The thread of friendship is stretched to the breaking point…
With the spark of independence crackling in Colonial Philadelphia, Perdy Rogers chafes under the strict rule of her Quaker grandmother and the endless duties of her apprenticeship in Betsy Ross’s upholstery shop. So when her best friend shares a secret and invites Perdy to help plan an elopement, she’s thrilled to be with her friends again. But Perdy has no idea that one favor will unravel the stable fabric of her life and involve her in a tangled web of deceit, lies and treachery.
Disguised as boys, three girls head to the river to put Perdy’s plan into action, but only two return. When the third, a young milliner’s assistant, is found drowned with gold coins sewn into her hems, coded spy letters in her bodice, and a journal implicating another sewing apprentice as her co-conspirator, all eyes turn to Perdy Rogers. But she’s no spy!
Accused of treason, she struggles to prove her innocence with the help of a handsome stranger and learns the hard way that freedom, whether an individual’s or a country’s, comes at a cost.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 1/5
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Summary
Prudence Rogers is apprentice in Betsy Ross' upholstery shop. This young teen longs to have the freedom to spend time with her friends. When the opportunity arises to lend them a helping hand, she takes it, little realizing the consequences that will come her way.
I found the historical details of life in Colonial Pennsylvania to be the most interesting part of the book. Prudence, or Perdy as she is commonly known, was not especially memorable in any way. I felt like shouting at her, though, to stop telling lies and to tell her grandmother what happened. My favorite character had to be her much younger sister, who was adorable in every scene.
There were two points I did not like: the first person present tense telling of the book, which I've just never liked. And then the romance. I may be mistaken but I thought Perdy was thirteen, which made the romantic interest from the kind sailor who helps her through the book a little distasteful.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book through Loving the Book.