Rating: 
Summary: The Path to Freedom.
Review: I've entered in touch with Mr. Jeff Shaara works, reading his prequel and sequel to his father's "Killing Angels", situated in the Civil War times. So I was quite sure this book will be fine. And it is. Real good!Mr. Shaara continues with his tested recipe of following key historical characters thru an expanse of time. Here both confronting American and British are depicted with impartial judgment. There are neither "monsters" nor "bronze heroes", just human beings subjected to historical forces. Some are very conscious of the momentous times they are living; others just go thru them like in a dream.
The key scene of "The Boston Massacre" is described in a very realistic way without entering in a pamphletary scheme. The battle of Bunker Hill and the signing of the Declaration of Independence (with all the backstage negotiation) are shown with sure hand.
Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, General Thomas Gage and his American wife are portrayed with their doubts, fears and certainties. Mr. Shaara makes his point to show how human soul is more important to the facts, than the facts themselves. Independence fresco will be completed with "The Glorious Cause". A book to read more than once!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Rating:
Summary: Another Shaara Masterpiece
Review: When "Rise To Rebellion" was released last year, it was advertised as part 1 of a 2 part novel of the American Revolution. I decided to wait for part 2 to be published and then I would read them one after the other. I've just finished part 1 and consider it an extraordinarily interesting and well-written volume. Shaara's style is, as in his Civil War works, to follow key participants in a very personal way, making use of fictional dialogue. Fictional, but quite believable. I found this book far more entertaining than the best-selling "John Adams" biography. Shaara covers all the famous pre-1776 events--the Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, Paul Revere's ride, Lexington and Concord--in a fluid manner that places each event into the overall framework of the Revolution. This book concludes with the signing of the Declaration of Independence (what was the only colony not to vote yes at the initial vote?) and I can't wait to get going on part 2, "The Glorious Cause".
Rating:
Summary: It will draw you into a period never known to people today
Review: Perhaps it's because I remember when this country went all out to celebrate the bicentenial years (1975-1976) of the beginings of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence is why I love this book.
Most of the early plot is centered around Boston, and British laws that were thought to be unfair to Bostonians. Led by Sam Adams, and later bolstered by his cousin John Adams, the Sons of Liberty work to usurp British rule. Many think the Boston Tea Party was the origin of the American Revolution, but that was an act that had been almost a decade in the making.
Shaara's works always add depth and details to historic events, and not everybody is that interested in history. However, this time in our nation's history is very important, and one that is often overlooked in education.
Shaara develops the cause for rebellion and allows insight into men like Sam and John Adams, along with Benjamin Franklin. Franklin is almost the comic relief of Rise to Rebellion, and he comes across as a kindly grandfather. Just from his perspective this book is worth the price I paid for it.
Also, fairly enough, he shows the British side of the story, too. You almost feel sorry for British Gen. Thomas Gage.
The battle scenes are faily well told, if too short, but Shaara turns his focus mainly to the politics and development of the first Congress and drafting of the Decleration of Independence.
This book will add to a reader's understanding of why America broke with England.
Shaara divides the work between John Adams, Ben Franklin and at the end Gen. George Washington. Adams is the constant throughouht the work and you see his opinions, emotions and many doubts about the cause developed throughout.
Be warned, however, this is book one in a two-part series -- sort of like Herman Wouk's Winds of War and War and Remembrance.
I bought both Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause, book two which deals with the American Revolution, at the same time. So if you finish up Rise to Rebellion at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night, and don't have the next book, then you might have to wait a while to go on to The Glorious Cause.
Rating: 
Summary: Charmingly written
Review: The author of this book accomplishes what is genuinely difficult: giving voice to figures who are both historical and beyond history. Franklin, Washington, Adams- three names that we have heard countlessly in school and as adults who are interested in history, yet who were real men with dreams, sorrows, ambitions. In this book, the thoughts of these great people are conveyed with compassion, and the novel shows us how history can unfold from everyday events. The descriptions of the Boston Massacre, Franklin's days of diplomacy in England and the Congressional debates are vivid and just plain interesting. I am already reading The Glorious Cause, so Shaara obviously hooked me.
Rating:
Summary: Rise to Literary Greatness
Review: When I opened Jeff Shaara's Rise to Rebellion, I opened the door of a time machine, and was promptly ushered into the pre-Revolution time period. While Shaara's work remains technically historical fiction, he nails the time period, and most of the founding Fathers. Why couldn't my history teacher have given me this book and its companion, the Glorious Cause? You can learn a lot of history in an entertaining fashion from Professor Shaara. He just keeps getting better, and every history buff should have his work.
Rating:
Summary: A Delicate Balance
Review: If you walked up to the average American standing on the street and asked them on what date The Declaration of Independence was signed the most likely answer you would get is "Everyone knows that, July 4th, 1776." Or try asking him "Which hill was the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on?" I'll give you a hint... it wasn't on Bunker Hill.
The fact is that many Americans carry around these types of iconic myths regarding the era of the American Revolution. Jeff Shaara's fourth novel, "Rise to Rebellion," the first of two books to cover the period of the American Revolution, dispels many of these myths.
Spanning six and a half years, beginning with the Boston Massacre on March 5th, 1770 and ending with the signing of the Declaration of Independence on August 2nd, 1776, Mr. Shaara follows the lives such noted historical personalities as Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John and Abigail Adams, George Washington, Thomas Gage, Thomas Hutchinson, John Dickinson, Thomas Paine and John Hancock as they struggle to further their causes, both for and against, the independence of the American colonies from the rule of the British crown.
Once again, using his father, Michael Shaara's, tried and true method of multiple view points we view events such as the Boston Tea Party, The Battles of Lexington & Concord, and the Battle of Bunker Hill through the eyes of the characters who participated in the actual historical events. The genius of the Shaara formula lies not only within the shifting viewpoints but in the balanced approach to the material, not only concentrating on the American point of view, but also that of the British. He also shows the military struggle between the two sides and the political and diplomatic struggles of both sides as well - most notably following Benjamin Franklin as he navigates the stormy political seas of the British Parliament and the royal court of King George III. To balance military, political, diplomatic and social history is a difficult task and yet Shaara has succeeded masterfully at it.
However the one drawback of "Rise to Rebellion," and one that I fear Jeff Shaara will never break free of, is that of the formulaic structure of the book itself. Alas it is the alternating, multiple viewpoint structure that he inherited from his father, Michael Shaara, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning, The Killer Angels. Though it works well to provide a well balanced view of the contrasting sides, it impedes the author from trying a more literary approach to his story telling.
Mr. Shaara's novel is a sweeping, yet balanced, panorama of the people and events which gave birth to the United States of America and is worthy of its place on the bookshelf of American historical fiction
Rating: 
Summary: Book to Read once
Review: this book is a great book if u really luv histroy. In my opinion, it gets a bit confusing with all the excerpts, but gives a good idea of the american revolution.
Rating:
Summary: pretty good for a required book
Review: this book was assigned as my summer reading for high school. it wasn't as bad as some of the other books that we are required to read, but the first part is a bit slow but it speeds up at the end. i agree that there is too much talking, but it goes deeper into the characters than many other books that i have read. each character is portrayed very uniquely and i find franklin to be the most entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Best fictiom history I have ever read
Review: I am a junior in high schol and i hadf to read this for summer reading and it was a great book. If you know and love American history this book is definitely for you. it shows both the American and British side, which was really different because I had only read about the Americans side of the war.
Rating:
Summary: Shaara is simply the best!
Review: His writing style gives the reader a sense of what the times were like and what the feelings of the people of those times were.
In this book, the chapter on the Battle of Monmouth has to be the most stirring account of American warfare I have ever read. Anxiety, fear, hope, anger and pride were stirred up in mass quantities for me.
|
