Rebellion 1776
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this book, please consider using my Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3K18pTm
Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson is a historical novel set in Boston from March, 1776 to December, 1776 focused on protagonist Elsbeth. As the story opens, the Loyalists occupy Boston, but the Patriots are bearing down on them. Elsbeth is a maid for belligerent Judge Bellingham. Separated from her father who is working as a sail maker near the docks, Elsbeth has little choice but to bear the difficulty of her circumstances. Soon, the Loyalists are forced from Boston, relieving Elsbeth of Judge Bellingham’s temper, but her hopes of a new future are dashed when she discovers her father is missing. Elsbeth wisely chooses to stay on in Judge Bellingham’s home which is soon occupied by a Mister Pike and a young apprentice doctor, Nyott Doubt.
This arrangement works briefly until Mister Pike’s family returns to Boston. Elsbeth continues on as a maid for the family which consists of seven children and a ward - Missus Hannah Sparhawk. If that wasn’t busy enough, the primary housekeeper, Widow Nash is ruthless in her barrage of negativity towards Elsbeth and her aims to eventually remove her from the household. For much of the novel, Elsbeth is greatly concerned for her own wellbeing, the whereabouts of her father, and the welfare of her dearest friend Shubel Kent. Adding to these concerns, she becomes the personal maid of Hannah Sparhawk, who is a somewhat kindred spirit despite class separation. And while that may sound like a delightful reprieve, Elsbeth still has to deal with Widow Nash and now Hannah’s antics as she has a budding friendship/romance with Nyott Doubt that Elsbeth runs intercession for. Furthermore, smallpox inoculations are taking place in the town of Boston as it becomes shut off from anyone going in or out. Elsbeth and Widow Nash care for the Pike family as they are inoculated and suffer from smallpox.
If all of that wasn’t too much, poor Elsbeth has gotten herself in a bad way with a Mr. Rawlins who she ironically helped while suffering from smallpox himself. He works to blackmail Elsbeth. He wants shirts and treasures from the household in exchange for information about her father’s whereabouts. Ironically, Widow Nash’s attempt to remove Elsbeth for good gives a resolution to Elsbeth’s concern for her father, which in turn leads to an opportunity for Mr. Rawlins’ own demise.
For much of the novel, there is also talk about the call for Independence from Britain, what that might mean in a changing world. Halse Anderson does a great job of giving context, but also focusing the reader on the difficult lives and uncertainty that was Boston in 1776. As a spoiler, Hannah Sparhawk does die from smallpox. Elsbeth is eventually reunited with her father and is able to happily pursue her dream of becoming a seamstress with her own shop. She also marries Shubel (Chapter 43, Five years after the end of chapter 42).
Noteworthy quotes/mentions:
There are little mentions from the opening of the book that Elsbeth has feelings for Shubel, though she isn’t quite sure what it is exactly. Statements like, “the peculiar feelings buzzing inside me” (20), “all the clocks stopped for a moment; our hearts beat close together, sounding like the only drum that mattered” (344), and “we’d become close in such a dazzling manner that I swear sparks were shooting from our fingertips” (349). Parents will be glad to know that nothing improper happens between the two of them.
Readers learn on page 26, that Elsbeth lost her mother, little brothers, and a newborn sister to smallpox. She was the lone survivor of the smallpox as her father had already had it when he was a child. Her immunity is what allows her to properly care for the Pike family and comfort Mrs. Pike when she is nervous about inoculation.
Elsbeth is a bit precocious at the opening of the novel and her father admonishes her for being “too trusting” [...] and "ignorant of the evils of the world” (30). She is only thirteen at the start of the novel.
When faced with helping a man sick with smallpox, Elsbeth says, “I had no choice, for I was my mother’s daughter as much as I was my father’s. Momma had raised me to do hard things, especially when I didn’t want to” (49).
While there isn’t any profanity in the book, the use of the word “piss” for urine is used a few times - page 72, 107, .
There is a mention of investing in slave ships on page 141.
At times, Elsbeth speaks to the reader as she is telling her story, “Dearest reader, do not let anyone tell you different: money changes everything” (147).
Hannah is under the guardianship of a questionable Captain Hunter, who is also weaseled into the financial dealings of the Pike family. Hannah desires to be on her own and return to her grandmother (until she learns of her death). Mrs. Pike tries to help Hannah understand that as a woman her options are limited. Through this storyline, Halse Anderson is touching on the plight of women during this time who neither owned property, were seldom allowed to attend schooling, and were under the strict governance of the men. Mrs. Pike tells Hannah and Elsbeth that what cannot be cured, must be endured. “You and Hannah are both subject to rules that are unfair and cruel. Armed with that truth, I pray that your passage through life will be a bit easier than it would be if you grew up in ignorance” (260).
While the Pikes suffer from smallpox, there are a lot of descriptions about their symptoms, troubles, and the way illness was nursed during that time. Some of these details may be a bit much for more sensitive readers.
Upon Hannah’s death, “I had to remind myself that she was no longer suffering, and to be grateful for that. This body had contained her spirit, the way a hearth protects a good and useful fire. My last job for her was to honor it best as I could” (365).
“Broken mirrors, broken towns, shattered nations; they could not ever be the same. However, they could be made anew, crafted into a different object or a different sort of place” (374).
Overall, I very much enjoyed Rebellion 1776. The time and attention taken in the research and world building for Boston and the characters is evident with a story that will quickly captivate readers following Elsbeth’s yearning for a future all her own while withstanding the hardships and circumstances of her time. Parents will appreciate the lack of profanity and noteworthy themes of compassion and determination. While recommended ages 10-14, I would personally say 13+ given some of the details around smallpox and the age of Elsbeth herself.
