Official Review: The White Cockade by Mark James Miller

[Huini Hellen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The White Cockade" by Mark James Miller.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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How many stories about the struggle against colonial rule inspire our patriotic feelings towards our countries? How many people have lived to tell the story of each uprising with detailed descriptions of the battle zones? Who can creatively recreate America's quest for independence from British rule, with an emotional storyline like Mark James Miller, did in his book, The White Cockade?

Walter believes that Josiah's non-partisan attitude towards the British occupation of Boston will have to change one day. He is positive that one cannot remain a fence-sitter for long because the effects of the war and the desire to reclaim sovereignty far the fear of war. However, Josiah prays that such a day would not arrive because his interests in life stretch beyond enlisting in the resistance army. Contrary to his father's expectations, he is also not ready to take over his father's shipbuilding, which as fate would have it, places him between a rock and a hard place, when his father experiences a heart attack that leaves him weak and frail.

Hugo Chamberlain is now a Lieutenant of the King's Own Regiment. He arrives back in Boston from England after four years of service in the British army. The Hartford family is overjoyed at the prospect of meeting him again because he had been like a family member to them. Sadly, Hugo, Josiah's childhood best friend, seems to have changed for the worse. His indifferent attitude towards life and human dignity leaves Josiah with no doubt that this is a different Josiah from the one that he knew.

What I loved most about this book is the cohesion brought about by intertextuality. In exploring his themes of love, kinship, marriage and betrayal, among others, Miller used a story within a story and dialogue to advance the storyline. There is also the inclusion of songs at various sections of the plot that not only added variety to the book but also reduced the monotony of narration. Moreover, the descriptions of the soldiers singing battle songs enabled me to form mental images of the soldiers as they matched and boosted my enjoyment of the book because I happily sang along.

I intended to award this book a maximum rating of four. However, I found more than ten grammatical errors and typos, which informs my belief that this book was not submitted to a professional editor. I, therefore, sadly have to award it three out of four stars and recommend that it be taken through another round of editing. Save for the editing issue, there is nothing else that I liked least about this book. I recommend it to readers of history, especially people that enjoy stories about the resistance movements that helped their country to liberate themselves from colonial rule.

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The White Cockade
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[Kavita Shah]

This book is to awaken patriotism. Intertextuality helps with the story telling and it's great that the author wrote it like that.Thank you for a wonderful review!

[Huini Hellen]

Thank you for the comment.

[Becca Olsson]

I hope the author can fix the errors you’ve mentioned to bringing the book up to its full potential. Great review

[El_limitless]

I love books that awaken patriotism in citizens by telling them stories from the past. I'm definitely checking this out. Great review.

[Huini Hellen]

I hope the author can fix the errors you’ve mentioned to bringing the book up to its full potential. Great review

I appreciate your passing by to leave a comment.

[Huini Hellen]

I love books that awaken patriotism in citizens by telling them stories from the past. I'm definitely checking this out. Great review.

Thank you for the comment.

[Chigo Nwagboso]

Love for one's country is important and easy when the citizens are treated right and cared for. Thanks for an interesting review.

[Huini Hellen]

Love for one's country is important and easy when the citizens are treated right and cared for. Thanks for an interesting review.

Thank you for the comment.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

It seems like an interesting book that can also educate the reader regarding history. Great job and thank you for your recommendation!

[Huini Hellen]

It seems like an interesting book that can also educate the reader regarding history. Great job and thank you for your recommendation!

I really appreciate your passing by to leave a comment.

[kdstrack]

I like the historical aspect of this book, and I am also interested in the songs! I share your feelings of enjoying the book so much that you want to give it the full rating, but you have to take away a point because of the grammar errors. So frustrating! Thanks for the amazing recommendation!

[markodim721]

The book seems very interesting. Thanks for the reading recommendation.

[Joyful17]

I think this book will do well as a movie. I particularly love the inclusion of songs. Thanks for your recommendation.

[Reader-247]

I m not a history buff but surely enjoyed reading your review. I found it to be very informative. Thanks for a detailed review