The Reluctant Patriot

by Roger Duncan and Roger F. Duncan

Book Overview

In 1775, just prior to the start of the American Revolution, the British schooner Halifax was wrecked off the Maine coast. The pilot of the vessel was a Colonial seaman who'd been impressed into the Royal Navy. Drawing on true events and real people, noted maritime author and historian Roger Duncan traces the fictional life of Halifax's pilot in this historical novel.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892726954
• ISBN13: 9780892726950
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Down East Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Sailing into the Revolution

This book is a treasure of little moments, touches of what it must have been like to live in coastal Maine in the days preceeding the American Revolution. Duncan's knowledge of sailing and of the Maine coast give the reader glimpses of what it must have been like to live when everything in America was new: the towns, the jobs, the idea of independence. Even the sea was new. The book carves out details of shipbuilding and coastal navigation not often dealt with. Mariners will grasp the details more easily than the rest of us, but the details add a feeling of authenticity, a quintessence of coastal life. "As 'Polly' swung to face the wind, jib, staysail, and mainsail rippled, flapped and slatted according to their size." The book is a remarkable chance to live for a little while in a world where there were different verbs for oscillations of the various sails. It would be a wonderful classroom introduction to the American Revolution or a fun read for history buffs.