The Rebellion of Jane Clarke    by Sally Gunning Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2010 (2010) Hardcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Barbara Lingens Sally Gunning has a wonderful way of portraying women with strong characters and free speech in a time when that was pretty much unexpected. The Widow's War is set in early American history and concerns the property rights of widows. Bound tells of a young girl sold into bondage in colonial America. In The Rebellion of Jane Clarke we have the story of a young woman who must sort out who she is during the exciting pre-revolutionary times in Boston. Jane has the unwelcome ability to speak out when she sees something unjust, and neither her father, stepmother nor aunt appreciates this. Only in her grandparents does she find empathy. Far from the country home in Satucket in which she was brought up, Jane must tend her strangely afflicted aunt in Boston. In the city she finds life vastly different, and although she makes acquaintances with the likes of John Adams, Henry Knox and James Otis, she is not of their mind with regard to the British. When she witnesses what comes to be known as the Boston Massacre her observations make her an important witness in the trial. This event helps to crystallize her thoughts about her own future. Author Gunning has a fine ability to give us her protagonist's thoughts, and they seem entirely plausible and likely for the time. Her descriptions of Satucket, which is the background for Bound as well as this novel, make us understand her characters' love for this place. In this author's works we have a unique and very welcome voice. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews