Join me in my journey back to the past, one-month past. Here is the September book choice for the Books & Broads Book Club. September’s book was The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki. Let’s celebrate, Dear Bloggites, because I am now in the current month on my book reading! No more catch up! I am very glad, too, because all this darn war talk gives me a brain ache. That being said, October’s book is during WWII, yep, you guessed it, during the reign of Hitler-AGAIN! I digress, that is for another day, today is about The Traitor’s Wife, Benedict Arnold to be exact.
Even though it was during the Revolutionary War, I did not mind it so much because it did not focus on the war itself like many of the other books I have reviewed, but instead focuses on the people involved with Benedict Arnold and how is betrayal may have played out.
The Traitor’s Wife is a story told by Clairabelle, the handmaid of Peggy (I KNOW) Arnold. The story follows the life of Peggy and her family as witnessed by her handmaid leading all the way up to the ultimate betrayal by Benedict Arnold and how he was swayed by his wife’s influence to commit this traitorous act.
The story started out slow but once it picked up, I was hooked. The novel was written in the third person (Can I get a HALLELUJAH!?) and flowed well from one time-frame to another. There was a lot of history on the founding of America and discussions among the characters in the book about the goings on in America.
Allison Pataki did a great job creating complex characters and providing historical information while playing on the possible personalities of the known people in the book. The imagery was very good, especially on the different clothing Peggy Arnold was so fixated about.
Reading my name over and over was rather unnerving, especially with such a manipulative person as Peggy Arnold was, and I was disappointed in the ending because I felt justice was not served fully with the people involved in the betrayal of America.
I give The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki 3 out of 5 Bookmarks. If you like reading about the early growth of America or the Revolutionary War, you will enjoy this book.
Happy Reading! Smooches!
~4-Ever, P
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