Blindspot: A Novel

started out to be interesting, and I did like the homage to Pamela and Shamela, but man did this get BORING. The main plot is predictable and cliched, and the graphic sex scenes are totally out of place and unnecessary. The only appealing feature to me was learning a bit about colonial Boston - but it would have been better on that end if they had included a map of Boston at the time, as is...more

started out to be interesting, and I did like the homage to Pamela and Shamela, but man did this get BORING. The main plot is predictable and cliched, and the graphic sex scenes are totally out of place and unnecessary. The only appealing feature to me was learning a bit about colonial Boston - but it would have been better on that end if they had included a map of Boston at the time, as is often included in a historical novel. Disappointing. I expected more from Profs. Lepore and Kamensky.   hide

Witty, engaging historical romance. Couldn't put it down and was sorry that I finished it!

I really enjoyed this bawdy tale set in the years just prior to the American Revolution. The subtitle of the book is By a Gentleman in Exile and a Lady in Disguise sets out the basic premise of the book. Stewart Jameson is the gentleman in exile, a newcomer to Boston colonies. Jameson has fled Scotland due to an outstanding debt, which leads us to believe he is a scoundrel, but the nature of...more

I really enjoyed this bawdy tale set in the years just prior to the American Revolution. The subtitle of the book is By a Gentleman in Exile and a Lady in Disguise sets out the basic premise of the book. Stewart Jameson is the gentleman in exile, a newcomer to Boston colonies. Jameson has fled Scotland due to an outstanding debt, which leads us to believe he is a scoundrel, but the nature of that debt is one far more noble and when we learn the reason for it, it allows us to care about Jameson. The Lady in Disguise is Fanny Easton, once the daughter of one of Boston’s leading citizens. Fanny has fallen from grace and has ended up in the Manufactory House; there she works long hours for food and lodging, scarce as it may be. When Jameson sets up shop as a portrait painter he places an ad for an apprentice. Seeing the ad Fanny devises her plan to pass herself as a young boy, Francis Weston, and use the job as a way out of poverty. Of course mush confusion occurs when Jameson falls in love with his apprentice and Fanny, in love with Jameson, must keep her secret. When a local prominent politician is killed Francis/Fanny, Jameson and their friend Dr. Alexander, himself a runaway slave, decide to discover who the murderer is. The story is told in alternating voices, with Jameson writing in a journal and directing his story to us, the Reader. Fanny’s tale is told through her letters to a close friend, the only one who know her secret. Interspersed throughout are several news articles from the Boston Gazette, which lets us know of the political upheaval going on all around our two protagonists. There is a lot going on in this book besides cross dressing and forbidden love. We have the politics informing us of the start of the uprising of the colonies. There is much discussion of slavery, a contradiction of the Bostonians fight for freedom while they themselves keep slaves. There is the murder, a mockery of a trial, betrayals, insanity and more. The style of the book tries to be true to the timeframe, so the language often sounds stylistic. The humor is often ribald and the sex scenes a little steamy, trying for the tone of some of the classic books of the time (i.e. Tom Jones). However the heart and soul of the book is the love story of Jameson and Fanny. I really enjoyed this book, although I think it was a bit overlong and the solution to the mystery was very drawn out. I loved all the history that was incorporated into the story but most of all I really took pleasure in the playing out of Jameson and Fanny’s romance. The ending of the book leaves this story wide open for a sequel and I would definitely like to revisit these characters and their adventures.   hide

I couldn't put this book down - until the central mystery was solved. I won't say the last sixty pages were boring - they tied up many loose ends, but really, a little good editing would have tightened things up nicely. Still a very good read ...

A little graphic on the sex for my taste. But very enjoyable otherwise. Nice visuals of contemporary life.

It took a few pages to get into the dialog of the characters, but it was an intresting mix of fiction and history.

Took this book on my vacation to Mexico. I liked the book, I enjoyed the writing style, it was well written and kept my interest. Good humour, romance and history...makes this a book worth reading. The ending ensures a sequel...I'm almost positive.