Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women and the Radical Men They Married

Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women and the Radical Men They Married

by Nancy Rubin Stuart

Narrated by Ann M. Richardson

Unabridged — 9 hours, 2 minutes

Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women and the Radical Men They Married

Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women and the Radical Men They Married

by Nancy Rubin Stuart

Narrated by Ann M. Richardson

Unabridged — 9 hours, 2 minutes

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Overview

The fascinating true story of two Revolutionary-era teenagers who defied their Loyalist families to marry radical patriots, Henry Knox and Benedict Arnold-“an effortless read and a fresh perspective on the American Revolution” (Shelf Awareness).

When Peggy Shippen, the celebrated blonde belle of Philadelphia, married American military hero Benedict Arnold in 1779, she anticipated a life of fame and fortune, but financial debts and political intrigues prompted her to conspire with her treasonous husband against George Washington and the American Revolution. In spite of her commendable efforts to rehabilitate her husband's name, Peggy Shippen continues to be remembered as a traitor bride.

Peggy's patriotic counterpart was Lucy Flucker, the spirited and voluptuous brunette, who in 1774 defied her wealthy Tory parents by marrying a poor Boston bookbinder simply for love. When her husband, Henry Knox, later became a famous general in the American Revolutionary War, Lucy faithfully followed him through Washington's army camps where she birthed and lost babies, befriended Martha Washington, was praised for her social skills, and secured her legacy as an admired patriot wife.

And yet, as esteemed biographer Nancy Rubin Stuart reveals, a closer look at the lives of both spirited women reveals that neither was simply a “traitor” or “patriot.” In Defiant Brides, the first dual biography of both Peggy Shippen Arnold and Lucy Flucker Knox, Stuart has crafted a rich portrait of two rebellious women who defied expectations and struggled-publicly and privately-in a volatile political moment in early America.

Drawing from never-before-published correspondence, Stuart traces the evolution of these women from passionate teenage brides to mature matrons, bringing both women from the sidelines of history to its vital center. Readers will be enthralled by Stuart's dramatic account of the epic lives of these defiant brides, which begin with romance, are complicated by politics, and involve spies, disappointments, heroic deeds, tragedies, and personal triumphs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"An ingenious means of bringing new life to the oldest story in our nation's past: the American Revolution from the perspective of the young and clear-sighted wives of generals Benedict Arnold and Henry Knox. Tracing the parallel lives of two couples with conflicting loyalties, Nancy Rubin Stuart achieves a you-are-there verisimilitude in Defiant Brides that is rare and not to be missed."
--Megan Marshall, author of The Peabody Sisters and Margaret Fuller

"In this lively double-biography, Nancy Rubin Stuart reveals the resilient lives of a leading patriot and a notorious Loyalist: both of them women.
Lucy Flucker Knox and Peggy Shippen Arnold deftly performed the parlor politics that helped to shape the American Revolution in surprising ways."
--Alan Taylor, author of The Civil War of 1812

"Written with verve and compassion, Nancy Rubin Stuart's portrait of two extraordinary marriages of the American Revolution offers a valuable and moving reminder that even in the most dramatic of public events, private passions prevailed and participants remained, first and foremost, husbands and wives."
--Marla R. Miller, author of Betsy Ross and the Making of America

"A captivating look at two marriages, marked by bold rebellion and fierce loyalty. The wives of traitor Benedict Arnold and Revolutionary hero Henry Knox never met, and died an ocean apart, but Stuart's story of their marriages, full of love, passion, betrayal, and disappointments, reads like a Hollywood script."
--Betty Boyd Caroli, author of First Ladies

"An effortless read and a fresh perspective on the American Revolution."
--Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Stuart... draws on her long experience writing about women and social history to show that strong women have always driven their husbands to perform prominent actions, both good and bad."
--Kirkus Reviews

"With the seemingly endless parade of books devoted to both founding fathers and revolutionary rascals, it's nice to see some attention paid to the fervor with which some remarkable women navigated the romantic, political, and wartime challenges of the era."
--Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

Stuart (The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nation, 2008, etc.) draws on her long experience writing about women and social history to show that strong women have always driven their husbands to perform prominent actions, both good and bad. Peggy Shippen and Lucy Flucker were socialites who married two Revolutionary War heroes and immediately became parts of their careers. Flucker's love for Henry Knox saw her following him throughout the war to whatever part of the country he was assigned. He was always able to find her and their children comfortable housing, where she hosted legendary dinner parties. Flucker's correspondence with Henry shows a loving couple who longed for each other when separated--though it's not terribly enticing reading. Nor are the tales of their extravagances and scrambles for means. The real story in this book is that of Benedict Arnold, his bravery and heroism, his permanent lameness suffered in battle, and his imperious demands for honor and recognition. It is that sense of entitlement that drove Arnold, with no little egging on by Shippen, to turn his coat. He felt that, since he was passed over for advancement, he had little to lose by defection. Shippen's close social ties to the British Maj. John André facilitated Arnold's treachery. Stuart notes a number of incidents in which Arnold's private use and sale of government equipment cast a distinct pall over his reputation. Too much of the book is then devoted to the Arnolds' life in England, his attempts at making his fortune and her social successes. Read this book for the portrait of Benedict Arnold. The tales of the two Revolutionary-era women leave a great deal to be desired.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940176005813
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 04/12/2022
Edition description: Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Preface
(Continues…)



Excerpted from "Defiant Brides"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Nancy Rubin Stuart.
Excerpted by permission of Beacon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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