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tracey_stewart's review against another edition
4.0
Somehow we never read this in high school, so I was interested in the Netgalley offering for the new Open Road digital edition. It seems to be a nice edition, apart from a few odd typos ('"We'd never sleep a peaceful night again – not ever again, no V"'); the cover art is stark and attractive.
April Morning is the story of about thirty-six hours in the life of fifteen-year-old Adam Cooper, a farm boy in Massachusetts living a placid life with his domineering father, Moses, and his sweet mother, sharp grandmother, and typical-pain little brother. (His grandmother was terrific.) What is not really obvious from the text until a little ways in is that this isn't just 18th century Massachusetts – it is Lexington, as in Lexington and Concord, and the April morning is April 18-19, 1776.
By the end of the brief novel Adam's entire life has changed, and his future as well. It's easy to slip into the old habit of thinking about the men who fought the Revolution as … only that, the plucky militia, confounding the Redcoats with guerilla tactics. It's easy to forget about the fact that the war came on them with a force and suddenness they did not expect. Many knew it might come; the leadership in particular was a well-informed group. They didn't know how and exactly when. They didn't expect to see friends and neighbors and family cut down, or to see the entire course of their lives redirected. Or terminated. The tidy, uncomplicated path Adam has always seen for his life – probably marry within the village, perhaps to Ruth, eventually inherit the farm, care for his grandmother and parents until they die, raise a family of his own, take up a position on the Committee in his father's wake – is obliterated. By the end of the brief time covered by the book, it is all still possible – but not nearly as obvious, as safe and sure, as it has been all his life. His life, his future – the world has changed.
By the end of the story I was rather fond of Adam, who is engaging despite his teenaged-boy-ness. I've come across surprisingly little fiction centered on the Revolution (there's my beloved Sherwood Ring, and I need to read Johnny Tremaine again one day), and I'm glad of a story that illuminates a corner of a period of history I know less about than I'd like to. I had, for example, no idea that that was how the whole thing started. This account certainly differs from the general impression of the Minutemen, every one loaded for bear (literally) and more than willing to defend their homes with no discussion. The Committee was so very much a committee, a panel of men of all opinions who spoke much and accomplished, apparently, little; this is not the popular image of the clear-minded forefather…
The brutality of the battle – battles – was startling, as was the frankness about the various reactions. There are no real heroes here, not as the history books would like us to see them; in fact, Adam notes himself that some of the greatest heroism shown that morning was by the British soldiers who walked into Colonial gunfire – and kept walking.
My eyebrows went up at the casual discussion of investment into slave ships, often profitable enough to be worth bucking public opinion despite an obscene percentage of ships – or was it just cargo? - lost. It's another thing I've never thought much about, the 18th century attitude toward slavery.
I was also surprised by the opinions expressed of Sam Adams and John Hancock?. Here are these (to overuse the word) heroes of the Revolution, and the denizens of Lexington are not happy about a visit from these worthies. I knew shamefully little about Sam Adams, who, it appears, was seen as an atheist (Wikipedia lists him as Congregational) and a radical (true enough). They seem to both be considered stormcrows.
I like this sort of detail – I love to see a little deeper or from a slightly different angle than usual.
The book is from Adam's first-person point of view, and the language is colloquial without, happily, being unreadably young or "farm-boy" – the local color is not blinding. For a short work, there is a lot of strong characterization here – I finished it feeling I knew several of the characters quite well, and had known them a long time, something far too many much longer books fail to achieve. The quote I added above about Adams and Hancock is a good example of the skill with which this was managed: succinct and expressive without needing the narrator stepping in to fill in the blanks. It grew on me, and continued the effect after I finished it. I've found that I knock off a star from some books in the course of working up a review. Here, if anything, I might add one.
April Morning is the story of about thirty-six hours in the life of fifteen-year-old Adam Cooper, a farm boy in Massachusetts living a placid life with his domineering father, Moses, and his sweet mother, sharp grandmother, and typical-pain little brother. (His grandmother was terrific.) What is not really obvious from the text until a little ways in is that this isn't just 18th century Massachusetts – it is Lexington, as in Lexington and Concord, and the April morning is April 18-19, 1776.
By the end of the brief novel Adam's entire life has changed, and his future as well. It's easy to slip into the old habit of thinking about the men who fought the Revolution as … only that, the plucky militia, confounding the Redcoats with guerilla tactics. It's easy to forget about the fact that the war came on them with a force and suddenness they did not expect. Many knew it might come; the leadership in particular was a well-informed group. They didn't know how and exactly when. They didn't expect to see friends and neighbors and family cut down, or to see the entire course of their lives redirected. Or terminated. The tidy, uncomplicated path Adam has always seen for his life – probably marry within the village, perhaps to Ruth, eventually inherit the farm, care for his grandmother and parents until they die, raise a family of his own, take up a position on the Committee in his father's wake – is obliterated. By the end of the brief time covered by the book, it is all still possible – but not nearly as obvious, as safe and sure, as it has been all his life. His life, his future – the world has changed.
By the end of the story I was rather fond of Adam, who is engaging despite his teenaged-boy-ness. I've come across surprisingly little fiction centered on the Revolution (there's my beloved Sherwood Ring, and I need to read Johnny Tremaine again one day), and I'm glad of a story that illuminates a corner of a period of history I know less about than I'd like to. I had, for example, no idea that that was how the whole thing started. This account certainly differs from the general impression of the Minutemen, every one loaded for bear (literally) and more than willing to defend their homes with no discussion. The Committee was so very much a committee, a panel of men of all opinions who spoke much and accomplished, apparently, little; this is not the popular image of the clear-minded forefather…
The brutality of the battle – battles – was startling, as was the frankness about the various reactions. There are no real heroes here, not as the history books would like us to see them; in fact, Adam notes himself that some of the greatest heroism shown that morning was by the British soldiers who walked into Colonial gunfire – and kept walking.
My eyebrows went up at the casual discussion of investment into slave ships, often profitable enough to be worth bucking public opinion despite an obscene percentage of ships – or was it just cargo? - lost. It's another thing I've never thought much about, the 18th century attitude toward slavery.
I was also surprised by the opinions expressed of Sam Adams and John Hancock?. Here are these (to overuse the word) heroes of the Revolution, and the denizens of Lexington are not happy about a visit from these worthies. I knew shamefully little about Sam Adams, who, it appears, was seen as an atheist (Wikipedia lists him as Congregational) and a radical (true enough). They seem to both be considered stormcrows.
"They were here tonight."
"Who?"
"Sam Adams and John Hancock."
"Oh, no," Father said. "Now what in heaven's name were they doing here?"
I like this sort of detail – I love to see a little deeper or from a slightly different angle than usual.
The book is from Adam's first-person point of view, and the language is colloquial without, happily, being unreadably young or "farm-boy" – the local color is not blinding. For a short work, there is a lot of strong characterization here – I finished it feeling I knew several of the characters quite well, and had known them a long time, something far too many much longer books fail to achieve. The quote I added above about Adams and Hancock is a good example of the skill with which this was managed: succinct and expressive without needing the narrator stepping in to fill in the blanks. It grew on me, and continued the effect after I finished it. I've found that I knock off a star from some books in the course of working up a review. Here, if anything, I might add one.
evmel13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kbucheit's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
littleredwinter's review against another edition
1.0
This book drags out a period of 48 hours in a way that is dry and dull. April Morning lulls along page by page by agonizing page until your eyeballs start to bleed and it's all you can do not to throw the book across the room. I only read to the end because I was assigned this book for History class. The only reason I read it at all was because otherwise, I would fail the test over it.
thewholeplot's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book! After page 80, there was no other option but for me to just sit there and finish it.
heregrim's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting and easy read. I have always loved history, but have only recently started reading historic fiction. This book was a well written and thought provoking account of the Battle of Lexington and I felt good when the book ended. I was left wanting nothing more and I like that feeling in a book.
krisis86's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very well written book. It's an account of a 15 year old boy at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The book is short and only spans the time period of one day (plus a little more at the beginning of the novel.)
I thought the characters were very well done and realistic, with maybe the exception of Levi who seemed much younger than his age (11.) The pacing was great, the story interesting. I couldn't put this book down. Definitely recommended.
I thought the characters were very well done and realistic, with maybe the exception of Levi who seemed much younger than his age (11.) The pacing was great, the story interesting. I couldn't put this book down. Definitely recommended.
michaelromeo's review against another edition
4.0
I was delighted to find this at a used book store. I had read it about 40 years ago when I was in my early teens. I loved it then and enjoyed it more now. The writing is captivating. It is written from the viewpoint of a 15 year old boy who finds himself caught in the midst of the battle of Lexington at the start of the American Revolution. It takes the reader along with him through a 24 hour period as he is forced to leave his childhood behind and, far too early in his life, grasp the reins of manhood .