A Tainted Dawn: The Great War by B.N. Peacock

August 1789. The Rights of Man. Liberty. Equality. Idealism. Patriotism. A new age dawns. And yet, old hostilities persist: England and Spain are on the brink of war. France, allied by treaty with Spain, readies her warships. Three youths – the son of an English carpenter, the son of a naval captain, and the son of a French court tailor – meet in London, a chance encounter that entwines their lives ever after. The English boys find themselves on the same frigate bound for the Caribbean. The Frenchman sails to Trinidad, where he meets an even more zealous Spanish revolutionary. As diplomats in Europe race to avoid conflict, war threatens to explode in the Caribbean, with the three youths pitted against each other. Will the dawn of the boys’ young manhood remain bright with hope? Or will it become tainted with their countrymen’s spilled blood? (publisher)

The book starts with brief encounter of 3 boys: Edward; son of a Navy Captain, Louis; son of a French tailor and Jemmy; son of a carpenter who works as a fiddler. The boys’s lives will intervene later on The Caribbean after all of their lives has changed.

The book is told from the point of view of the 3 boys. My favourite was Edward’s story at a ship his grandfather dropped off. I liked to read about the life at the sea and men there. I didn’t however particularly like Louis so I found his chapters to be most boring ones. At the beginning Louis and Edward meet ends up fighting and Louis hates Edward for the rest of his life. I didn’t see the reason for such hate and it was the only thing besides revolutionary thoughts that drove him.
Jemmy was much more sympathetic character. A poor boy with a drunken father trying to get on with life.

There was some slow going paces but overall it was enjoyable. I liked the to read about the life at the sea most and it was fascinating reading about the relationship between the shipmates.

3/5
Published: Fireship Press (2012)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Source: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours