A Different Kind of Courage

By: Sarah Holman

Narrated by: Micah Lee

Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

After three years in England, William Landor returns to Boston in 1774, little knowing the events that are about to unfold.

England has issued an ultimatum: pay for the tea that was destroyed in the Boston Tea Party, or the Port of Boston will be closed. William knows that this will have a devastating effect on his hometown, which is so dependent on the sea. However, he finds himself in the middle of the political struggle he wanted to avoid.

William's father is a merchant and loyal to the king and is furious at what the rebels of Boston have cost him. He would like nothing more than to rid the city of their poisonous influence. Meanwhile, William's best friend, Dr. Joseph Warren, is one of the leaders of rebels, or Whigs as they call themselves.

As if his life was not complicated enough, he meets a fiery indentured servant who tugs at his heart as well as his loyalty. When he is confronted by the consequences of his many secrets, he has to make a choice whether or not to tell the truth. Does he have the kind of courage it will take?

©2014 Sarah Holman (P)2016 Sarah Holman

Great historical fiction

I really enjoyed this story. It seemed to be historically accurate , yet not at all boring.

A New Favorite!

Ohhkay, wow! I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to this book or why I more than half expected just "another Revolution story." Guess it serves me right for putting it off!

To be clear, this book is so much more than "just another Revolution story." It's not platitudes and easy answers and quick changes of opinion, and it's also not modern characters running around in historical garb across a backdrop that happens to be the Revolution. Everything about the story--dress, setting, characters, opinions, quotes--anchored me in the time and place as firmly as any historical story I've ever read. And it was done without info dumps or painful amounts of detail. (P.S., if you know me, my description/detail tolerance tends to be on the low end anyway, so that's a serious compliment. :D)

I loved the ways the different historical characters were woven into the story, especially the way they were given individual personalities and roles and made to feel like real people instead of cardboard cutouts stuck in for brief cameos. I absolutely loved Dr. Joseph Warren and his centrality to the story (although I have to admit my only knowledge of him prior to this comes from Johnny Tremain--the movie, not the book :P). For as little as she was seen, Abigail Adams absolutely popped off the page as well. One character whose name I didn't know had me looking things up as the story was wrapping up...then realizing it was all explained in the historical note at the end. ;) And another had me wincing in anticipation of the so-easy application of 20/20 hindsight and left me blown away by the unexpected complexity and depth of his characterization.

As for the non-historical characters, William had me both hurting for and rooting for him from the word go. His complexities, insecurities, secret love of adventure, and deep desire for the love and acceptance of his father made him an incredibly real, deep, and vibrant character. Unlike some book heroes whose choices leave me scratching my head, I always understood why he was choosing the things he was choosing and why certain decisions were so hard for him. The only thing I didn't quite get was how a couple of things in the prologue fit with his main motivations, but that might be me missing something. ;) I really liked his relationship with Matthew as well and would have loved to see more of it. <3

There was a bit of tragedy in certain parts, which is not my forte in the slightest, but somehow it was done well enough that I didn't want to collapse into a sad lump when it was over, which is not my normal response to tragic subplots. ;) And even though I had tears running down my cheeks by the end, it was still such an amazingly satisfying story that it's going in my favorites list, no question about it.

Also, I listened to this on audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job. The only drawback for me was the addition of sound effects, which tends to distract me in an audiobook, but that's a personal preference. :)

4.5 stars

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Content--mentions of gunplay, wounds, and deaths; mentions of drinking and drunkenness; veiled references to men having weaknesses for women, safeguarding women's reputations, etc.

Courage

I really liked this book. My only complaint is that there wasn't more at the end, but even that wasn't too bad. Sarah did a great job writing it. Micah's reading was easy to listen to and I liked the accents he was able to do.

A wonderful story with captivating characters!

William Landor is the youngest of the two sons of a wealthy, Boston merchant and loyal subject of Britain. William has tried all is life to cause his father to be proud of him but seems unable to achieve this. His brother remains the favorite son. After some harsh words with his father, William leaves Boston and sails to England. There, he meets a man who leads him to faith in God—the same faith his mother had embraced before she passed away. After several years, William returns to Boston in support of the king of England. He has a message from the king to deliver to the rebels—an ultimatum. He also hopes this will finally make his father proud of him.

Unfortunately for William, he soon learns that his closest friend, Dr. Joseph Warren, is now one of the leaders of the rebel movement. The rebels want fair representation in the English parliament and are willing to sacrifice and fight against England to obtain this right. William is soon torn between his friend’s cause and his family. He tries to support both sides as long as he can but finally is forced to have to make a decision. Will William choose to remain loyal to his family and king or will he change his loyalties and become a part of the rebel movement?

Shortly after arriving back in Boston, William also meets a feisty indentured servant, Selah. She drives William mad with her disrespect for his position. Selah is part of the rebel movement and has no patience for anyone who tries to stand in her way.

I loved the characters in this book. They were all well developed and interesting to read. The story pulled me in, and I didn’t want to stop, anxious to see where the story would take me. There were many familiar characters from American history like Abigail Adams, John Hancock, Benedict Arnold, Paul Revere, etc. I was so captivated by the story, I wished it would have gone longer. But the ending was beautiful. I highly recommend this novel.

Deserves 5 out of 5 for sure!

** I am reviewing the audio version of this book***


I wasn’t sure what to think of this book at first. I love Christian fiction, I love romance, and I love historical fiction. However, I am not that much in to politics.

I needn’t have worried. I was hooked from the first chapter. The story was so well written, and the
The characters were interesting and varied.
I fell in love with Catherine and George. Of course Saila too.
I also learned a lot. living in Australia, i knew nothing about the Boston tea party. What a wonderful way to teach history.
There is a lot in this book, about being conflicted, and having the courage to do what’s right, instead of what’s easy. I felt Williams Joy and pain.
I loved the little quotes at the start of each chapter.
The Narration was top notch. He managed to have different voices for everyone, even the children. He narrated with lots of emotion which brought the story to life.
The sound effects throughout the book, were absolutely amazing! They added an extra element to the narration. It was a bit like listening to a movie, but way better, because we all know books are much better than the movies. Whoever decided to put sound affects in this audio book, deserves a big gold star!!!

This book definitely was very readable, and hard to put down.

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request, and have voluntarily left an honest review.