Rating: Summary: OMG!!!!! It's AWESOME!! Review: I love this book!!! I cried at the end! ANd I'm one of those heard-hearted types who NEVER cries while i'm readig a book!! I JUST finished it. I WISH i could say WHEN i cried...but if i did it would give it all away..so i won't!! It's one of the best books i have EVER read, and i reccomend it to everyone who loves historical fiction.
Rating: Summary: A typical Ann Rinaldi book Review: I thought that this book was very good. It included an adored older brother, a bratty sister, and many other typical Rinaldi trademarks. I like some of her books better, but this one was still great. I recomend it to anyone who has read "The Fifth of March".
Rating: Summary: A Great Read Review: I'm a huge Ann Rinaldi fan and this was just as good as any of the others. I couldn't put it down and spend a lot of a Sunday afternoon reading this book instead of doing homework. The plot was thrilling (I won't go through it since others have already) and gave me a new perspective on the Revolutionary War which gave me ideas for a social studies essay. If you liked this book I also recommend a Break with Charity and An Aquaintance with Darkness.
Rating: Summary: Just like every other Ann Rinaldi. GREAT!!!! Review: I've read almost all of Ann Rinaldi's Historical Fiction books, and so far I can say, any Ann Rinaldi is a good Ann Rinaldi. her name is a guarantee that is it a super-good book! Cast Two shadows is my number 2 favorite Ann Rinaldi Book. Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons is definitely the best. ( I sent a copy of it to Ann Rinaldi, and she autographed it for me!!) If you've read any of her others and liked them, you will love this one! (sorry if I'm to excited, but I really, really love her!)
Rating: Summary: Drawing Strength from her Dual Heritage Review: It is the summer of 1780 in hot South Carolina--a tense time for plantation owners who must make a serious political choice: remain loyal to the King or declare for American independence. The situation at the Whitaker plantation is painful: the father in a local prison, with threats of being sold in the Bahamas; the young scion of the family off fighting with guerilla patriots; the mother and two daughters virtually kept prisoners in their own home by a pompous British officer who has taken over the place as his headquarters under distant Lord Cornwallis. These red-coated invaders think they can Take or Do whatever they want; no mere Colonial can prevent theft and other war atrocities. Fourteen-year-old Caroline comes of age that summer, starting on the day she watches her dear friend, Kit, be hanged for foolishly attacking the British--who let his body rot for 3 weeks as a message. Realizing that she is carrying around the ghosts of several people dear to her inside her head, Caroline aches for peace and simple freedom of movement. But this spunky girl, who always squabbles with her vain older sister, discovers shocking truths about her own origins--that she is the light-skinned granddaugther of a tough old "trick negra" in the slave quartes. Why would her mother permt the brat of a slave woman to be raised as her own? What hateful deal was made 12 years ago to keep peace on the plantation? But could the entire truth prove a dangerous thing?
Acclaimed for her well-researched novels of historical fiction, Rinaldi has recreated the spirit of frustration and defiance by Southern patriots in the latter stages of the American Revolution. Many incidents in the story were documented, although her characters are her own creation. Such curious cases as Caroline's double heritage were possible. The protagonist must draw strength and resilience from both races, to honor the three people of her true family. Forced to make terrible adult decisions, Caroline must choose between one race or the other; between her own folks or horseflesh. This book reads quickly with its extensive dialogue and swift plotting--captivating readers and holding our interest. We agonize with Caroline as she counts up the images huddled shamefully within her heart, while we admire her sauciness and persistence in defying Col. Rawdon, the popinjay whom Miz Melindy loves to hate. Will Caroline ever comes to terms with her her treacherous sister? More importantly, how can she prove loyal to--and worthy of--her own dual heritage? This is great reading for teens and adults.
Rating: Summary: EXCELLENT! Review: This book is awesome! I read it in one day! I couldn't stop. I really enjoyed it and it is definately a book that is worth reading!
Rating: Summary: wonderful as always! Review: This book was incredible! Along with a fabulous amount of historical facts, this amazing book had an excellent story line. It carries the reader back to the south during the American Revolution. I even felt pain for the characters, since the plot is so suspensful. Read this book and you won't be able to stop until the end.
Rating: Summary: Totally Awsome History! Review: This book was incredible! Along with a fabulous amount of historical facts, this amazing book had an excellent story line. It carries the reader back to the south during the American Revolution. I even felt pain for the characters, since the plot is so suspensful. Read this book and you won't be able to stop until the end.
Rating: Summary: A riveting novel Review: This book was probobly one of the best novels I have ever read. It is historical fiction, so you benifit by learning new facts about the American Revolution, without boring yourself to death. The devestating circumstances that the Whitaker family have to deal with are vividly described by the author and will bring tears to your eyes. The realistic 1700's drama is a real page-turner. I would reccomend this book for a young adult. Overall, Cast Two Shadows is a brillant work by Ann Rinaldi.
Rating: Summary: A new perspective on the Revolution Review: When reading literature on the American Revolution, it is rare to find a book placed in the southeast during that time period. Even more rare is a book dealing with a mixed race family of the time. Ann Rinaldi covers both topics well in her book Cast Two Shadows. The protagonist, Caroline, is a girl of both African and white descent, with a slave mother and white father. Her father's white family embraces Caroline as a daughter when her slave mother disappears, under strange circumstances. When Caroline is fourteen, the Revolutionary War comes to the South. Her family's home is invaded by British soldiers, and Caroline, her mother, and her sister are put under house arrest. Her brother Johnny and father are away, fighting on opposite sides of the revolution. Johnny is Loyalist, the father, a Patriot. Word reaches the household that Johnny has been wounded. Caroline is released from house arrest to "fetch her brother home." Accompanying Caroline on her journey is her slave grandmother Miss Melindy. Caroline rarely speaks to her grandmother and has no idea how to deal with being in the woman's presence. On the course of the journey, her grandmother begins to tell her stoires, and Caroline learns about her heritage, her family, and why her slave mother disappeared. When Caroline returns home, many thigs have changed, and she is not the same person who started the journey. The book deals with the subject of mixed slave/white families very well. The Revolution is also covered well, with the focus on how the British soldiers treated families in the souhteastern part of the country and what resulted from the invasion. This is a great book to read for an unusual look at the American Rwvolution, and a side of the war that is often overlooked in history books.
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