The Story of An 18th Century Woman from A Prominent New England Family Who Went from A Life of Privilege to The Gallows
Bathsheba Spooner was the daughter of Timothy Ruggles, a general in the French and Indian War, president of the Stamp Act Congress, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and a leading loyalist in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War; the epitome of upper class.
Like her father, Bathsheba was smart, strong-willed, and a staunch British loyalist. Forced to marry a man she did not love, Bathsheba withstood her husband’s abuse for years until a young Continental soldier entered her life. But when this well-heeled mother of three small children discovered she was pregnant with the soldier’s child, her thoughts quickly turned to murder.
Based on a true story, the events that follow Bathsheba’s life, her decisions, and her ultimate demise will show readers that Bathsheba Spooner was, in fact, Unlike Any Other . . .
Book Trailer
When you get married, you want to marry for love. Bathsheba certainly does, she dreams of finding the perfect gentleman, who will love her, and be able to keep up with the lifestyle she is used to. She is bitterly disappointed when her father announces she must marry Joshua Spooner, who is not at all the man she dreamed of. She might love her father deeply, but this is one decision that will change her entire life.
Bathsheba is an incredibly strong woman, both in what she deals with, and the way she keeps her opinions her own. Joshua makes it very clear what his opinions on women and marriage are, that he owns her and everything she ever owned, and that he can do what he likes, but she must do as she is told. Bathsheba is anything but submissive, and their personalities clash. She is not afraid to stand up for herself, or others, but she is in a situation she cannot escape, and Joshua won’t let her always get her own way.
The dream man Bathsheba so desired does arrive eventually, but too late, for she is married. Yet, she cannot help but feel for him what she, as a married woman, should not. It was interesting to follow Bathsheba’s train of thought as she tried to figure out how to escape her situation. It began with simply leaving, going to join her father and fight the loyalist cause, but as that idea became increasingly impossible, her thoughts and plans darken. I don’t think I have ever read a book before where the main character becomes so intent on getting someone to commit murder. Bathsheba is so determined to escape, and she fixates on the idea of Joshua meeting with an ‘accident’ to save herself.
You know how this story will end before it even begins. It mentions it in the blurb, and the prologue is technically also the ending. Yet, you can’t help but hope something will happen, and Bathsheba will finally get the freedom she so desperately seeks. This is a story of entrapment, of having freedom and happiness, but losing everything. Even if you have never heard of Bathsheba Spooner before, if you are curious as to ‘How An 18th Century Woman from A Prominent New England Family Went from A Life of Privilege to The Gallows’, you absolutely should read this book.
Ed Londergan is the author of the award-winning books The Devils’ Elbow and The Long Journey Home. Having researched American history for many years, he is a frequent speaker with a focus on colonial Massachusetts. A graduate of Holy Cross, he lives in Warren, Massachusetts.
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I am so glad you enjoyed Unlike Any Other. Thank you so much for hosting today's tour stop.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Mary Anne
The Coffee Pot Book Club