Hi, everyone!
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for BUT ONE LIFE: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson on this Coffee and Thorn Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my mini book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
“If I had ten thousand lives, I would lay them all down.”
In the early 1770’s, Nathan Hale is a young philosophy student at Yale. There, he, his brother, and their friend, Ben Tallmadge, are busying themselves with intellectual debate and occasional mischief.
Only too soon, their patriotic ideals of revolution and liberty would be put to the test. Forced to choose between love and duty, young Nathan has to face the harsh personal cost of deeply held beliefs as he leaves to become Washington’s spy.
In this powerful novel of friendship and sacrifice, Samantha Wilcoxson paints a vivid portrait of a young man’s principled passion and dedication to his ideals, turning the legend into flesh and blood.
This is the touching and thought-provoking story of how an ordinary boy grew into an extraordinary man – an American hero.
Book Information
.Purchase link: https://mybook.to/But1Life
- Genre: Historical biography
- Print length: 169 pages
- Age range: This is an adult book but would be suitable for mature older teens
- Amazon Rating: 4.5*
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My Book Review
RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
BUT ONE LIFE: The Story of Nathan Hale by Samantha Wilcoxson is a biographical historical fiction about the short life of American revolutionary idealist and patriot, Nathan Hale. This story is told in the first person which lends itself to the addition of personal religious beliefs as well as his belief in the revolutionary cause.
This tale begins when Nathan goes off to study at Yale College with his closest older brother, Enoch. While in college, Soon Nathan begins to form and stand up for his own beliefs through political and philosophical debates. At a time of revolutionary fervor, many tenants of religious beliefs tie in with the cause, also. Feeling the British oppression and with the convincing of one of his best friends from Yale, Nathan joins the revolutionary cause, but is soon captured and considered a spy. The British sentence for captured spies is to be hung.
This story covers Nathan Hale’s life from approximately 14 years of age to his execution at 21 years of age. I found the beginning of the story, recounting his years at Yale, to be interesting but slow paced and it also took me awhile to become accustomed to the prose which is written as if the reader is in 1700’s. As the story got into revolutionary politics and Nathan’s part in the war the pace picked up dramatically and I was more invested. In school, we were taught Hale was a symbol of patriotism and self-sacrifice and this story brings the young idealistic and religious man to life instead of a myth.
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About the Author
Samantha Wilcoxson is an author of emotive biographical fiction and strives to help readers connect with history’s unsung heroes. She also writes nonfiction for Pen & Sword History. Samantha loves sharing trips to historic places with her family and spending time by the lake with a glass of wine. Her most recent work is Women of the American Revolution, which explores the lives of 18th century women, and she is currently working on a biography of James Alexander Hamilton.
Social Media Links
- Website: https://samanthawilcoxson.blogspot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha_wilcoxson/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/carpe_librum
