One can find parallels in today's world, with the US Congress seemingly in endless bickering over the deficit, while Somali pirates seize ships and hold crews and ships for ransom.

The novel is well researched historically, and you will get some interesting insights through the viewpoint of the main character Richard Cutter as he deals with British interference with free trade, family affairs back in Massachusetts, and attempts to negotiate with Algerian pirates who are holding his brother in captivity. As Richard learns, you can't trust anyone, and their is considerable double dealing and conspiracy. Events, including a confrontation with Algerian corsairs, take Richard into France during a time of economic and political turmoil. He arrives in Paris in time for the beginnings of the French Revolution which is well described by the author.

The novel tends to do some name dropping to include historical figures, but skims over some (he meets Thomas Jefferson in Paris, but it makes no reference to Jefferson's mistress). The novel seems a little unfinished, as dealings with the Algerian pirates are not concluded (but that is consistant with history). He is left fleeing the scene attempting to aid refugees from the Revolution which is evolving around him.

For a good historical book about the time period, readers are referred to George C. Daughan's "If By Sea" which covers the formation of the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. dealings with the Barbary pirates, etc. There was eventually a mini-war between the US and France resulting from the French interference with US commerce. US commerce, or course, would eventually boom when the long war in Europe created demands for US merchant ships.

Expect to see more of the Cutter family.

If you like lively adventure, with a love story or two mixed in and American naval history, William Hammond's second (of what will be five books) about the life and loves of Richard Cutler are for you. There are wonderful characters in Hammond's books that his gifted writing enrich. The "bad guys" are almost as interesting as most of the heroes - but Richard Cutler and his buddy, Agee, stand above the rest. While "all man", we get to see a bit of the feminine side of Richard's character in this book. Let's hope that the third in the series will come out soon! I feel like a Harry Potter addict when it comes to these books.

I loved Hammond's second book, at least as much as the first. It was astonishingly rewarding on multiple levels: the varied structures of his sentences that carry you along, the craft with which he paced the action, and his easy but intimate command of centuries-old seamanship, details of French geography, and the French Revolution as it appeared on the ground at the time. I'm looking forward to another one.

William C. Hammond strikes again with For Love of Country. He has provided us with another thoroughly enjoyable read. Hammond has a clever way of bringing to life the events in your freshman history textbook and weaving them into his story of Richard Cutler. Captain Cutler is a hero's hero, and seems like Jack Aubrey, Horatio Hornblower, and the Scarlet Pimpernel all rolled into one character. And For Love of Country is more than an enlightening story about New Englanders when the United States existed under the Articles of Confederation. Much of the story centers around tribute, piracy, hostages, and the Barbary Coast rulers. Those passages bear an eerie resemblance to the present.

I can't imagine anyone regretting the choice to read this fine novel, and I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel. I put on both of my hats, Commander USN (retired) and history professor, and tried hard to find fault. I had no luck. I liked For Love of Country, and so will you.

THE LOVE OF COUNTRY is a great book. A historical novel of our maritime history around 1775.His details of sailing allows you to feel your right on the ship.The story is compelling with characters revealing their true grit and passion.The book is one you cannot put down, love,war,revolution,family. A must read!!!