Publishers Weekly
04/03/2017
Epstein (The Ballad of Bob Dylan), a biographer, poet, and playwright, skillfully shows how the American Revolution divided communities and households, as would happen more famously during the Civil War. Benjamin Franklin’s family is Epstein’s case study, with Ben in his familiar role of celebrated patriot, while his only son, William, led the line as a loyalist. What Epstein writes of Ben is already fully known, though here he’s rendered as feeling competitive with his talented son and comes off less well than his idolaters will like. Where the book succeeds splendidly is in rescuing William Franklin from obscurity. He was a loving son, an intelligent and honorable man, and a skilled (and final) royal governor of New Jersey who paid dearly by losing everything for his principled, agonizing fidelity to Britain. William could never regain the affection and respect of his father, who refused to fully reconcile with him. Perhaps this isn’t surprising, since William actively promoted Britain’s military actions during the war. Yet while never exculpating William for his choices, Epstein makes him thoroughly sympathetic (like other Franklin family members beset by the era’s divisions), the victim of “a piteous misunderstanding” on Ben’s part. Epstein’s portrayals result in a thoroughly enjoyable and well-informed, if overly detailed, work of history. (June)
From the Publisher
The history of loyalist William Franklin and his famous father has been told before but not as fully or as well as it is by Daniel Mark Epstein in The Loyal Son. Mr. Epstein, a biographer and poet, has done a lot of fresh research and invests his narrative with literary grace and judicious sympathy for both father and son. . . . William Franklin’s motto was ‘Pro Rege & Patria.’ Mr. Epstein’s engrossing account of his ordeal in striving to be faithful to that motto illuminates the plight of the hundreds of thousands of British Americans who remained, during the Revolution, devoted to both crown and country.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Elegant . . . moving . . . In Epstein’s hands, the case of Benjamin and William Franklin becomes superbly illuminating.”—The New Republic
“A fully immersive experience [that] illuminates the tangled family relationships of one of the pillars of the American Revolution.”—Library Journal
“A riveting narrative about the bizarre turmoil between Benjamin Franklin and his son William. The amount of new research undertaken is deeply impressive. And the writing is elegant and always informative. Highly recommended!”—Douglas Brinkley, professor of history, Rice University, CNN presidential historian, and author of Rightful Heritage
“This poignant, absorbing portrait of Benjamin Franklin and his son William is a powerful reminder that America’s fight for independence was also an agonizing civil war, in this case pitting a father against his beloved son. In exploring Franklin’s tormented relationship with William, the royal governor of New Jersey, who remained loyal to Britain, Daniel Mark Epstein brilliantly illuminates the American Revolution’s tragic human cost.”—Lynne Olson, New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Last Hope Island
“Daniel Mark Epstein has written a textured, sympathetic account of a fallen founder, William Franklin: patriot, public servant, son, and political partner of Benjamin. Epstein shows, from the inside, his ambitions, yearnings, decisions good and bad, and final, crushing failure.”—Richard Brookhiser, author of Founders’ Son
“The Loyal Son is must reading for those who want to see the American Revolution from the other side—the Tory side—and to be acquainted with Benjamin Franklin’s darker side.”—John Ferling, author of Whirlwind and Jefferson and Hamilton
“A gripping history of a family torn apart by political upheaval . . . Drawing on much unpublished correspondence as well as published works, the author constructs a fast-paced, vivid narrative with a host of characters whose appearance and personality he etches with deft concision. . . . A perceptive, gritty portrayal of the frenzy of war and a father and son caught at its tumultuous center.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Library Journal
04/15/2017
Epstein (The Lincolns) delves into the complex relationship between Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) and his illegitimate son William, and the far-reaching effects the Revolutionary War had on both men. Although not unheard of at the time, Franklin's decision to raise his son with his common-law wife, Deborah Read Franklin, was out of the ordinary. William Franklin (1730–1813) grew up learning the trades of diplomacy while shadowing his father throughout America and Europe. When William became Royal Governor of New Jersey, however, he was reluctant to give up the position during the war and sided with England as a loyalist. After being placed under house arrest, William lost his home, property, and wife, who died while he was imprisoned. The rift between William and his father, who played an integral part in the colonies' fight for independence, never healed, and William lived in exile for the rest of his life. The flow of Epstein's writing allows for a fully immersive experience and illuminates the tangled family relationships of one of the pillars of the American Revolution. VERDICT For all readers interested in biographies and those who want to learn more about this underexplored part of Franklin's life.—Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA
JUNE 2017 - AudioFile
Politics strained the relationship between Benjamin Franklin and his son William. Benjamin was one of the most influential of the revolutionaries, while his son was New Jersey's governor, loyal to the Crown. Listeners may notice familiar political themes as Scott Brick reads their heated correspondence. Adding to the drama is Brick's excellent handling of the flowery language, both in the Revolutionary War-era letters and in Epstein's writing. The lives of father and son are the stuff of soap opera. Brick gives the story of William's illegitimate birth—and his own fathering of an illegitimate son, in turn—a riveting touch of scandal. The Franklins' lives are a crackling listen as they reveal the passions and divisions of their time. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2017-03-19
A gripping history of a family torn apart by political upheaval.In this fresh contribution to the abundant biographies of Benjamin Franklin and histories of the American Revolution, poet, playwright, and biographer Epstein (The Ballad of Bob Dylan, 2011, etc.) focuses on the relationship between Franklin and his illegitimate son, William, who rose to become a political force in his own right. Epstein's title refers both to William's sorely tested loyalty to his father and unwavering loyalty to England as the Colonies erupted in rebellion and violence. Drawing on much unpublished correspondence as well as published works, the author constructs a fast-paced, vivid narrative with a host of characters whose appearance and personality he etches with deft concision. According to a close family friend, Franklin had been the loving, "intimate, and easy companion" of his son when William was a young man. Charming, "handsome, easy-going, more agreeable" than his father, William achieved success that eventually rankled Benjamin. Epstein notes "open, unabashed competition" by the time William was 40 and governor of New Jersey. However, it was not competition that caused their deep rift but rather their immersion in vastly different political worlds: William, in the Colonies, sought to "manage the volatile emotions" of rebellious protesters; Benjamin, in England, saw Parliament as "power-hungry, factious," and corrupt and urged his countrymen "to stand firm, trusting in their own sense of justice," even risking "a permanent break from the mother country." Epstein is sympathetic to William's desperate desire to quell dissent, actions that led to a year's imprisonment in a squalid cell while his father basked in the warmth of celebrity in Paris, where he lived a luxurious life in a villa. What did Benjamin know, asks the author, about "that hell on earth," the "war of desolation, the hangings and rapes and dismemberments," the 10,000 refugees? Father and son eventually reconciled, but Franklin never really forgave William for what he considered betrayal.A perceptive, gritty portrayal of the frenzy of war and a father and son caught at its tumultuous center.
