Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South (Great Episodes)

Rating:
Summary: A great Revolutionary War novel
Review: "Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South" was another great novel by Ann Rinaldi, and a very good novel on the Revolutionary War!

Caroline, 14, lives with her mixed Patriot/Loyalist family in South Carolina around 1780. Her life begins to change drastically then; her friend, Kit, is hanged for trying to attack Cornwallis, her father is in jail for being a Patriot, her brother, who was at war, needs her to help him, Loyalists are taking over her home, her sister is getting to be friends - very good friends - with a British soldier, and she's also beginning to know her slave grandmother.

This book told a good story, with quite a bit of truth in it, about the interesting times of the Revolutionary War. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone ages 12 and up wanting an exciting read! I'd also recommend "A Wolf by the Ears" and "Time Enough for Drums", two other novels by Rinaldi, and definitely the movie "The Patriot" as it is about some of these very places, people, and events mentioned in this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: Caroline Whitaker is the daughter of a slaveowner and the granddaughter of a slave. After having grown up with her white famnily she must take a trip with the grandmother she never knew. Meanwhile you are also learning of the revolutionary war and the affect it had upon the south as most of the traditional stories are placed in New England or the middle colonies. I guarantee you will love it.

Rating:
Summary: A New Twist on Old Historical Fiction
Review: Cast Two Shadows is an amazing book, quite possibly Ann Rinaldi's best. The story of the American Revolution in the south, this book is a definitely not a dull example of war fiction. Where many books are set in New England, and the characters all face similar problems, Rinaldi has created a unique novel about a young girl's inner conflict as well as the one in the world around her. You will be drawn in by the unique characters, and the vivid descriptions of a South Carolina plantation. Some of Rinaldi's books are tough to follow, as she attempts to explain events that, without prior knowledge, are hard to understand. Cast Two Shadows, however, portrays historical events with ease. The plot moves swiftly, without a boring moment, as you follow fourteen year old Caroline's struggle to understand the war, her family, and herself. 282 pages of adventure and heart-felt emotions, Cast Two Shadows is a historical novel everyone should read.

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: 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: 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.