I haven’t read a Tales of a Revolution book in several years and decided to check out Lars D. H. Hedbor’s latest. Turns out he’s completed THREE in that time. So I grabbed The Convention.
In our fast-paced world with its fast-paced plots, I had to reacclimate to Hedbor’s style. His books are not blood-and-guts war action but rather a whole-picture look at the era encompassing the American Revolution. The beauty lies in his ability to recreate this world—the vocabulary, style of speech, fashions, foods, medicines, politics, professions, and philosophies… You will meet real people living in real historical circumstances.
The Convention follows a British regular named Arthur Leary, the “third son of a smallholder in a windswept part of England near to the old Scottish frontier” who “stood to inherit nothing but his name and a few years of education, if that.” So Arthur entered His Majesty’s service and ended up a POW following the Saratoga campaign. We first find Arthur picking stones out of a farmer’s field and recalling the events that landed him in a work release program, assigned to an American farmer by the name of Hillyard.
I have only one complaint in this book, and it is here, in chapter one. The entire chapter is backstory. I think it would have been more compelling if we could have actually followed Arthur through some of these events instead of having them told to us (though I realize it could have quickly expanded the scope and length of the book beyond the author’s vision). Even so, we get an educational look at the British army, its men, officers, and politics, the terms of surrender, and the American response. It’s fascinating stuff.
But the main thrust of The Convention is not the Saratoga campaign. It is the changing heart of Arthur Leary, a committed Loyalist and soldier sworn to obey the king and uphold his laws. As he interacts with the Hillyards, works their fields, and falls in love with their daughter, he comes to see the Americans as more than just rebels. They’re hardworking, honest, frugal people who are creating opportunities in this new land from the ground up. As a younger son with no prospects, he comes to truly appreciate that. But don’t worry, this change is not trite. It’s balanced. Arthur never can quite let go of his British sympathies. Rather, he comes to accept American and British as equally flawed and equally honorable. And at the end, the decisions he must make aren’t easy.
If you enjoy a relaxed read with beautiful language and a flawless historical setting, grab a story from Hedbor’s Tales of a Revolution. I’ve never been disappointed.
Grab a copy of The Convention off Amazon.