Review: My Bonny Light Horseman (Bloody Jack #6) by L. A. Meyer
My Bonny Light Horseman
by L. A. Meyer
Book Six in the Bloody Jack Adventures.
Review contains spoilers for earlier books in the series.
Jacky Faber’s long streak of good fortune finally runs out when she is captured by the British and hauled back to London for punishment. She is executed before witnesses, but the death is staged; Jacky’s life is spared so that she may go to France and spy for the crown. Posing as an American dancer, Jacky is sent to Paris to extract information from a French general. When ordered to monitor the troops, Jacky promptly dons the costume of a young man and joins the army fighting under Napoleon, but her adventures on land and sea have done little to prepare her for the brutal reality of war.
All of Jacky Faber’s stories require a strong suspension of disbelief. Her ability to succeed at virtually anything she tries has never been realistic; how can one girl become an officer in the British navy, an educated young lady after a childhood in the slums, a pirate captain, a dramatic actress, a riverboat racketeer, and now a successful spy for Britain? Never mind that by the end of the book, Jacky has also succeeded in transforming a group of country bumpkins into a crack team of soldiers, has uncovered critical information necessary for the French war effort, and ultimately gained the approval of Napoleon himself? It’s impossible, and I shouldn’t be able to overlook it…but Jacky’s appeal is such that I’m willing to pretend a girl so clever and energetic and always so very, VERY lucky could do all these things.
That’s the key thing. If you like Jacky and her over-the-top adventures, then this book will continue to hit all the same plot points that made previous Bloody Jack stories so addictive. She’ll get herself into the thick of action with her wits and her flair for disguises. Her kind heart and willingness to work hard will draw people to her, creating a strong bond with fun, quirky characters that you grow to love. Jacky will get in trouble over and over, escaping at the last possible second through amazing coincidences or the intervention of one of her new friends. There will be adventure and excitement crammed on to every page.
Thrusting Jacky into a French war creates an interesting situation for the young heroine. As she grows closer to her “Clod Hoppers” - the men under her command, so nicknamed by the other soldiers due to their country origins - she wants to protect them and trains them well, but as an agent of the British she knows she should sabotaging their efforts. Her conflicted loyalties are further tested when the French soldiers go to battle with the Prussians. She isn’t a true Brit, because she refuses to kill Napoleon or undermine his operations…so what is she?
Her cover identities are always American, since she learned her French in New England and thus speaks with an American accent. Her fluid identity has become a melting pot of different cultures, and she has really become a global citizen. I’m curious if she’ll ever be able to return to Britain and feel at home in a country where she was nearly executed, or if Jacky will decide to embrace America as her base of operations. Perhaps she’ll always be happiest on the sea, where there is no nationality to worry about. After all, at the close of this book it’s when she returns to her boat that she declares, "I have come home."
4 out of 5 stars
To read more about My Bonny Light Horseman, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014:
2013: News: The avant-garde art of book stacking in stores of Japan
2012: The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer
2011: Fashionista Piranha will be on hiatus for a while…
2010: The Boleyn Wife by Brandy Purdy
2009: Summary: Book Reviews from January - May 2009
by L. A. Meyer
Book Six in the Bloody Jack Adventures.
Review contains spoilers for earlier books in the series.
Jacky Faber’s long streak of good fortune finally runs out when she is captured by the British and hauled back to London for punishment. She is executed before witnesses, but the death is staged; Jacky’s life is spared so that she may go to France and spy for the crown. Posing as an American dancer, Jacky is sent to Paris to extract information from a French general. When ordered to monitor the troops, Jacky promptly dons the costume of a young man and joins the army fighting under Napoleon, but her adventures on land and sea have done little to prepare her for the brutal reality of war.
All of Jacky Faber’s stories require a strong suspension of disbelief. Her ability to succeed at virtually anything she tries has never been realistic; how can one girl become an officer in the British navy, an educated young lady after a childhood in the slums, a pirate captain, a dramatic actress, a riverboat racketeer, and now a successful spy for Britain? Never mind that by the end of the book, Jacky has also succeeded in transforming a group of country bumpkins into a crack team of soldiers, has uncovered critical information necessary for the French war effort, and ultimately gained the approval of Napoleon himself? It’s impossible, and I shouldn’t be able to overlook it…but Jacky’s appeal is such that I’m willing to pretend a girl so clever and energetic and always so very, VERY lucky could do all these things.
That’s the key thing. If you like Jacky and her over-the-top adventures, then this book will continue to hit all the same plot points that made previous Bloody Jack stories so addictive. She’ll get herself into the thick of action with her wits and her flair for disguises. Her kind heart and willingness to work hard will draw people to her, creating a strong bond with fun, quirky characters that you grow to love. Jacky will get in trouble over and over, escaping at the last possible second through amazing coincidences or the intervention of one of her new friends. There will be adventure and excitement crammed on to every page.
Thrusting Jacky into a French war creates an interesting situation for the young heroine. As she grows closer to her “Clod Hoppers” - the men under her command, so nicknamed by the other soldiers due to their country origins - she wants to protect them and trains them well, but as an agent of the British she knows she should sabotaging their efforts. Her conflicted loyalties are further tested when the French soldiers go to battle with the Prussians. She isn’t a true Brit, because she refuses to kill Napoleon or undermine his operations…so what is she?
Her cover identities are always American, since she learned her French in New England and thus speaks with an American accent. Her fluid identity has become a melting pot of different cultures, and she has really become a global citizen. I’m curious if she’ll ever be able to return to Britain and feel at home in a country where she was nearly executed, or if Jacky will decide to embrace America as her base of operations. Perhaps she’ll always be happiest on the sea, where there is no nationality to worry about. After all, at the close of this book it’s when she returns to her boat that she declares, "I have come home."
4 out of 5 stars
To read more about My Bonny Light Horseman, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014:
2013: News: The avant-garde art of book stacking in stores of Japan
2012: The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer
2011: Fashionista Piranha will be on hiatus for a while…
2010: The Boleyn Wife by Brandy Purdy
2009: Summary: Book Reviews from January - May 2009