Review: The Man Who Could Be King: A Novel

The Man Who Could Be King: A Novel by John Ripin Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this book for free as part of the Kindle First Reads program

I like to geek out on many things and one of those is history. Thanks to books like 1776 I already knew that it was only through a series of coincidences and good luck paired with General Washington’s leadership that we won against the British. But I had no idea just how many mutinies there were or even that there was a week (the subject of this book) where things could have gone in a very different direction.

The book is very well written and, as stated in the introduction, what’s fictional about it is our point of view character, Josiah. He’s a composite character of George Washington’s many aides throughout the war. This allows for a coherent evolution of thought throughout the war vs what the author would have otherwise have had to do (switch us from aide to aide throughout the war). Otherwise, everything in the book is true and comes from various letters and dairies written by the principle characters involved.

As long as you don’t mind epistolary fiction, I think it’s a great read about a very pivotal time in our (American) history that you’ve probably never heard anything about.

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