That Dazzling Sun
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That Dazzling Sun, Book 2 in The Tinsmith's Apprentice trilogy, continues the vivid coming-of-age story of Isaac Granger, slave to Thomas Jefferson, begun in Bechtel's marvelously adept debut novel, "A Partial Sun" in which Isaac begins his complicated apprenticeship at age fifteen as a tinsmith in Philadelphia in the fall of 1790.
In this second book, Rachel Bringhouse, the tinsmith's daughter and Isaac's tutur, sails off to Englad to work alongside the famous social activist and poet, Hannah Moore, writing enthusiastic letters to Isaac and which Isaac answers back with assistance from the irrepressibly poetic cook's helper, Ovid. Meanwhile, Billey gardner, the feisty and opportunistic former slave of James Madison, pesters Isaac with notions of a business partnership; the charismatic Dr. Cornelius Sharp uses Isaac to confront Jefferson as a debt-ridden slaveowner; and the Reverend Richard Allen provides Isaac with a most surprising document. When an exuberant Rachel returns from England with a key insight and Isaac's hated nemesis Daniel Shady reappears, bent on revenge, the book rises to its crescendo, in which Isaac must rise to his own power and bargain at last with Thomas Jefferson on his own terms. |
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Praise for A Partial Sun
“Lawrence Reid Bechtel’s A Partial Sun is a powerful coming of age novel told in the words of Isaac Granger Jefferson, the teenage slave who accompanied Thomas Jefferson from his Virginia plantation to the bustling city of Philadelphia to learn the trade of tinsmith. Isaac’s tale is rich in language and detail, with historical figures brought fully to life, including Jefferson himself, the enigmatic slave master who authored the Declaration of Independence.”
--Ross Howell Jr., author of Forsaken
“A Partial Sun is historical fiction at its best -- plausible, compelling, grounded in historical research, and dealing with themes of paramount importance and relevance to our own day. As a student of Thomas Jefferson, I was quite literally spellbound by Bechtel’s attention to detail, and ability to create events and dialogue that seem so much in alignment with what one would expect from the characters involved, including Mr. Jefferson.”
--- Allen Carden, Professor of History at Fresno Pacific University (California), and most recently author of Freedom's Delay - America's Struggle for Emancipation, 1776-1865 and coauthor, with Thomas J. Ebert, of John George Nicolay - The Man in Lincoln's Shadow.
"I could not put this book down. It tells the story of Isaac Granger in a Mark Twain-ish style that educates and illuminates without skimping on the horrors of slavery Granger had to deal with in his heroic journey to freedom."
---Karen Thomson, Book Group Leader and Founder of Literature for All Of Us
“[The author does] a wonderful job shaping Isaac's character and sculpting a plot that's thoroughly engaging. [His] characters, good and bad, are all convincing, and the atmosphere and setting feels vivid and realistic . . . . it's our shared humanity and history that asks a conscientious writer to try to understand history from the point of view of the oppressed as well as the oppressor--which is clearly what [the author is] trying to do.”
---Ed Falco, Professor, English Department, MFA Program in Creative Writing, Virginia Tech
“Isaac's adventures and misadventures highlight the complexities and nuances of slavery, even in the North. Bechtel's deep research brings gravity and authenticity to that twisted American social culture. Isaac's harrowing adventures on his trip to Philadelphia is worth the price of the book. I was truly sorry to find myself at the end of Isaac's journey, and I welcome the author's promise of a sequel.”
---Rod Barfield, author, Seasoned by Salt: A Historical Atlas of the Outer Banks (UNC Press)
America's Forgotten Caste (Xlibris Publishing)
Thomas Day, Free Black Cabinetmaker (N.C. Division of Archives and History)
--Ross Howell Jr., author of Forsaken
“A Partial Sun is historical fiction at its best -- plausible, compelling, grounded in historical research, and dealing with themes of paramount importance and relevance to our own day. As a student of Thomas Jefferson, I was quite literally spellbound by Bechtel’s attention to detail, and ability to create events and dialogue that seem so much in alignment with what one would expect from the characters involved, including Mr. Jefferson.”
--- Allen Carden, Professor of History at Fresno Pacific University (California), and most recently author of Freedom's Delay - America's Struggle for Emancipation, 1776-1865 and coauthor, with Thomas J. Ebert, of John George Nicolay - The Man in Lincoln's Shadow.
"I could not put this book down. It tells the story of Isaac Granger in a Mark Twain-ish style that educates and illuminates without skimping on the horrors of slavery Granger had to deal with in his heroic journey to freedom."
---Karen Thomson, Book Group Leader and Founder of Literature for All Of Us
“[The author does] a wonderful job shaping Isaac's character and sculpting a plot that's thoroughly engaging. [His] characters, good and bad, are all convincing, and the atmosphere and setting feels vivid and realistic . . . . it's our shared humanity and history that asks a conscientious writer to try to understand history from the point of view of the oppressed as well as the oppressor--which is clearly what [the author is] trying to do.”
---Ed Falco, Professor, English Department, MFA Program in Creative Writing, Virginia Tech
“Isaac's adventures and misadventures highlight the complexities and nuances of slavery, even in the North. Bechtel's deep research brings gravity and authenticity to that twisted American social culture. Isaac's harrowing adventures on his trip to Philadelphia is worth the price of the book. I was truly sorry to find myself at the end of Isaac's journey, and I welcome the author's promise of a sequel.”
---Rod Barfield, author, Seasoned by Salt: A Historical Atlas of the Outer Banks (UNC Press)
America's Forgotten Caste (Xlibris Publishing)
Thomas Day, Free Black Cabinetmaker (N.C. Division of Archives and History)