The Lacemaker

5/2020: I really don't recall much about this book except what annoyed me. Original rating 4 stars. Dropped to 3 stars “good” because of the sour memories.

Original review:
An absorbing and atmospheric story, set in colonial Williamsburg at the outset of the Revolution. The Tories are threatened by the Patriots, and emotions are running high. All Elisabeth Anne Lawson is supposed to be concentrating on is her imminently-approaching marriage to Miles, a local landowner, a trusted Tory.

But Elisabeth's heart is drawn to her homeland and the Patriots longing for freedom. The closer it gets to her wedding-day, the higher the emotions rise in the town, and the less she likes to think of her upcoming marriage. The political and social world is crumbling, as is Miles, her intended, who cannot keep away from the gaming-table.

I loved how so many of the events unfolded and was particularly drawn by Noble, the hero of the piece. He is a good strong man and one of faith and principle. I liked how he didn't use slaves to run his estate, and the Welsh angle was truly a lot of fun.

There were two major things that I didn't like.
#1. Profanity. Other than some instances of “blast” things were going pretty well until page 371, when a bad guy bursts out with “For G sake!” That late in the book? And is that somehow supposed to indicate he's not a good guy? Well, we already figured that out. Any profanity is always an offense to me in a Christian book. I am getting so tired of big publishers who seem to think it's okay to profane the Name of a holy God in their printed books.

#2. Patrick Henry. While doing her homework on all sorts of other delightful details, Frantz neglected to do her homework on this recurring true character. I'm not quite sure what sources she used for his character development, but the historical record is pretty clear. In this book, he is portrayed as a brash, plainspoken man who says what he thinks in plain and modern language, often punctuates it with “blast,” is not very charitable in thought toward others, and always has a mug of ale in hand. The historical record differs massively. He was the premier orator of his day and a very successful lawyer, passionate about music and a dedicated Anglican. I found it odd that Noble should speak of playing his violin with Jefferson and Clark, but never with Henry, supposedly his nearest friend–and in real life a well-recognized violinist in his own right.

These two things prevented me from giving the book a full five-star rating.

Another pet peeve was a repeated anachronistic use of the word “honeymoon.” I'm used to hearing it referred to as a “wedding trip” in older novels, so I looked it up to see how far outside the modern use it was. To my surprise, it began much earlier than I thought: 1791. Still a problem for a book set in 1776!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy. A favorable review is not required.