The Glorious Cause

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Summary: A Glorious History
Review: After reading Rise to Rebellion I couldn't wait to read The Glorious Cause, and I was not disappointed. Shaara brings the American Revolution to life and fills in the gaps of the sketchy history we all learn in high school. It is worth reading this book for no other reason than to realize why George Washington is the "father of his country." Every American owes Washington a debt of gratitude. This country wouldn't be here without him.

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Summary: Amazing historically accurate page turner
Review: I have read four Shaara books and they just keep getting better. This book is even better than the great first novel Shaara wrote. I am 14 years old and think that these historic fiction books help me learn more than many history books because they are so interesting. It is cool to read what General Washington or Lafayette might have been thinking. You also learn about the personal side of the many heroes of the Revolution. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys American history and how it's foundations were established.

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Summary: Novel of an unknown war
Review: I never realized how little I knew about the Revolutionary War until I read this novel. The battles, the strategy, the leaders were all a blur to me. The story in this volume begins after the first clashes of the war near Boston and continues on until the end with the surrender of General Corwallis at Yorktown.

Shaara makes George Washington into a real person -- and the results are impressive. Washington's patience and perseverance, his management of his army, his steadfast ability to avoid disastrous military defeats and take advantage of small opportunities for victories reconfirm him in my heart as the greatest of Americans. Other characters are the aged Benjamin Franklin practicing diplomacy in France, Generals Greene, Wayne, Lee, Cornwallis, and foreign volunteers such as Lafayette and Baron von Steuben. I particularly enjoyed a brief scene in which von Steuben, a Prussian, confronts the job of turning an unruly mob of American soldiers into an army. This is a miitary history. Short shrift and unkind words are given to the political efforts of the Continental Congress and its members.

Shaara writes fiction about as close to fact as it can be. The book includes all-essential maps of major battles and the descriptions of battles can be taken as authentic -- although Shaara gets inside the head of major characters to sketch motivation and character. This is one of few books I have read on the American Revolution -- and certainly is the best I have read.

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Summary: A Big Picture With A Narrow Focus
Review: In this, his second volume on the American Revolution, and his fifth novel to date, Jeff Shaara has once again shown his prowess at painting a large historical mural with small, delicately brush-stroked scenes. "The Glorious Cause" carries that brush like a baton, passed from its predecessor, "Rise to Rebellion." It continues the story of the Revolution forward from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the war's conclusion some seven years later.

Through his use of shifting viewpoints Shaara captures an almost three-dimensional portrait of the war. We learn first hand of the defeats of the American Forces in New York through the eyes of generals George Washington and Nathaniel Greene as well as the triumph of the British Army in those battles from the perspective of British general, Charles Cornwallis. In France, we are able to glimpse a view of Benjamin Franklin's negotiations for financing and an eventual American alliance. And yet we receive a counterpoint to France's initial lack of enthusiasm for an American alliance and a war with England through the viewpoint of the young Marquis de Lafayette.

Each chapter presents a single point of view, and many of the pivotal events in the novel are spread across a number of chapters and viewed from a number of different viewpoints. Included are chapters dedicated to Nathan Hale, Von Steuben, Benedict Arnold, and Daniel Morgan. Numerous supporting characters are spread throughout the book as well: Americans, Charles Lee and Horatio Gates and on the British side: Howe, Clinton, and Tarlton.

Though Shaara's narrative drags in places, his battle descriptions along with the numerous maps included throughout, make the battles of New York, Trenton, Brandywine, Monmouth, Cowpens, and Guilford Courthouse come vividly to life. Most notable is his treatment of the Battle of Hannah's Cowpens in which the American battle tactics are so wonderfully described one almost does not need to reference the map provided to understand the battle. Particularly moving were the descriptions of Valley Forge and the siege and surrender of the British forces at Yorktown.

The biggest disappointment is not what's in this book, but what is not. The stunning American victory at Saratoga, his biggest omission, only gets the very briefest of mention. Perhaps where Mr. Shaara has fallen a bit too short is in his focus. We learn almost nothing of the actions of the Continental Congress other than their main existence is to seemingly serve as a thorn in the side of George Washington, and many of the founding fathers who struggled so hard for independence from England are not even mentioned. I would have liked to have seen this single volume at least split into two and expanded (making the series a trilogy) the second book dealing with the war in the North and the third with the war in the South. Perhaps then he would have had room to paint a more complete picture of the American Revolution.

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Summary: Epic sequal to "Rise to Rebellion"...
Review: Jeff Shaara has really come into his own with this impressive follow-up to "Rise to Rebellion". Powerful in it's character depiction while maintaining an amazing historical accuracy, Shaara sheds new light on many "entrenched" myths of the Revolution and comes away with what I feel is a masterpiece.

We follow Washington, Cornwallis, Nathaniel Greene and Franklin from the invasion of Brookyln Heights through Yorktown with a first-person perspective that adds depth and immediacy not seen in other accounts of the Revolution. Battle tactics and surprisingly plentiful maps further reinforce Shaara's story and ultimately gives a vivid and heroic picture to our "founding fathers".

Shaara comes across as a damn fine storyteller and his descriptions of the Battle of New York, Trenton, Brandywine, Valley Forge and Monmouth using this first-person perspective gives a masterful picture of these battles and lets the reader see what it may have been like to be on these distinguished battlfields. The Southern theatre (the real turning point of the War) gets detailed treatment as well with the accounts of Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse and of course Yorktown.

But the overwhelming thread throughout this entire work are the character developments and the human drama that these conveyed. We see Howe as an early version of the Civil War's George McClellan, Clinton as the arrogant successor, Tarelton as the "butcher" and Cornwallis as possibly the most capable of all the British Senior commanders. On the American side, Greene is plausibly portrayed as Washington's "right-hand-man", Laffayette as the young phenom, Charles Lee and Horatio Gates as the conniving and undermining subordinates, Arnold as the persecuted traitor and, finally, Washington as the true leader and savior of the revolutionary cause. His thoughts, feelings and frustrations (fictional though they are) from Harlem Heights to Yorktown come alive and Shaara is to be applauded for bringing these out in a realistic and entertaining manner. Minor character development (Von Stueben, Rochambeau, Daniel Morgan and Knox) abounds and adds needed depth to the narrative while also giving accurate historical perspective.

From the initial chapter where the young colonial fisherman is stabbed as a suspected spy to the emotional departure of Washington at Fraunces Tavern in New York, Sharra brings to light all the drama of the Revolution while maintaining the history in an epic account thats sure to classified as essential Revolutionary War reading. Very highly recommended.

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Summary: A gift to readers and American History teachers everywhere
Review: Jeff Shaara manages the improbable feat of making every major combat character in the American Revolution, plus the indispensable Benjamin Franklin, seem fresh. His forays into the thoughts of the involved commanders are convincing, his dialog is true to the period, and his grasp of army politics on both sides seems accurate. The book's only flaw is that the length of the war, and the 18th-century tradition of suspending military operations in wintertime, occasionally slows the narrative to the pace of a Rose Parade float.

On the other hand, Shaara puts his 600-some pages to good use, explaining aspects of the Revolution that many history teachers don't have time for. I'd heard about Hessian troops, for example, but not until reading this book did I understand exactly who they were and why they were allied with the British Empire against her rebellious subjects. Shaara's treatment of Benedict Arnold and his wife, Peggy, is equally fascinating. If Shaara were a chef, his specialty would be the all-day pasta sauce that emboldens flavors you don't even recognize until the second or third taste.

I read this book while looking for work, and was glad to be reminded that George Washington did not enjoy a distinguished military career. What made him great was his willingness to learn from his own mistakes. As a result, he won when it was necessary. If ever a good man failed his way toward success, Washington was that man. Much the same could be said of lesser-known commanders like Henry Knox, Dan Morgan, and Nathaniel Greene. It's a valuable lesson, and Shaara drives the point home without being ham-fisted. Like his Pulitzer Prize-winning dad, the man has few peers among those who write historical fiction. This book made me a fan of the whole Shaara family.

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Summary: America, may we never forget!
Review: Mr Schaara has written an outstanding book about America's struggle for freedom that should be required reading for all schoolchildren in the United States of America. We forget how much was paid for in blood, sweat, and tears for the nation to be born and how close we were to losing the War of Independance for six, long, hard years. Mr Schaara does an excellent job of describing the hardships, disappointments, and the determination of George Washington and those other great men who really did pledge "the lives and their sacred honor" for defeat of the British (and Hessians) for the birth of a nation. I strongly recommend this book for every American and everyone that wants to understand the courage and sacrifice that was necessary for this "punk" nation to come about against the most powerful world power at the time an win. God was truly on our side during those dark days and we can understand why our dollar bill says "In God We Trust" and why the Continental Congress prayed for three hours when they first met. Too bad no one wants to pray anymore.

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Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Once again, Jeff Shaara has made history interesting while keeping the content historically accurate. I truly enjoyed this book, although, I felt it lacked the political insight he brought out so well in the first book of this series (Rise to Rebellion).

The Glorious Cause focuses primarily on the major battles and generals of the war. He touches on the key political influences and does a fabulous job of portraying Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Nathanial Green.

My biggest dissappointment was not hearing about the congress (from their perspective...ie: Adams, Jefferson, etc) and the struggles they were having politically and how they had to balance politics, war, unifying the states, and defining a new government.

As always, Shaara brings these historical characters to life and you feel like you get to know them. I enjoyed the first book much more, but I would recommend this book to anyone.

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Summary: Second in the 2-part series and just as excellent.
Review: So you're looking for a good book about the American Revolution - something factual but not boring? Seeking a book full of those famous people and places you've learned about in school but never really got to know? Guys like Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, or George Washington? Or lesser knowns like Nathanial Greene and Lafayette? If you answered yes to any of the above, then stop looking, you've found the right set of books. Get this one and its predecessor "Rise to Rebellion" and enjoy.

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Summary: Too long of a time period
Review: The book was very well written however it covered to long of a time period that is why I am not giving it 5 stars. The story was very compelling though. This series (including Rise to Rebellion)could have easily been 3 books instead of 2. The story could have benefitted from having more of adams, frankilin etc... in it and less of the time gaps. However I highly reccomend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.