Occurring during the turbulent times of the late eighteenth century, this book is an epic tale of greed and glory, family and friendship, treason and truthfulness. It is a refreshing portrayal of Benedict Arnold, told from the point of view of a London physician. The doctor successfully treats and befriends General Arnold, and finds out for himself that Arnold's version of the greatest treasonous act of the American Revolutionary War seems to be a recollection of slanderous legends and an account of an extraordinary man wrongly accused.

Sensing that General Arnold got a raw deal--Dr. Wilbrey--jumps at the chance to get inside information from the only too-willing, so-called traitor himself. And what a story Benedict Arnold has to tell--of jealous, ambitious founding fathers out to get him, of doubts about the viability of the new nation, and of his edgy relationship with his beautiful wife, Peggy, and her role in facilitating his change of coat.

Born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1741, Ben Arnold grew up in an affluent household and performed well in nearby Canterbury Academy, a well-known preparatory school. After the collapse of his father's business, which plunged the family into debt, young Ben went on to become an apprentice in a relative's apothecary. He answered his first military calling in the mid-1750s by joining the Norwich battalion as it mustered for the march to Lake George and Ft. Ticonderoga. His military career starts as he mounts a grueling campaign to take Quebec, fights off a British fleet on Lake Champlain and heads up the critical attack force that wins a decisive victory at Saratoga. After the battles of Danbury and Ridgefield in Connecticut, he is promoted to Major General and becomes a key player in General Washington's inner circle.

What, then, would cause this brave and cunning officer to turn his coat and plan the surrender of West Point in New York to the British, causing him to be branded as the biggest traitor of the time? He had many reasons. He feuds with his superiors, fumes as incompetents get promoted ahead of him, fusses with Congress over his rank and compensation, and fences with personal enemies who get him court-martialed for profiteering. These insults make him very receptive when his spendthrift Tory bride, Peggy, suggests that the British would value his services far more highly than the bankrupt Americans. Young, witty and beautiful, she's the one who connects Arnold with British spy John Andre, who was a beau of hers until she found out he was not interested.

Ben's Tale attempts to rehabilitate the turncoat's reputation. Some would argue that his name is too sullied to be rescued. But Arnold's story, capped by his and Andre's midnight machinations to hand West Point over to the British, highlights a Revolution that's boiling with corrupt plots and rancorous vendettas--a far more interesting affair than we read in textbooks.

Arnold dies in 1801, and in the last months of his life, up to Peggy's death a few years later, she holds the family together. Her good looks and wit not only bowled over General Arnold, but Dr. Wilbrey, too, who loves Peggy from the first time he set eyes upon her. After the general's death, his attempts to woo are doomed because it is an affair that occurred in an atmosphere that placed personal obligations, commitment and postponement before happiness.

American history buffs would like this book because it is historically accurate. It introduces a fictional character to interact with a major player in the American Revolutionary War. It provides a fresh point of view of an historical figure whose very name, even today, labels one as a turncoat. It might even convince one to give General Arnold a second look.

The dialogue between the major characters is well captured. The fictional character is very believable. Well researched (with bibliography) about a story known to most everyone, this is showing Benedict Arnold in a new light. I was sympathetic to Arnold's plight. The book from my first reading, should be well-received.

First couple of chapters could have been tightened up. Might be a little challenging for some readers to get into. The pace and flow of the story is a little slow. The developing relationship between the Dr. and Peggy is intriguing, but, alas, only a subplot. Point of view and sense of time are often muddled.

It made me feel as if I was there with Wilbrey and wanted to get to know the Arnolds.

Arnold Patrick Parker
The author was brought up in Michigan and spent the better part of his career in the metropolitan areas of New York City and Montreal, Quebec. He moved to Florida in 1980 and has recently retired. Presently, he lives in Naples, Florida. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1963 with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and in 1968 from Seton Hall University with a M.B.A. Writing is something new for Dr. Parker, and this is his first novel. He maintains a summer place in Washington County, New York, where much of the action in Ben's Tale occurs.

This is a fresh look at an historical figure whose very name, even today, labels one as a turncoat. I think this story will probably make many people look at Arnold a little differently and put him in a more human-like mold rather than that of a traitor. The author did a fine job of humanizing Arnold. I enjoyed this story.

There are too many long words, and some readers might require a dictionary. This distracts from the pleasure of a continuous read, although some of the long words could well have been used in the eighteenth century, so who knows?

Ben's Tale took a First Place in the category of Historical Fiction of the 2010 Royal Palm Book Awards, sponsored by the Florida Writers Association.

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Created Dec 19, 2010 at 2:41pm • Submit your own review...