The Spy: Nonsuch Classics - Softcover

Fenimore Cooper, James

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9781845880552: The Spy: Nonsuch Classics

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845880552 ISBN 13: 9781845880552

Publisher: Nonsuch Publishing, 2006

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Cooper’s first major success, The Spy is also his first book set in the period of the American War of Independence. The story starts in 1870, with the household of Mr. Wharton and his daughters visited by the three men: the mysterious Mr. Harper, an American loyalist; Captain Henry Wharton, the son of the house and an officer in the British Army; and Mr. Harvey Birch, suspected of being a British spy. The differing loyalties of these men are reflected in the differing loyalties of the household they visit, with the father trying to remain neutral, his daughter Sarah a supporter of the British and his other daughter Frances supporting the American rebels. The futures of these characters become inextricably linked as they face not only the perils of war, but also the sufferings of the human heart.

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From the Back Cover:

Inspired by accusations of venality leveled at the men who captured Major Andre (Benedict Arnold's co-conspirator, executed for espionage in 1780), Cooper's novel centers on Harry Birch, a common man wrongly suspected by well-born Patriots of being a spy for the British. Even George Washington, who supports Birch, misreads the man, and when Washington offers him payment for information vital to the Patriot's cause, Birch scorns the money and asserts that his action were motivated not by financial reward, but by his devotion to the fight for independence. A historical adventure tale reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels, The Spy is also a parable of the American experience, a reminder that the nation's survival, like its Revolution, depends on judging people by their actions, not their class or reputations.

About the Author:

James Fenimore Cooper was born on September 15, 1789 in Burlington, New Jersey. In 1820 he published his first book, Precaution, a tale of manners and morals set in England. His next book, The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground, was set in America, and this was to be the setting for the rest of his novels, including the five "Leatherstocking" novels for which he is best known (The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder and The Deerslayer).

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