THE DUTCH GIRL
Renegades of the American Revolution
The acclaimed author of Mistress Firebrand and The Turncoat continues “her own revolution in American historical romance” with another smart, sexy, swashbuckling novel set during the American Revolution.
Manhattan and the Hudson River Valley, 1778. The British control Manhattan, the Rebels hold West Point, and the Dutch patroons reign in feudal splendor over their vast Hudson River Valley estates. But the roads are ruled by highwaymen. Gerrit Van Haren, the dispossessed heir of Harenwyck, is determined to reclaim his inheritance from his decadent brother, Andries, even if that means turning outlaw and joining forces with the invading British.
The acclaimed author of Mistress Firebrand and The Turncoat continues “her own revolution in American historical romance” with another smart, sexy, swashbuckling novel set during the American Revolution.
Manhattan and the Hudson River Valley, 1778. The British control Manhattan, the Rebels hold West Point, and the Dutch patroons reign in feudal splendor over their vast Hudson River Valley estates. But the roads are ruled by highwaymen. Gerrit Van Haren, the dispossessed heir of Harenwyck, is determined to reclaim his inheritance from his decadent brother, Andries, even if that means turning outlaw and joining forces with the invading British. Until, that is, he waylays the carriage of beautiful young finishing school teacher Anna Winters…
Anna is a committed Rebel with a secret past and a dangerous mission to secure the Hudson Highlands for the Americans. Years ago, she was Annatje, the daughter of a tenant farmer who led an uprising against the corrupt landlords and paid with his life. Since then, Anna has vowed to see the patroon system swept aside along with British rule. But at Harenwyck she discovers that politics and virtue do not always align as she expects…and she must choose between two men with a shared past and conflicting visions of the future.
- NAL
- Paperback
- March 2016
- 400 Pages
- 9780451471024
Buy the Book
$15.00
About Donna Thorland
Graduating from Yale with a degree in Classics and Art History, Donna Thorland managed architecture and interpretation at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, for several years. She then earned an MFA in film production from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. She has been a Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellow and a WGA Writer’s Access Project Honoree, has written for the TV shows Cupid and Tron: Uprising, and is a writer on the WGN drama Salem. She is the author of the Renegades of the American Revolution novels.
Praise
“Vivid, evocative, Thorland’s newest novel about the Revolution reminds us that more than one kind of liberty was at stake. Rich in historical detail, overflowing with political intrigue and lost love, The Dutch Girl is a captivating and thought-provoking read.”—Sara Donati, international bestselling author of the Wilderness series
“Let [Thorland] sweep you back to the American Revolution, into a world of spies, suspense, skullduggery, and sex. You won’t want to stop reading.”—New York Times bestselling author William Martin
“Truly brilliant. Prepare to be blown away.”—New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley
“A stay-up-all-night, swashbuckling, breath-holding adventure of a novel…”—Lauren Willig, national bestselling author of the Pink Carnation series
Discussion Questions
The novel has many elements that place it in the Gothic tradition: a remote house; a
powerful, landed aristocrat; a heroine separated from her home and family. How does it
conform to and defy the conventions established by books like Jane Eyre and Rebecca?
What do Anna’s klompen symbolize to Gerrit? Do they mean something different to
Anna herself? What do they mean to you?
How did you feel about the choices Annatje made to survive after she left Harenwyck?
Kate Grey blackmails Anna into traveling to Harenwyck, but Anna acknowledges, if
only to herself, a debt owed to the Widow. Do you think Anna made the journey to save
herself from exposure as an imposter, or for more complicated reasons?
The Widow told Anna that she would make a good teacher, but that it was not a role
she could play forever, because of her strong sense of social justice. Was the Widow
right?
Andries Van Haren has a vision for reforming the patroonship that will provide his
tenants with schools, doctors, better roads, and more favorable markets for their goods.
Would you choose the security of tenancy under a regime like Andries’, or the
independence—and uncertainties—of life as a freeholder?
Gerrit resorts to highway robbery to destabilize his brother’s regime. Is he more or less
justified than the partisan bandits terrorizing the Hudson River Valley on behalf of the
British and Rebel armies?
Did Anna really see the ghost of Barbara Fenton in the woods, or was it a
hallucination?
Barbara Fenton’s tragic romance with her Dutchman serves as a counterpoint to
Anna’s happy union with Gerrit. Anna and Gerrit both find meaning in the story. What is
it that Anna learns from Barbara’s tale? What is Gerrit’s lesson?