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The Traitor Wife A Novel Allison Pataki Books

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The Traitor Wife A Novel Allison Pataki Books

I was so disappointed in this book which focuses on an important part of our American history and the role of Peggy Shippen, a woman whose life is little written about. I am an historian with a particular fondness for 18th and 19th century American history. I was only a few pages into the novel when I started finding startling historical inaccuracies in things such as description of Colonial architecture, food, even clothing. To wit: the author describes the Shippen home in Philadelphia c.1779 as having black shutters. Alas, black paint and thus black shutters were not available until later in the 19th century. By the 2nd chapter, I found I was making a written list of historical errors and anachronisms that eventually was quite long. I also found the name of the main character, Shippen's maid, to have been an unfortunate choice. Every time another character addressed her by her full name, "Clara Bell," I just cringed. Perhaps someone older than 60 should have also read the manuscript and realized that Clarabel was the name of Howdy Doody's clown friend. Add in the strange mix of faux historical syntax and expressions (i.e., aye, nay) which flip-flopped with modern language -- all very off-putting. As a long-time resident of the lower Hudson Valley, I am familiar with the locales in NY State where Andre's and Arnold's activities took place. I have dined many times at the "'76 House" where Andre was kept prisoner and stood on the spot where he was hanged. I think that this book could have benefited from the inclusion of some maps, especially that of the area around West Point to help readers locate where events took place, and also of Philadelphia. Wish more about his courage after his capture was explained at the end. I agree with the reviewer who said that this book borders on being a bodice-ripper. I find it hard to believe that Shippen was as shallow and flighty as portrayed and that Benedict Arnold -- who was one of our most talented Rev.War generals -- was a dumb as he was portrayed. Arnold was a brilliant and complex man whose tallents were overlooked by nearly everyone but Washington. Arnold's achievements were heroic and perhaps if the Continnental Congress had paid the monies he was owed, he might not have fallen prey to the British promises. Regardless, I admire Ms. Pataki's energy in trying to bring this important part of our history alive to readers. She definitely needs to hone her craft, do much more in-depth historical research to support her descriptions, and also to find some experienced, objective, and mature editors. Hopefully someday another more skilled will take up the subject of Peggy Shippen in the future.


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The Traitor Wife A Novel Allison Pataki Books Reviews

The Traitor's Wife promises to tell the story of Peggy Shippen, the wife of infamous traitor Benedict Arnold. While the book is exceptionally well-written and full of interesting twists and turns, don't be fooled by the title. The main--and, in my opinion, more interesting--character is Clara, the maid to Mrs. Arnold who tells the tale. Clara witnesses the rise of her mistress and is even there when her employer decides to jump ship, and Clara's take on it all is certainly the more interesting story. I found myself unable to put the book down, and the perspective of a maid was unexpected but refreshing. The author is an impressive storyteller and did her research well, and I found myself falling in love with the characters. Just wish the title would have given Clara the credit!
Where to begin......
Fool me twice...I have now purchased two best-selling "historical novels" and couldn't get through either one of them. I now realize this "genre" is simply re-branded romance novels. Do Americans really think this trash is history??
Haven't we reached a point where we can portray women who played significant roles in history in any context other than a lurid sexual one? Pataki clearly lacks the scholarship to create a legitimate biography which would portray her protagonist as a fully developed character in political/historical context. Then again, legitimate biography (with apologies to Doris Kearns Goodwin) doesn't sell as well as a trashy romance novel, and Pataki was clearly aiming for a quick best-seller.

The Traitor's Wife is a first effort by an uninspiring writer. The prose is simplistic and awkward, the characters formulaic and in several cases thinly veiled replicas of characters from famous novels. The character of Shipman's mother--portrayed as a stiff, judgmental religious fanatic--is nearly identical to a character in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. The "Traitor's Wife" Peggy Shippen sways uncomfortably close to Scarlett O'Hara at her worst, including a scene in which Pataki describes Shippen holding onto the bedpost while her maid tightens her corset strings until she can hardly breathe. Are these personality types unique? No; but in Pataki's poorly drawn scenes they are instantly evocative of more famous (and well-written) characters.
Scarlett O'Hara may have started life as a selfish and manipulative flirt, but she also walked through enemy lines, built three businesses and made herself a millionaire. Not so poor Peggy Shippen. In Pataki's hands, she becomes a scheming, unlikeable slut out for the big score. Pataki surrounds her with unbelievable characters and plays fast and loose with history (which, to her credit, Pataki notes in an afterword). The novel is told from the standpoint of Shippen's maid, a shallow character with whom Pataki has stretched literay license to its painful limits. Dialogue is vapid and predictable, characters are largely unbelievable and unlikeable.
The Traitor's Wife reads like a bad tween romance novel; portraying this as "historical" is an insult
I was so disappointed in this book which focuses on an important part of our American history and the role of Peggy Shippen, a woman whose life is little written about. I am an historian with a particular fondness for 18th and 19th century American history. I was only a few pages into the novel when I started finding startling historical inaccuracies in things such as description of Colonial architecture, food, even clothing. To wit the author describes the Shippen home in Philadelphia c.1779 as having black shutters. Alas, black paint and thus black shutters were not available until later in the 19th century. By the 2nd chapter, I found I was making a written list of historical errors and anachronisms that eventually was quite long. I also found the name of the main character, Shippen's maid, to have been an unfortunate choice. Every time another character addressed her by her full name, "Clara Bell," I just cringed. Perhaps someone older than 60 should have also read the manuscript and realized that Clarabel was the name of Howdy Doody's clown friend. Add in the strange mix of faux historical syntax and expressions (i.e., aye, nay) which flip-flopped with modern language -- all very off-putting. As a long-time resident of the lower Hudson Valley, I am familiar with the locales in NY State where Andre's and Arnold's activities took place. I have dined many times at the "'76 House" where Andre was kept prisoner and stood on the spot where he was hanged. I think that this book could have benefited from the inclusion of some maps, especially that of the area around West Point to help readers locate where events took place, and also of Philadelphia. Wish more about his courage after his capture was explained at the end. I agree with the reviewer who said that this book borders on being a bodice-ripper. I find it hard to believe that Shippen was as shallow and flighty as portrayed and that Benedict Arnold -- who was one of our most talented Rev.War generals -- was a dumb as he was portrayed. Arnold was a brilliant and complex man whose tallents were overlooked by nearly everyone but Washington. Arnold's achievements were heroic and perhaps if the Continnental Congress had paid the monies he was owed, he might not have fallen prey to the British promises. Regardless, I admire Ms. Pataki's energy in trying to bring this important part of our history alive to readers. She definitely needs to hone her craft, do much more in-depth historical research to support her descriptions, and also to find some experienced, objective, and mature editors. Hopefully someday another more skilled will take up the subject of Peggy Shippen in the future.