Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Outcasts of Essex by Jane Hulse is a wonderful historical tale of war, romance, and patriotism, set in the eighteenth century during the Revolutionary War. Sarah Barrett is just fifteen and is often required by her midwife mother to assist in the births of local children. She would much rather be helping her father, the editor of the weekly newspaper, the Essex Journal. As the revolution begins to gather steam, families, friends, and entire towns are torn apart by their adherence to either royal rule or their desire for freedom and self-determination. Sarah’s father is definitely on the side of the royal decrees and writes extensively against the revolution, which puts him and his family on the wrong side of a town almost totally committed to rebellion. A smallpox epidemic and Sarah’s mother’s solution of inoculation will also sway the town’s opinion. Sarah is a well-educated and thoughtful young woman who finds herself questioning everything happening around her. Ultimately, though, she must decide where she personally stands on the question of freedom from England.

Outcasts of Essex is a relatively short and fascinating story into which Jane Hulse has managed to pack significant plot twists, story arcs, and character development. Sarah is a complex and rounded character who, for one so young, is forced to make momentous decisions that will determine the course of her life, her family’s life, and even the revolution. I loved that she was prepared to seek solutions to her problems outside of the usual avenues open to young women of the period. Marriage was first and foremost on the minds of most fifteen-year-old girls of the time, but for Sarah, her interests and questions lay in much meatier issues. I appreciated her questioning why a girl should not write for a newspaper, especially given that her father had used her very words in one of his editorials. It was fascinating that whilst the young men of the colonies were off doing battle against the accursed redcoats, the women, left at home, had to deal with sickness, the wounded, and keep the family thriving. Many women played a critical role in the revolution, both as spies and even as agents of destruction. I appreciated the author’s championing of the heroine. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it.