Charlotte by Janet Lunn

Charlotte Reviews

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  Manybooks

  In this lushly illustrated, emotionally wrenching and true tale of the American Revolution, Janet Lunn tells the story of young Charlotte Haines, who has to face one of the cruel realities of war, family division, and how different, conflicting ideals and philosophies can not only tear families apart, but can turn naturally stubborn, unbending individuals into vile and loathsome tyrants.
  
  Charlotte is ten years old and lives in New York City. It is the year 1783 and she faces a major, emotionally wrenching dilemma. Her father, who supports the American Revolution has forbidden his daughter from even speaking with her uncle, aunt and beloved cousins Betsy and Sally because his brother is a Loyalist. When Charlotte rebels against her tyrannical and unreasonable father and visits her relatives to say goodbye before they are to leave for exile in Nova Scotia, her father cruelly and disgustingly disowns his daughter, turning her out of the house. Charlotte returns to her relatives' home and when neither her stubborn, obstinate father nor her meek and sadly weak mother relent, her uncle's family takes Charlotte along to Nova Scotia. Charlotte never sees her family again, but in a brief afterword, Janet Lunn presents that Charlotte Haines lived a happy and productive life in Nova Scotia and that one of her many grandchildren was Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, premier of New Brunswick and one of the Fathers of Confederation (Canadian Confederation).
  
  Janet Lunn's Charlotte is an engaging, emotionally gut-wrenching, heartbreaking story, very different from the usual Revolutionary War tales, where children are often presented as performing quiet acts of bravery for the Patriot cause. Charlotte actually turns this upside-down and on its side, showing a situation and events where the American Patriot is clearly not the hero, but in all ways the villain. I have found myself completely enveloped by and drawn into the narrative, and so angry and livid at Charlotte's tyrannical father (and spineless mother) that even days after first reading the book, I was still experiencing trouble writing a review that was coherent and not simply a ranting tirade against Charlotte's parents. And I actually had not only tears of sympathy and empathy, but tears of absolute rage and anger in my eyes, and I still cannot believe that Charlotte's father would disown his daughter for simply daring to speak to her uncle and his family one last time (and that Charlotte's mother and older brother never even remotely questioned the father's unreasonableness and cruelty, that they never stood up for Charlotte, that they basically disowned her as well). It boggles the mind that Charlotte's father would call his own daughter a traitor, that he would disown her and reject her for a single and small act of supposed disobedience. In fact, I consider Charlotte's father not only a stubborn, unreasonable tyrant, but somewhat of a hypocrite, being much more akin to the monarch (King George III of England) whom he so despises than the Patriot he considers himself to be. However, while Charlotte is understandably shaken and dismayed at having lost her family, she is likely better off with her uncle's family, she is likely better off having escaped from her father's tyranny and cruelty (her mother's meek acceptance of said tyranny).
  
  Now I would consider Charlotte suitable for children above the ages of seven or eight. The text is extensive, but actually not overly difficult and looks accessible to and for even younger children if one goes by writing style and word usage alone. However, very young children might be both frightened and upset that a young girl could be banished from not only her home (her family), but her country because of a single, seemingly small act of disobedience. There is also much background information and historical details that would likely need to be discussed, such as the fact that both the patriots and those loyal to the Kind of England obviously had slaves (that slavery was therefore not just something that occurred in the Southern colonies of the future United States of America). Older children might still find Charlotte's punishment and fate a shock, but will likely know more about the period and benefit from reading the story and discussing both it and the historical background.
  
  Brian Deines' accompanying illustrations are lush and luminous, realistically capturing the essence of upper-middle class 18th century colonial America; they provide a fitting complement to the text and could even be of use for more detailed discussions and presentations on topics such as typical 18th century furniture, the clothing worn at the time, what 18th century colonial buildings looked like and so on. However, the faces of the human figures do seem rather devoid of emotional intensity; they are all and sundry rather similar in feature and expression, making them appear rather stilted and cardboard-like at times. The illustrations (paintings) do give the reader a wonderful sense of historic authenticity, but the human figures seem so much alike in their facial features that it sometimes feels as though they are just part of the general surroundings.
  
  Now I really do wish that Janet Lunn had included a more detailed author's note, including suggestions for further reading. It would make using Charlotte in a classroom setting more of a teaching and learning tool, but more importantly, having biographical sources readily at hand might be of benefit if faced with individuals who doubt the veracity of the story, who might wish to claim that Charlotte could not be a true story, that all Patriots were by nature shining, heroic and praiseworthy.
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  QNPoohBear

  It was certainly an interesting premise for a novel but lacked plot. It should have been a fleshed out novel and not a picture book. Her father was unnecessary cruel and harsh to everyone, especially Charlotte. I suspect Charlotte was better off away from him.
  
  The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! I loved the historical details in the story and how the illustrations accurately captured those details.
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  Lisa Vegan

  Wow! This true story packed quite an emotional punch.
  
  I had a problem with how slavery was glossed over, until I got to the point where Charlotte’s father did what he did regarding her, then I realized that this was simply a different portrait of a whole other era and was told from its point of view.
  
  I have this on my non-fiction, history, biography and also my fiction & historical fiction shelves. While it’s the true story of ten-year-old Charlotte with a note at the end telling what happened to her throughout the rest of her life, the specific dialogue and I’m sure other details were obviously fictionalized.
  
  So, I absolutely hate Charlotte’s father and, though I understand the situation at the time, I cannot forgive her mother either. I’m glad that kindnesses on the part of Charlotte and others in her life were clearly shown.
  
  The story is completely engrossing. What makes it particularly special, aside from its historical significance, is it shows that a child who is abandoned or mistreated and who has had a practically intolerable situation, can go on to grow and thrive and live life well, and treat people differently than they were treated.
  
  The story also makes clear how children are often the most vulnerable victims in times of war, even though no wartime violence is covered here, and even though Charlotte was a not a direct victim of the war, but was victimized mostly by her own family. Though her cousins and aunt and uncle were definitely impacted, it was by banishment, not by death or physical injury due to war fighting. I like the settings in both the U.S. and Canada.
  
  I did so appreciate the author’s note at the end of the book that informs the reader what becomes of Charlotte, and having that information made me very happy in what was otherwise an emotionally tough book.
  
  I’d like to learn even more about Charlotte Haines and the events described in this book.
  
  The illustrations are just wonderful and really help draw the reader into the story.
  
  Given the serious nature of the events in this book, I’d say this text heavy picture book is for children at least age 8 or even age 9. Appropriate for ages 8-12.
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  Abigail

  When Charlotte Haines learns that her cousins Betsy and Sally will be leaving New York, the ten-year-old is distraught, especially as her stern father has forbidden any contact between his own family, and that of his brother David - Betsy and Sally's father. The year is 1783, the American Revolution has just ended, and the city's Loyalists - those who remained loyal to the British crown during the recent war, rather than espousing the Patriot cause - are being forced to evacuate to Nova Scotia. Into this category fall Uncle David and his family, while Charlotte and her family are Patriots. But when she defies her father, in order to visit with Betsy and Sally one last time, Charlotte finds herself cast off and disowned, and must also make the journey to that far Canadian wilderness.
  
  I have to confess that, in the ordinary course of things, New York City's Tories, during and after the American Revolution, are not a group for whom I have a great deal of sympathy. These are, after all, the people who lived in comfort under British occupation, while more than ten thousand of their countrymen starved to death only a few miles away, in the deliberately inhumane British prison ships of Wallabout Bay (rotting hulks which killed more Americans than all the battles of the war combined). One has to wonder where all these "good folk" were, when the victims of this atrocity were being buried in mass graves in Brooklyn, or washing up on Manhattan's piers, as they were wont to do during the course of the conflict. No, I don't have much sympathy for the New Yorkers who sided with the British. The Iroquois who fought for the British, and then (unlike these New York Tories) were abandoned to their fate? That's another story!
  
  Given that this is so, I think Janet Lunn's accomplishment, in Charlotte, is all the more remarkable. She put me squarely in Charlotte's shoes, and I found that, despite my decided views on the history involved (views that remain unchanged), I empathized fully with her, and with Uncle David and his family. Who wouldn't feel for an innocent child, wrongly victimized by her (clearly deranged) father, simply because she isn't as filled with hatred as he? Who wouldn't sympathize with the individuals effected by war, even if one feels that one side was more in the right than the other? For me, this poignant tale, based upon a true story, is an important reminder that even people on the right side of a conflict can behave in unconscionable ways. It's a reminder that people on the wrong side of a conflict can be decent human beings. In short, it's a reminder that conflicts - even those glorified in the national psyche - are complicated, and often involve wrong-doing on all sides.
  
  For that reason, and for the alternative perspective it offers on the founding of this nation, I think it an incredibly valuable narrative. I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers - despite being a picture-book (with beautiful artwork, I might add), it has some very mature themes - but for those children who are middle-school age and above, and studying the Revolution, I think it can only add to their understanding of the complexity of that time.
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  Elaine

  I read this book years ago and was so moved by it. We are studying the American Revolution and I wanted to give my girls a picture of the ordinary people that lived and fought and loved during that time. This book certainly does that, plus shows how one can make the best of a terrible situation.
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  Franny

  So I didn't realize that some Loyalists were exiled after the Revolutionary War. In Charlotte, a young girl's uncle and his family are being forced to up and relocate to Nova Scotia. When Charlotte defies her father and says goodbye to her cousins, he calls her a traitor and "exiles" her from the family home. Without any other options, she travels with her uncle and aunt to the British colony.
  
  Interesting stuff, but I really wish the author had spent more time on Charlotte's new life in Nova Scotia. Not only would it have been nice to learn more about how the Loyalists thrived, but the story really only focused Charlotte's dad being a huge ass. If we're going to emphasize the narrative aspects of the book over historical information, fine. But then leave your young, impressionable readers with something a little more optimistic and hopeful!
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  Meaghan

  Meh. This would have been better as a longer story. The illustrations were lovely and it talked about a topic little explored in American history, but I just could not believe that Charlotte's father would disown her, a ten-year-old girl, merely for visiting her cousins before they left for evermore. If there had been more pages to explain his character I might have bought it.
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  Lindsay Bray

  A touching, beautifully written book. The illustrations were just gorgeous!
  
  The story itself was well paced and a wonderful glimpse into the past.
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  Cheryl

  Not Found
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  Fire_Dragon_

  JESUS! cHARLOTTLE HAD 15 CHILDREN AND 111 GRANDCHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!
  
  
  
  
  
  I feel sorry for the girl, her father had banished her from her home just because she went to say bye to her cousins! :(
  
  
  
  
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  Lori

  Historically hard times.
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  Katie

  Braden was clearly upset by this book, but it brought about good conversation.
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  Sumaiyah Lee

  It was a good chance to see the perspective of a girl during this time period.