Reading the List of Fictional Characters in the front of Oh, Say Can you See is like going to a high school reunion and reading the sign-in sheet, because you notice names that you had forgotten and all of a sudden you remember your past interaction with these people and wonder how they're doing.
And then you remember, Jed Pearson wasn't doing so well. When we last saw him, he was a prisoner of war, accused of killing someone under a flag of truce, and on his way to England to answer for this crime. He was also pretty bunged up from tangling with an explosive device as he was trying to defend Washington from the British attack.
Jed, a young man of twenty-five, is head of the family and circle of friends who live at or gravitate to The Wllows, the Pearson plantation. As Jed endures imprisonment and torure aboard ship, he finds a sliver of hope during a hurricane.
At home at the Willows, Jeds family worries about the impending invasion of Baltimore by a British force flush with the success of burning the capitol. Marcus O'Malley is called to accompany Francis Scott Key on a mission to seek the release of Dr. William Beanes, held prisoner by the British. In her inimitable style, Lewis gives us a ring-side seat to a pivotal point in American History, the shelling of Fort McHenry.
If you're like me and have sung "The Star Spangled Banner" hundreds of times, it's great to know more than the two-line explantion of how the poem--quickly set to music--came to be written. In Lewis's hands, what we find out that is that it's written by this friend, because she helps us get to know Francis Scott Key. His name is on the signup sheet at the reunion, too.
Though this book is number four in the series, it can be read as a stand alone book. L. C. Lewis handles all the story lines deftly, and again, she leaves us knowing there are more thorny problems to be solved for these young Americans. We'll be sure to read book five in the series.
So, with that, read on down and see what others have to say about L.C. Lewis's newest book. You can enter to win a necklace by posting a comment about what "The Star Spangled Banner" means to you.
It's blog tour time for
Set against the War of 1812 and the penning of "The Star Spangled Banner," Oh, Say Can You See?, the latest novel in the FREE MEN AND DREAMERS series by L.C. Lewis, brings this often overlooked period to life.
THREE people will win a copy of Oh, Say Can You See? One GRAND PRIZE WINNER will win this beautiful patriotic necklace!
Blog tour runs from December 13th--December 22nd.
It's easy to enter.
1. Visit the fabulous reviews and leave a comment letting us know why "The Star Spangled Banner" means so much to you. Remember to include your email address.
2. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it on your blog or facebook, leave the link in the comments section and you'll receive an additional entry.
Good Luck! Entries close at midnight (MST) on December 31.
December 13
">Braden Bell
December 14
Marsha Ward
December 15
Rachelle Christensen
December 16
Anna Del C. Dye
December 17
Stephanie Abney
December 18
Lynn Parsons
December 20
Susan Dayley
Marilyn Bunderson
December 21
Liz Adair
Valerie Ipson
December 22
Kathi Oram Peterson
****
Though the capital smolders, the battered Constitution and the presidency have survived. But the British left the struggling government no home. Gone are the symbols of America--the Capitol Building and the President's House, and nearly every relic of the infant nation. Britain's next target is the port city of Baltimore, but has the raid on Washington stiffened the Americans' backs? As the Willows women mourn their absent men - gone to war, or wounded, or captured - they await the birth of a blessed child. Miles away, attorney Francis Scott Key embarks on a diplomatic mission that will leave an everlasting mark on America. Proving that the pen can indeed by more powerful than the sword, Key records the fears and hopes of his embattled people. His epic poem soon set to music and titled "The Star-Spangled Banner," rallies a shattered nation to rise from its knees to claim the dream of "one nation under God" during the closing hours of the War of 1812.
3 comments:
Liz,
Loved the review, Liz! Thanks for granting Jed and the rest of my Willows' characters the privilege of settling into your head and heart. I still fret about Heck and Ruth as well, realizing that rich characters remain with us a long time.
Thanks also for your comments about Baltimore and the Star-Spangled Banner story. Researching this portion of American history has been a incredible joy.
I too love reading about each of the characters at the beginning of the book. It makes me so excited to start reading. Thanks for your review. Great book!
Thanks for your comment, mikeandnat. I agree. Great book.
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