A Place Called Freedom

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In London the novel places McAsh at the center of the discontent of 1768 which saw working people become dissatisfied with a higher cost of living and poor wages. McAsh had become the leader of a gang of coal heavers, one of many such gangs of men who had the job of physically unloading the coal barges when they came into the city. The discontent eventually led to riots and unrest across the city. [3] [4] Then he introduced me to Mac McAsh and I fell deeply in love. He is also from the mines and carries himself with a Moses-like presence, you know the part of the movie when he grabs the task-master's whip and saves the woman he does not yet know to be his mother. That is the feeling of who Mac is. That is the essence of Mac who never submitted to the life of servitude he was born into. He struggles for the right to live as a free man. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.

John Wilkes – A British politician and agitator from the period. Wilkes is often referred to throughout the book, very frequently in the disparaging tones members of the gentry use, who are concerned about his politics. [6] The prologue, about finding an iron collar in a twentieth-century garden, is quite unusual and people often ask me if it’s true. It’s not. Many 18th century novels pretended to be real and the prologue uses the same literary device. It gives the reader a sense of how much time has elapsed since the historical period of the story. People who know me realise I couldn’t possibly have found a collar in a flower bed because I’ve never done any gardening in my life. I liked the story I dont think I as much unless it fit into my life the way it did. Some times books, like music are that way, when I think of what Ive read and what was happening in my own life at the time, affects how much I like a book, I have a couple of books like that. Pensa: vivere dove vuoi, non dove te lo ordinano. Scegliere il lavoro, essere libero di andartene e di accettarne un altro pagato meglio, o meno pericoloso, o più pulito. Essere padrone di te stesso e non schiavo di qualcuno… non sarebbe magnifico?". After being caught in the middle of a riot, McAsh is captured and sentenced to transportation to America, a form of punishment which was often seen as an effective alternative to the death penalty during that period. [5] Once arriving in the Colony of Virginia, McAsh is sold into slavery and made to work as a field hand before escaping to the western frontier and eventually finding his freedom.

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Set in an era of turbulent social changes on both sides of the Atlantic, A Place Called Freedom is a magnificent historical fiction novel from the undisputed master of suspense and drama, Ken Follett. Would you consider the audio edition of A Place Called Freedom to be better than the print version? It blows my mind to think of the sheer nerve of eighteenth-century pioneers who went to America in tiny boats and set off to explore unknown territory, having not the least idea what was ahead of them.

Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books. because when I think of this book I think of my father, more then I think of Mac and Elizabeth. it will always be special to me more for that. I did not know that in the 17 hundreds, coal miners were slaves. That there was a church ceremony where they promised their children to be miners for life to a certain mine owner. I did not know that if accused of a crime in London, you were not allowed a lawyer. It was thought that if you needed professional help to defend yourself, you must be guilty. Through character development and a exciting story line, I was entertained and educated more in fifteen hours than any semester of text book history. I could mention several entertaining things that happened, but one of my favorites was where one judge tried 19 cases in one day and sentenced all 19 cases.

I did like the story though, now have will try to make a point of it to read a book before I give it to them.