Title: The Courier of
Caswell Hall
Author: Melanie Dobson
Pages: 336
Year: 2013
Publisher: Summerside Press
Melanie Dobson writes with a
masterful mind a story placed during our young nation’s history. Her eye to detail, historical figures and
researching makes The Courier of Caswell Hall a must read novel plus one
to add to one’s personal home library. Woven
throughout the tale are faith, divided loyalties, romance, devotion, action and
adventure.
The family Caswell decides to
remain loyal to the British crown even when visiting soldiers prove less than
polite. Lord Caswell is under the
impression that because of his loyalty, though kept secret from society, will
protect his holdings in Virginia. Lydia
once held the views of her parents, but as the war lingers on and with her
brother gone, her youngest sister flirting with a major in British garb, where
does her own loyalties lie? Nathan is a
courier who has assumed many personas as needed to obtain information for the
Continental Army. Since one courier has
been moved to another state, he must recruit, train and protect the courier at
all costs. Nathan finds this most
challenging with the major along with his staff constantly moving in, about or
off the Caswell property.
Historical fiction tends to draw
me into a book for long periods of time; pun intended! I find the attention to detail about a period
fascinating and educational. Sometimes a
tale is told that includes real people who lived during that era, but with a
different spin to what happened to them; however, this novel is not of that
nature. Melanie Dobson shares her love of
telling stories in a way that captures not only a reader’s mind, but the heart
as well.
As I kept turning the pages while
reading, various characters whether spies or slaves, Tories or Patriots,
intrigued me as to how dedicated the characters were in their devotion toward
freedom. Even though both sides had
differing views of what freedom looked like, it was how some of them made their
choice as to which side they would stand on.
Again, I was struck with the cost of war in lives, as well as the cost
many people paid for trying to live one day at a time. Many devoted not only their lives, but their
fortunes as well to win the war. Please
take time to read a well written, passionate book titled, The Courier of
Caswell Hall. You
won’t regret making time to read!
My rating is 5 stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or
services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my
blog. Regardless, I only recommend
products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my
readers. I am disclosing this in
accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides
Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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