Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful read - exciting and educational at the same time
Review: I read this book under duress, my mother having told me how good it was. I am a fan of science fiction and fantasy and, being short on free time, will rarely stir myself to read something else - let alone something as dry and dusty as history! So I picked up this book to please my mother and was surprised to find that I could barely put it down! I will confess that my education in American history is sorely lacking and I started this book with only a passing acquaintance with the characters and events of the book: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, the Boston Tea Party, etc. From the author's note and other reviews I am confident that it is accurate enough for me to say that for anyone who shares my lack of knowledge of the birth of America, this book is a painless and even enjoyable way to learn more. It's not only a history book but a downright good read. I'm halfway into the sequel now and enjoying that even more.
Rating: 
Summary: A Riviting Account
Review: Though this book is categorized as historical fiction, it is a must read for any enthusiast of American Revolutionary history. In the same cogent style as Michener's TEXAS, Shaara manages to successfully meld fiction with historical accuracy. Shaara does a fabulous job of giving life and character to the parties involved in the circumstances leading up to the American Revolution. The book begins with the events surrounding the Boston Massacre and takes the reader on a stimulating journey through the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence. Terrific insight is given to the personalities involved. If there is a flaw to this book, it is the authors' incessant love for the use of descriptive adjectives and punctuation. You will find hard to comprehend sentence structure on occasion. I recall sentences containing up to 10 commas and recall sentences that had to be reread to fully comprehend, but this book is definitely worth the effort. This is the type of historically accurate book that could be used to stimulate interest among students in American classrooms. If you want to know more about the events that led to the American Revolution, read this book. Shaara holds the readers' interest by giving personality to historical figures and you will find yourself riveted to this book. The featured characters of the book are Franklin, Adams, Washington and Gage, with strong emphasis on other characters such as Hutchinson, Sam Adams, Dickenson and Jefferson. Shaara won my admiration with this book and I will definitely be adding more of his works to my collection.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I thought this book did excellent tribute to th men who established our country. Wonderful book Mr. Shaara! I can't wait to read the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and Fun
Review: This fine book, which starts with the 1770 Boston Massacre, describes the flow of political and military events-both in the American colonies and in England-that culminates in the Declaration of Independence. It's fascinating reading and shows how a strong dislike of British policies and British high-handedness gradually morphs into military, and then formal political, opposition. Shaara conveys these events by imagining the individual experiences of a few key players-John Adams, Ben Franklin, General Thomas Gage, and so on-in this 1770 to 1776 time period, thereby communicating both an American and British perspective on events. This is a good read, particularly in its description of the Battle of Breed's Hill. Still, Shaara's odd tendency to write in very choppy sentences (no conjunctions) when describing his characters in the mundane matters of everyday life is annoying.
Rating: 
Summary: A Decent Read
Review: "Rise to Rebellion" had an extremely promising start. It began as an exctiing novel and I couldn't put it down. Its characters were very interesting and breathed life into American legends. My only problem with this novel was that it took too long to get going. Shaara's "Gods and Generals" took a short time to develop the story and really start up what we're there to read. "Rise to Rebellion" started to bore me as I got into the middle. To me it seemed as if I was reading the same thing over and over and over again. And just as I thought the Revolution had truly begun, Shaara makes it seem as if Breed's Hill can be excused and there is still a possibility of no war with England. I was tired when I finally turned that last page. Hopefully "The Glorious Cause" will be more about the war than the politics, because I've had more than enough of the latter.
Rating:
Summary: Makes You Feel That You Were Right There!
Review: Shaara's writing style, while not particularly fast-moving, allows the reader to obtain a vivid picture of what life was like during the years leading up to the our colonies' declaration of independence, and of the personal lives of the leading characters on both sides of the conflict. Shaara's depictions of leaders such as John and Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, General Gage, etc. makes you feel like you knew them personally and that you were right along side them while history was being made. If you are a lover of historical fiction or just someone interested in reading an interesting novel about events leading up to the birth of this country, I think Rise To Rebellion is a book that you'll enjoy very much. The only factor that kept me from giving this book a 5-star rating is that Shaara, at times, tended to dwell too much on some issues that (to me) weren't very interesting or important enough. However, this is a minor criticism and should not deter you from considering this enjoyable and well above-average work of historical fiction. I'm looking forward to reading Shaara's sequel to Rise To Rebellion, titled the Glorious Cause. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!
Review: This is an absolutely wonderful book about the incredible beginnings of America. Told from the point of view of Ben Franklin, John Adams, and other famous names in history, the story instantly draws the reader's attention in and holds it tight. This is one of the best historical novels I have ever read. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!
Rating:
Summary: Brings the Founding Fathers to life
Review: Once again, Jeff Shaara has written a book that brings the early history of the country into a totally new perspective. For those of us who studied early American history as a part of our high school curriculum the major characters of the Revolutionary period were little more than stick figures with no identifiable personalities. Thanks to Mr. Shaara, George Washington "speaks" and his words, even though fictional, represent the man as one of us, with anxieties, frustrations and outright fears about whether or not he is making the right decisions. He truly brings to life the battles that most of us have long forgotten. One cannot read of Valley Forge without wishing that each and every soldier there could have been presented the Congressional Medal of Honor. So many of the early figures (Lafayette, Von Stuben, Nathaniel Greene, Cornwallis, Howe, etc.) are forgotten by most of us. Mr. Shaara has brought them back and caused this reader to ask why have they been so long forgotten? Having read all of the Civil War trilogy written by Michael and Jeff Shaara, I cannot help but ask, what is your next project?
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book of the Year!!!
Review: This book is incredible. I love the way Shaara writes these historical figures to seem human and prone to error. Often we exault these people to near-mythical level. Shaara does wonders to make them seem like real, living, breathing people. I enjoy the way he even makes the "enemies" seem sympathetic. The reader will really being to see what motivated England to act the way they did without casting them as just a Typical Bad Guy.
....This book is going to be the best book on the Rebellion that you will ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent account of the beginning of the Revolutionary War
Review: This fine book by Jeff Shaara shows through various personalities the mindset of America and Britain as the Revolution approached. Especially moving is the account of Benjamin Franklin. Obviously Jeff Shaara did a good job of reading "John Adams" before beginning the book, and it was time well spent. So to will your time be well spent reading this novel, a fine one (and much better than Gone For Soldiers)...
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