The Rebellion of Jane Clarke - by Sally Cabot Gunning (Paperback)

About the Book

Sally Gunning is a gifted storyteller adept at layering time, place, and character and revealing conflicts of the heart. Anne LeClaire, author of Entering NormalFrom Sally Gunning, the critically acclaimed author of The Widow s War and Bound, comes The Rebellion of Jane Clarke, the compelling story of a young woman caught between tradition and independence, family and conscience, loyalty and love, on the eve of the Revolutionary War. Combining actual historical figures and events, like John Adams and the Boston Massacre, with enthralling fictional creations, author Gunning brings to vivid and unforgettable life the world of Colonial America on the brink of momentous upheaval and change."

Book Synopsis

"Sally Gunning is a gifted storyteller adept at layering time, place, and character and revealing conflicts of the heart."
--Anne LeClaire, author of Entering Normal

From Sally Gunning, the critically acclaimed author of The Widow's War and Bound, comes The Rebellion of Jane Clarke, the compelling story of a young woman caught between tradition and independence, family and conscience, loyalty and love, on the eve of the Revolutionary War. Combining actual historical figures and events, like John Adams and the Boston Massacre, with enthralling fictional creations, author Gunning brings to vivid and unforgettable life the world of Colonial America on the brink of momentous upheaval and change.

From the Back Cover

Jane Clarke leads a simple yet rich life in the village of Satucket on Cape Cod--until her refusal to marry the man her father has picked out as his son-in-law causes an irreparable tear in the family fabric. Banished to Boston to make her living as best she can, Jane enters a strange, bustling city awash with redcoats and rebellious fervor. And soon her new life is complicated by her growing attachment to her frail aunt, her friendship with the bookseller Henry Knox, and the unexpected kindness of British soldiers, which pits her against the townspeople and her own brother, Nate, a law clerk working for John Adams. But it is the infamous Boston Massacre--the killing of five colonists by British soldiers on a cold March evening in 1770--that forces Jane to question accepted truths as she confronts the most difficult choice of her life.

Sally Gunning's The Rebellion of Jane Clarke is an unforgettable story of one woman's struggle to find her own place and leave her mark as a new country is born.

Review Quotes

"Readers will be swiftly turning the pages, eagerly cheering for the strong-willed widow." -- Booklist

"Quietly compelling . . . . Gunning paints the ethical, emotional, and financial dilemmas of her refreshingly adult characters in surprisingly lively shades of gray." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Provocative . . . Gunning infuses the story with suspense and intrigue [and] resists easy generalizations and stereotypes." -- Publishers Weekly

"Historical fiction at its best." -- Library Journal (starred review)

"Heartrending ... Gunning's vibrant portrayal of Lyddie's journey shows that the pursuit of happiness is not for the faint of heart." -- Boston Globe

"Gunning's exquisite use of language and imaginative scene-setting in times past will keep readers riveted . . . Anyone who loves history, storytelling, and Cape Cod will want to settle in for a long weekend of pleasurable escape." -- Cape Cod Life on BOUND

"Gripping, romantic, historically sound, and completely satisfying...I'll be surprised if I read a better historical novel this year." -- Historical Novels Review (The Historical Novel Society); "Editor's Choice"

"A gifted storyteller . . . has given us a deeply affecting tale of a woman caught between the irresistible currents of her inner truth and the equally powerful strictures of her times." -- Anne LeClaire, author of The Law of Bound Hearts and Entering Normal

"[A] colonial page-turner...horrifying, spellbinding." -- Publishers Weekly

"Unlike many historical novelists, Gunning makes the long-ago feel like this very day. Elegantly, she tells bitter truths -- that dignity and grace and even abiding love can flourish where it seems nothing can grow." -- Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean and Still Summer

"The descriptions are vivid; the characters have depth and a little mystery; and the history is accurate, from well-known events to daily living...[a] masterpiece of historical ficition." -- The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA) on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE

"[B]lazing...Gunning's fluid writing and attention to the larger issues of human nature...really make this move. Good historical fiction offers new perspectives on old stories. This book succeeds handily at the task." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE

"This well-researched and lively novel captures the mood of those turbulent [pre-revolutionary] times." -- Library Journal on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE

"Gunning fills her novel with believable and complex characters . . . best of all she's created an intriguing and admirable witness to history in Jane Clarke. " -- BookPage.com on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE

"A wonderful writer...Gunning's attention to historical detail and riveting storytelling make for a compelling and intelligent read. " -- The Cape Cod Times on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE

"Nobody brings the Cape's history alive like Sally Gunning." -- Cape Codder on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE

"Sally Gunning is equally adept at depicting a city on the brink of rebellion, a young woman's coming of age, and the beautiful Cape Cod landscape." -- Historical Novels Review on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE

"Gunning had chosen a turbulent and fascinating period in American history...that suggests interesting philosophical arguments....Jane Clarke [is] a sensitive heroine, insightful enough to tussle with these difficulties." -- Washington Post Book World on THE REBELLION OF JANE CLARKE