I've changed my mind about Lucia St. Clair Robson

You may recall my favorable review of Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson, and how I cautioned at the end not to expect much from her other books.

Well, I was wrong. At least about one of them.

Last weekend, I read Shadow Patriots, her most recent foray into historical fiction. And I loved it.



Like Ride the Wind, this one is a bit of a tear-jerker. But also like Ride the Wind it competely drops you into another time and place alongside a sympathetic heroine.

In this case, the time and place is New England, 1776. The Colonies might be going crazy with Revolution fever, but none of the hoopla of War impresses 17-year-old Kate Darby much. She's Quaker and believes its best to leave the politics of this world to others. Then she meets the very suave, very handsome Major John Andrè, aide to British General Howe, and her brother Seth runs off to join George Washington's army, becoming a secret agent.

Eventually, Kate comes to realize her heart does lie with the Patriot's cause - and with one of their army's master spies. Before she knows it, she's in on the intelligence game, risking her life to pass on military secrets, hoping to give the American army a chance at winning the war.

Robson based Kate's story on a mystery that has intrigued historians for 200 years. There was "a lady," code-named 355, who worked in George Washington's spy network during the Revolutionary War. No one really knows who she was, or what her eventual fate was - but Robson weaves the legends about her into this tale that bears more than a passing resemblance to an 18th-Century version of Alias. (Although Kate, unlike Sydney Bristow, doesn't know karate.)

The book is a little slow-going at first. We don't actually meet Kate until chapter four. And I think Robson got a little carried away, trying to include all the colorful historical characters of the period. But you will get caught up in Kate's story; Seth's too. And, I hope, in the sweet story of Kate's first romance. (Her suitor can outrun British soldiers, but he's so smitten with her, he trembles when she's nearby.)

I'm never going to be a fan of Mary's Land, Light a Distant Fire, or Walk in my Soul, but I'm happy to know Ride the Wind wasn't just a fluke.

Top Ten Books I've Been Meaning to Reread

It's been a busy fall, going back to school and all. Not only has my fun writing fallen to the wayside, so has my entertainment reading. I have a whole stack of unread books by my chair and a list of dozens more that I'd love to find the time for.

Still, as much as I want to read new material, I'd also love the chance to go back and read some old faves.

Here (in no particular order) are some I've been thinking about a lot lately and just haven't gotten to yet:

1. The Chosen by Chaim Potok
2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
3. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
4. Avalon by Anya Seton
5. Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
6. Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson
7. The White Mountains by John Christopher
8. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
9. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson

This novel is based on the true story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who spent most of her life with the Comanche after she was captured off her family's Texas settlement by them in 1836 at the age of 9. Fortunately, she was considered young enough to be adopted into the People and escapes the rape, murder and torture that befall her older relatives. (Word of warning: St. Clair Robson doesn't gloss that part of the story over.)

Cynthia eventually comes to the lodge of Pahayuca, a band leader of the Comanche. She eventually accepts her new identity as Naduah, Keeps Warm With Us, and comes to love her new life. She also comes to love one of the People's young leaders. Their relationship - based on friendship, desire and love - stands up with John of Gaunt and Katherine, and Jamie and Claire Fraser, as one of my favorites in literature. But anyone with a passing knowledge of late 19th Century Texan history will know their life will not have a happily-ever-after ending. The Comanche's way of existence is slowly being eradicated by the Parkers and people like them. This book is definitely a tear-jerker, but oh-so-worth the read.

The only hesitation I have in recommending this book is that others may do what I did. After reading it, I eagerly sought out St. Clair Robson's other books - and eventually came to the conclusion that she was a one-hit wonder. This was her debut novel and though I have read several of her succeeding titles, I have not found one nearly as engaging as this one. There's a new one out about the Revolutionary War that looks intriguing, but I keep picking it up and putting it back down at the bookstore, thinking I've been burned once too often by her. Maybe someday I'll work up the courage to try again.

But please don't let that discourage you from reading this book that I love.