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American Revolution Portrayed

© Robert Powers

Jeff Shaara took over the job of writing historical novels from his father, whose string of historical novels set sales records and brought a Pulitzer Prize. After the death of his father, the younger Shaara has continued in bestseller territory. The newest entry doesn’t quite reach literary heaven, but should prove a solid attraction to readers entranced by the American Revolution.

Rise to Rebellion (Ballantine Books, $26.95) may not prove captivating to anyone who retains sharp memories of high school history. But the novel does a more-than-adequate job in painting detailed portraits of its major characters. John Adams, currently atop the bestseller lists in a David McCullogh biography, becomes an idealistic attorney who climbs to prominence in history books by virtue of his excellent writing.

The novel moves along at a brisk pace through chapters which are seen through the eyes of Adams, Benjamin Franklin, the British general Thomas Gage, and the amazing George Washington, a hero of the French and Indian War who becomes commander of the Colonial Army.

Shaara does a nice job in recreating some of the most famous events of that era, including the Boston Tea Party, the battles of Concord and Bunker Hill. Shaara creates a time that seems utterly authentic and his character sketches ring with the bell of truth.

If one must cite a drawback to Rise to Rebellion (incidentally planned as the first of two volumes), it must be in his insistence in writing in a simple and unsophisticated style. Readers may find the book just a wee bit too sanitary, not in specific instances but rather as an overall habit.

In dealing with such momentous events, an author needs to rise to the occasion. Shaara has written a wonderfully easy-to-read book, but some readers may feel just a tad shortchanged.

NEWSMAN’S TALES -- John McNulty died a long time ago (1956), but he stays in the memories of veteran readers of The New Yorker magazine for his tales of the times in New York City, from 1937 to the time of his death.

McNulty had been a veteran newspaper reporter and his unusual style (it seemed like he talked directly to the reader) made his slice-of-life stories a reader’s delight.

This Place on Third Avenue: The New York Stories of John McNulty (Counterpoint, $23) provides the reader a trip into the past, when New York was a far different place from the present reign of current mayor Rudy Guliani.

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