Unlike Any Other by Edward Londergan is a story based upon the life of Bathsheba Spooner. The novel tells the story of how she went from a promising young woman, with the world seemingly at her feet, to a woman who would do anything to escape her marriage...
...This is an emotionally challenging read and many times I found myself reaching for the tissues. There are scenes in this novel that are terribly upsetting, and what makes it all the more devastating is that the story is based on historical facts. The vulnerability of Bathsheba's position and her ability to turn those around her against her (she is very much her father's daughter and is rigid in her views about the Loyalist cause) does not help her, and indeed, it makes her a target. There is a certain ring of irony to the fact that Bathsheba was the first woman to be executed following the Declaration of Independence when her father had been a Loyalist brigadier general.
I thought the author captured the essence of this era as well as the character of Bathsheba. This novel is certainly insightful but also harrowing. So be sure to have a box of tissues to hand when you read this book.
-The Whispering Bookworm blog
"A great read."
When you get married, you want to marry for love. Bathsheba certainly does, she dreams of finding the perfect gentleman, who will love her, and be able to keep up with the lifestyle she is used to. She is bitterly disappointed when her father announces she must marry Joshua Spooner, who is not at all the man she dreamed of. She might love her father deeply, but this is one decision that will change her entire life.
You know how this story will end before it even begins. It mentions it in the blurb, and the prologue is technically also the ending. Yet, you can't help but hope something will happen, and Bathsheba will finally get the freedom she so desperately seeks. This is a story of entrapment, of having freedom and happiness, but losing everything. Even if you have never heard of Bathsheba Spooner before, if you are curious as to 'How An 18th Century Woman from A Prominent New England Family Went from A Life of Privilege to The Gallows', you absolutely should read this book.
-I Got Lost in a Book blog
"I Highly Recommend This Novel."
Bathsheba does not want to marry Joshua Spooner, but her father tells her she must. Her marriage has no hope of happiness from the start, Bathsheba does not like Joshua, and his views are that she is his to do with what he will. She is very strong-willed, but he is cruel, and can be threatening. The marriage traps Bathsheba, and while she lives out the life society says she must, and has Joshua's children, she dreams of escape.
This is a very interesting book. Although I don't often read it, I do commend authors who write about the lives of people in such depth as biographical novels can go into. I can't possibly imagine the amount of research that went into writing this book to be as accurate to Bathsheba's life as possible. The ending, although expected, was heartbreaking. If you want to learn more about Bathsheba, and her life, this is the book you should read.
-Like a Thousand Lives blog
