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Beardstown (The American Trilogy Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Sam Foster (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
See all formats and editions
A B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

When Americans created civilization from wilderness, there were those who followed the rules and those who created their own—an enduring conflict between liberty and virtue that formed a new land.

Five years have passed since the death of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. The native peoples of the Midwest have been defeated, and the fertile soil of Illinois is up for grabs by a steady stream of opportunistic dreamers. The ones who get there first will shape this new America as it suits them—or so they intend.

When two young adventurers, Thomas Beard and Murray McConnel, find their way to Mascouten Bay in 1818, the land is full of promise. There, Beard envisions a town built on the bank of the Illinois River, a bustling place of commerce. With McConnel’s gift for political strategy, the two manipulate the land, and the laws, to work in their favor. This new town—Beardstown—will be above all a place of civilization and culture. But the untapped wealth of the region attracts more than just families. Fierce young people are out to make their fortunes in any way they see fit, and the frontier promises them the freedom to do so. As the town’s founders wrestle to manage the clash of virtue and liberty, they bear witness to a nation shaping itself, a nation whose powerful forward momentum might be impossible for them, or anyone else, to control.

Beardstown boldly tracks the sweep of the nineteenth century across middle America and features an incredible cast of characters, from farmers, philosophers, soldiers, and gamblers to calculating entrepreneurs, charming and brilliant madams, and even a young captain-turned-lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. Beardstown is the second book of the American Trilogy series, three novels that reframe the epic legacy of the fight for the American Midwest.
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  1. Book 2 of 3
    The American Trilogy
  2. Print length
    431 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    October 4, 2022
  6. File size
    3802 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

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Kirkus review of Beardstown

Catraphoenix review of Beardstown

Ron Starner review of Beardstown

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Informative and engaging . . . well-developed characters transform a timeline of events into a captivating tale. An epic novel."—Kirkus Reviews

"A wonderfully done historical novel on the battle for the Midwest. I can't wait to read the third book in the American Trilogy series . . . and anything else Sam Foster writes."—Catraphoenix, book blogger

"In this literary tour de force . . . Foster pens a novel so wrought with ambition, grief, exultation, and relief that the sheer weight of emotion overwhelms the reader while reminding us that the grueling work of placemaking is never done. . . . He's a master at his craft and one who's fun to read. I can't wait for part three."—Ron Starner, executive vice president of Conway Data, Inc.

"Sam Foster's tale of life on the midwestern frontier relates very well with current issues facing industrial development. . . . [an] amazingly entertaining story." —Ron L. Frierson, director of economic policy, City of Los Angeles

"Once again Sam Foster has delivered an incredibly delightful novel. As a man setting out to build a modern American city two hundred years after Tom Beard showed up on the banks of the Illinois River, I really identified with the characters. Especially Tom Beard, who is asked, 'Who will build the churches and schools?' by his business partner. 'We will,' he says, 'because we are empire builders, the others are just in it for the money.'" —Randy Kendrick, developer of Hayden, Texas, America's city of the future

About the Author

Foster lives and writes overlooking R.A.T. Beach in Torrance, California. He is the author of the five-star reviewed Alpha Male, the Pushcart Prize-nominated Non-Semper Fidelis, and A Panther Crosses Over, the first book in the American Trilogy series.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B99CQHHP
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Agave Americana Books (October 4, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 4, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3802 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 431 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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Sam Foster

Sam Foster

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Foster lives and writes overlooking R.A.T. Beach in Torrance, California. He is the author of the five-star reviewed Alpha Male and the forthcoming series, The American Trilogy. Visit his website at samfosterbooks.com

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
20 global ratings
A B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree!
5 Stars
A B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree!
We are proud to announce that BEARDSTOWN (The American Trilogy Book 2) by Sam Foster has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
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Top reviews from the United States

Jill Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars from a Beardstown native
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
It was great to read names, places, and events about which I have heard all my life being a Beardstown native. Fictitious events and creative geography were interwoven with names and things commonplace to my ancestors. The story left me wondering at some events as to whether they were fact or fiction. Wyatt Earp actually was there in his early years but I don't know what his role was. Sara and Tom Beard did divorce after a few years due to her unfaithfulness, but I don't know about the riverboat gambler connection. I have no idea if the salon actually existed, but it made a good story. And LIncoln did get Duff Armstrong off the murder charge at the courthouse in Beardstown by using an almanac. The courthouse is the only one in Illinois still currently in use where Lincoln practiced.
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Big Eddie
5.0 out of 5 stars History brought to Life
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
Brilliant historical fiction filled with wonderful characters and settings of life on the American frontier as it happened. Couldn’t put it down!
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Nancy Rossman
4.0 out of 5 stars A great history lesson
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
This novel has been researched painstakingly for accuracy of facts in time and setting before the “novel” unfolds. Once the action started I was riveted to its conclusion. Good read
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James P. Rowell
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
Interesting topic and well written
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indieBRAG
5.0 out of 5 stars A B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree!
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2023
We are proud to announce that BEARDSTOWN (The American Trilogy Book 2) by Sam Foster has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
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indieBRAG
5.0 out of 5 stars A B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree!
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2023
We are proud to announce that BEARDSTOWN (The American Trilogy Book 2) by Sam Foster has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
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