Freemen & Dreamers, Vol. 4: Oh Say Can You See? by L. C. Lewis; Brigham Distributing; 2010 Whitney Award Finalist, Historical Fiction.
About the Book: Tis The Star-Spangled Banner; O! Long May it Wave...
Though the capital smolders, the battered Constitution and the presidency have survived. But the British left the struggling government no home. Gone are the symbols of America - the Capitol Building and the President's House, and nearly every relic of the infant nation.
Britain's next target is the port city of Baltimore, but has the raid on Washington stiffened the Americans' backs?
As the Willows women mourn their absent men - gone to war, or wounded, or captured - they await the birth of a blessed child.
Miles away, attorney Francis Scott Key embarks on a diplomatic mission that will leave an everlasting mark on America. Proving that the pen can indeed be more powerful than the sword, Key records the fears and hopes of his embattled people. His epic poem soon set to music and titled "The Star-Spangled Banner," rallies a shattered nation to rise from its knees to claim the dream of "one nation under God" during the closing hours of the War of 1812.
Though the capital smolders, the battered Constitution and the presidency have survived. But the British left the struggling government no home. Gone are the symbols of America - the Capitol Building and the President's House, and nearly every relic of the infant nation.
Britain's next target is the port city of Baltimore, but has the raid on Washington stiffened the Americans' backs?
As the Willows women mourn their absent men - gone to war, or wounded, or captured - they await the birth of a blessed child.
Miles away, attorney Francis Scott Key embarks on a diplomatic mission that will leave an everlasting mark on America. Proving that the pen can indeed be more powerful than the sword, Key records the fears and hopes of his embattled people. His epic poem soon set to music and titled "The Star-Spangled Banner," rallies a shattered nation to rise from its knees to claim the dream of "one nation under God" during the closing hours of the War of 1812.
(Click here to read her full Bio) About the Author: How an LDS Wife, Mother, Grandmother lady came to be an author? I suppose I was a dreamer as a child, always imagining places more fascinating and mysterious than the small town in Carroll County, Maryland where I grew up, still too young to realize that what makes any place or time exquisite has little to do with geography and far more to do with the people and the moments you share with them..I also loved acting and singing and playing colorful characters with accents...Like many stay-at-home-mothers, finding uncommitted blocks of time was challenging, but for a few weeks each year, for ten memorable years, I diverted some energy to return to my “rock star” fantasy, singing with friends in an annual musical revue to benefit scouting. Eventually I realized that whether through music or writing, what I loved about entertaining was the joy of connecting with people . . . of telling a story...New challenges brought new growth, and I quickly discovered how much I loved researching a topic and following the trail of a question...I had already begun pursuing another dream...to write a historical-fiction novel. The original manuscript was set in the late 1840’s, avoiding early church history, a topic I felt inadequate to cover. But after much soul searching, a nudge from my editor, Angela, to expand the book, many hours buried in American history, and a year teaching D&C as an Early Morning Seminary teacher, I reconsidered. I backed the book up a generation and picked up the extraordinary history in my own backyard—the War of 1812 and the Star Spangled Banner story—to illustrate the tumultuous America that would become the cradle of the Restoration and the world in which Joseph Smith was raised.
Our nest is empty now. Each of our four children are chasing their own dreams in diverse places, like four research assistants quadrupling my view of the world. Tom and I have an arm-long list of places to visit and history we still want to explore to flesh out the rest of this series.
We live in a rapidly changing world that creates more questions than answers it seems. To borrow a line from Dark Sky at Dawn, “. . . knowing what to keep and what to abandon will be the challenge of the next generation.” I’m exploring that. I hope you’ll join me on the journey.
Our nest is empty now. Each of our four children are chasing their own dreams in diverse places, like four research assistants quadrupling my view of the world. Tom and I have an arm-long list of places to visit and history we still want to explore to flesh out the rest of this series.
We live in a rapidly changing world that creates more questions than answers it seems. To borrow a line from Dark Sky at Dawn, “. . . knowing what to keep and what to abandon will be the challenge of the next generation.” I’m exploring that. I hope you’ll join me on the journey.
Kay's Kritique: Reading Oh, Say Can You See? as we approach our Birthday/Freedom Day Celebrations, whether in Canada or the United States, both countries children of England, has brought a lot of gratitude to my heart for our freedoms and liberties that we enjoy today.
While a lot of the book is set in my own backyard, it also takes us to Canada and England. I've been told that this historical fiction series would mainly appeal to those living in the United States so they haven't read it. But as I read it and it transported me to an earlier time, I kept thinking - "We are only 6-8 years before one of the greatest events on Earth would take place and God had been orchestrating world events and particularly watching this "choice land" for this event. This nation was fragile and dark forces were at work in a last ditch effort to stop this upcoming event. So really anyone that loves Historical Fiction, and particularly if you are LDS (although there is very little interaction with Church History characters), you should be interested in this time and the events that took place so close to the Restoration.
Laurie has done incredible research, spending countless hours to make sure she has the correct historical details. She has woven interesting and well developed characters around real-life characters to tell the story of this crucial time in world history.
I have loved this series so far, definitely 5 stars, and look forward to the final Volume 5, In God Is Our Trust, coming out later this year.
Other Reader Reviews:
Click here to read the full review by Kathi Oram Peterson: I've often heard how Francis Scott Key wrote the words to our national anthem, but I'd never thought about his history before he wrote the famous song that has become part of the fabric of our country. This book does more than give us a peek into his life, it opens up the world of those brave souls who fought in the War of 1812. Lewis gives us much to think about and learn in her new novel, Oh Say Can You See?
Yes, this is the fourth book in her Freeman and Dreamers series, but you really don't need to have read the other books to know exactly what is going on in this novel. Right away you're drawn into the Pearson family and the struggles they are going through because of the war that threatens to rip their family apart...I love this line: "... We have been a foolish people at times, and so suffered our comeuppance in Washington, but our cause is still just. God has reached His hand down from heaven and rescued this land in the past. Let's pray He'll do so once again..." This struck a cord with me as do many other passages. Oh Say Can You See? reminded me of our nation's heritage, of the brave souls who fought to keep our nation free, but it also reminded me to be ever diligent in guarding our precious freedom.
If you love historical fiction that is anchored in facts, you will love L.C. Lewis's book, Oh Say Can You See? I know I did.
Yes, this is the fourth book in her Freeman and Dreamers series, but you really don't need to have read the other books to know exactly what is going on in this novel. Right away you're drawn into the Pearson family and the struggles they are going through because of the war that threatens to rip their family apart...I love this line: "... We have been a foolish people at times, and so suffered our comeuppance in Washington, but our cause is still just. God has reached His hand down from heaven and rescued this land in the past. Let's pray He'll do so once again..." This struck a cord with me as do many other passages. Oh Say Can You See? reminded me of our nation's heritage, of the brave souls who fought to keep our nation free, but it also reminded me to be ever diligent in guarding our precious freedom.
If you love historical fiction that is anchored in facts, you will love L.C. Lewis's book, Oh Say Can You See? I know I did.
Donald B. Anderson: I knew the gist of the story behind the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. But plunging into a story that illustrated the background, the key events (no pun intended), and the effects of Francis Scott Key's mighty words is truly rewarding. There have been inspiring moments in the history of America, and Oh, Say Can You See? captured one of those segments in a wonderful way.
I have not read the previous three volumes of Lewis' Free Men and Dreamers series (Oh, Say Can You See is the fourth). But that was not a problem. Lewis provides enough background information to make Oh, Say Can You See? sufficient to stand alone. However, this book did kindle my interest to learn the prior elements of the war of 1812 by reading the first three volumes in the series.
I am delighted that L.C. Lewis combined great research with quality writing to provide a more in-depth look at a fundamental segment of American history. The characters are believable, noble, and merge well with the history. Lewis does well to show dignity in humans on both sides of the conflict, which adds class to the patriotic elements.
I highly recommend Oh, Say Can You See? for all interested in American history and/or the story behind the mighty words of our national anthem. Those who enjoy historical fiction will especially enjoy this novel.
I have not read the previous three volumes of Lewis' Free Men and Dreamers series (Oh, Say Can You See is the fourth). But that was not a problem. Lewis provides enough background information to make Oh, Say Can You See? sufficient to stand alone. However, this book did kindle my interest to learn the prior elements of the war of 1812 by reading the first three volumes in the series.
I am delighted that L.C. Lewis combined great research with quality writing to provide a more in-depth look at a fundamental segment of American history. The characters are believable, noble, and merge well with the history. Lewis does well to show dignity in humans on both sides of the conflict, which adds class to the patriotic elements.
I highly recommend Oh, Say Can You See? for all interested in American history and/or the story behind the mighty words of our national anthem. Those who enjoy historical fiction will especially enjoy this novel.
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