Monday, September 15, 2008

The Whiskey Rebels: guest review by B (bookboy)

Introducing a guest review: B (bookboy or my husband) of B&b ex libris wanted to do a review today! I wish he could do more of these, I will keep my fingers crossed that after graduate school is over, he will :) Without further blabbing, Enjoy:

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Title: The Whiskey Rebels
Author: David Liss
Pages: 515
B's review number; 1

I have to admit, when I first picked up this book, I was a little unsure. I was prepared for a stuffy, overly intellectual historical novel that was more history than novel. I was very pleasantly surprised. While still packed with a lot of very interesting detail on the early history of the United States and the beginning of the Whiskey Rebellion, The Whiskey Rebels is an exciting, deeply engaging book that I looked forward to reading each night.

The story is told from the first-person perspectives of Ethan Saunders and Joan Maycott, with the chapters alternating between the two characters. Saunders was a top spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary war, but has since fallen from grace. He is now a disobedient and often drunk quasi-spy for Alexander Hamilton, who is trying to uncover a plot against the U.S. Treasury. Maycott is a bitter widow of a frontier whiskey maker, leading a small band of rebels in a secret plot to topple the young U.S. financial system. You can see how the two are bound to collide with each other.

If nothing else, read this book for the Saunders character. He is, without a doubt, one of the most intriguing, hilarious, truly engaging characters that I have come across in a long time. David Liss's portrayal of this self-loathing spy is absolutely top-notch.

Without getting too wrapped up in the dry details of history, The Whiskey Rebels is a very fun book to read, and you will come away knowing more about this chaotic time in our country's formation. It's definitely worth your time.


A note from b:

As always if you have a review for this book, let me know I'll link to yours.

Oh, and make sure you enter my giveaway for MATRIMONY !!! You wouldn't want to miss that one!
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9 comments:

bethany (dreadlock girl) said...

thanks so much (B) for that review!!! I am happy to have a review of yours on here :)

(and I am glad you enjoyed reading the book!!)

Anonymous said...
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Ramya said...

hey Brad!:) that was a nice review! historical fiction is not something i was too interested in initially.. but i am slowly getting pulled into that as well.. i am adding the Whiskey Rebels to my wish list! thanks for the review!:)

Gwendolyn B. said...

Thanks for your review. I started the book a few days ago and was having trouble getting into it (I even started reading something else!). I didn't read your review too closely -- just enough to encourage me to get back behind that book and give it a chance!

Ladytink_534 said...

I like the cover and it sounds like a good book too.

Darlene said...

Great review! I love historical fiction so there goes another one added to the list. lol.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed this review! Keep them coming. I'm definitely adding The Whiskey Rebels to my TBR. I know very little about that time period and I'd like to learn more.

Debi said...

Not sure this book would have caught my eye, but you made it sound like a must-read. To my "be on the look-out at the library" list it goes. Thanks for the great review!

Marg said...

I've had David Liss on my TBR list for a while now! One of these days I will get around to reading it!