My Name is Resolute

My Name is Resolute

Nancy E. Turner

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): The year is 1729, and Resolute Talbot and her siblings are captured by pirates, taken from their family in Jamaica, and brought to the New World. Resolute and her sister are sold into slavery in colonial New England and taught the trade of spinning and weaving. When Resolute finds herself alone in Lexington, Massachusetts, she struggles to find her way in a society that is quick to judge a young woman without a family. As the seeds of rebellion against England grow, Resolute is torn between following the rules and breaking free. Resolute’s talent at the loom places her at the center of an incredible web of secrecy that helped drive the American Revolution. Heart-wrenching, brilliantly written, and packed to the brim with adventure, My Name is Resolute is destined to be an instant classic.
 
Review:  I read Nancy Turner's These Is My Words about ten years ago, and it was one of my favorite books.  When I saw her newest novel, I was so excited to read it, and I expected to love it just as much as I did her first book.  Sadly, I didn't think it quite lived up to my expectations.

My Name is Resolute is a gripping historical fiction novel depicting the misadventures of a young girl who was kidnapped by pirates, sold into slavery in Colonial America, captured by Indians, sold into slavery at a convent in Montreal, escaped, and made a living for herself and her family in Lexington, MA around the time of the American Revolution.  If that sounds like an awful lot of events for one girl, and one novel, it is!  And that was my problem with the book.  The beginning and the middle give so much detail around Resolute's depressing life, and are rich with historical detail and Resolute's thoughts and emotions.  However, the end of the book frequently skips five years at a time, and glosses over events leading up to the Revolutionary War.  While this book was too long already, I think it would have been better if it had been broken into two books, with the second going into more detail around the latter half of Resolute's life.  It felt like the end was rushed through because the author needed to finish it up.

I certainly enjoyed learning more about the history of this time period, and I grew to respect Resolute as a woman and a character.  She had her flaws, especially as a child, but she was brave and determined and ended up being a character that I loved.

Rating: 4 stars (or maybe 3.5)