Saint Patricks Battalion, James Alexander Thom
Saint Patricks Battalion, James Alexander Thom
2 Rating(s)
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Saint Patrick's Battalion
A Novel

Author: James Alexander Thom

Narrator: William Dufris

Unabridged: 10 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/15/2006


Synopsis

A stirring fictional account of the amazing real-life story of John Riley, an Irishman who led his men to desert the American military during the Mexican-American War, as seen through the eyes of two memorable narrators.

It is June 1845, and Paddy Quinn is a camp boy for the American army—which, by order of President Polk, is bound for Mexico. A young man with journalistic aspirations, Paddy writes letters for illiterate soldiers and learns that, like him, many are Irish, including the enigmatic John Riley. Riley rattles camp hierarchy when he rails against the brutal treatment of Irish soldiers, but he soon goes further, sneaking away at night to switch sides. Riley is not alone. Fed up with mistreatment and drawn by a Catholic bond, Irish, German, and other soldiers join Mexico. Led by Riley, a corps of Irishman called the San Patricios—in English, St. Patrick's Battalion—fights for the enemy in the war's major campaigns. But when they are captured, their resolve is tested in the extreme—as are Paddy's loyalties, to his country and to the man he most admires.

Alternating between Paddy's account and that of Augustin Juvero, a Mexican soldier, nationally bestselling author James Alexander Thom constructs an enlightening novel about war, duty, and loyalty, and draws intriguing parallels to our current conflict in Iraq in his most powerful and relevant novel since Follow the River.

About James Alexander Thom

James Alexander Thom was a U.S. Marine, a newspaper and magazine editor, and a member of the faculty at the Indiana University Journalism School. He is the acclaimed author of Long Knife, From Sea to Shining Sea, The Children of First Man, The Red Heart, Sign-Talker, and Panther in the Sky, for which he won the prestigious Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Historical Novel. He lives in the Indiana hill country near Bloomington with his wife, Dark Rain, of the Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Don on 2009-10-06 20:42:53

Before listening to this book I have had little knowledge of the Mexican War. Really never brought up in any class in school and a little known subject. Would I probably pickup a book on the Mexican War before this? Probably not. Did I do a little research during the reading of this book? Absolutely! Did I look up John Riley? Sure did! Did I learn anything from this book? Without a doubt. Without a question, this was my least favorite Thom book. Would I listen to this book again? Yes for the simple reason that this brought to my attention and made me think of a period of time that has little interest for me. It is historical fiction, and certain liberties are taken, but I became more aware of a period of time in our history that was presented in such a fashion that would make me look into other books of this era. The purpose of a book, in my opinion is to broaden our horizons, and this book fills the need. As usual, after reading a Thom book, it makes google the first option.

Goodreads review by Nick on November 22, 2017

A good historical novel about an awful incident in American history. My only minor complaint is that it's so heavily based on one particular non-fiction work [Rogue's March, by Stevens, I think] that, having read the book, I could recognize the specific passages being referenced. Mr. Thom openly cre......more

Goodreads review by Herman on May 21, 2017

Another good historical fiction this time about the Mexican American war. Unusual in that the narrative view is from the perspective of two children one on the Mexican side and one on the American, I really enjoyed that, and the research was excellent. I knew a little of that war, now I feel much be......more

Goodreads review by Dale on March 12, 2021

A disappointment Published by Ballantine Books in 2006. To start, let me establish my bonafides as a fan of Mr. Thom's work. Three of his novels sit on a shelf less than two feet from this computer. I have the featured review on Amazon.com one of his novels (The Red Heart). Three or four of his no......more