Though I think the book was probably excellent for history lovers, I was hoping for a bit more narrative non-fiction. This is very scholarly - which I honestly wished I could get into. I could learn something! :-)

"Listen my children, and you should hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; The Ride of Paul Revere

This is an excellent book about Paul Revere, the history of the time right before the War of Independence, and his famous ride [along with other people and events that I had never heard of!! It was a bit mind-blowing]. I learned quite a bit [and wished I could remember the whole poem; we had to learn it in school and we all knew the WHOLE thing at one time] and highly recommend this book for any history buff, especially of that time frame. I am so glad I was able to read this.

Johnny Heller is in my top 10 of favorite narrators and so it is easy to recommend him for any book he is narrating, but I can especially here because he truly makes this story come to life and made an already enjoyable read that much better. You will not be sorry if you choose to listen to this outstanding book. Very well done!!

I was invited to read/review this ARC by the publisher [St. Martin's Press] and I thank them, Kostya Kennedy, Johnny Heller - Narrator, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I read this book just as the 250th anniversary of the famous ride by Paul Revere is approaching. As someone who lives in the Boston area and has visited Paul Revere’s house, as well as Lexington and Concord, the places mentioned in the book are very familiar to me. It is interesting to picture these locales in an 18th century environment. The differences in communication and travel between those times and ours are striking.

The book is a fascinating account of the background, the people, and the situations that led to the peaceful folk of Massachusetts taking up arms against the British. This is so much more than we learned in school, yet wrapped into an engrossing story that the reader cannot put down.

Congratulations to Kostya Kennedy and St. Martin’s Press for writing and publishing a book that could not be better timed. We are just a few days away from the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride.

This well-written, fast-paced, and—given that you already more or less know where the story is leading--surprisingly suspenseful, narrative tells you everything—but not more than—you need to know about Paul Revere. It tells you about his life before—and after—the ride; the network of opponents to British rule he was part of; all the events, emotions, and beliefs that led to his making that ride on the night of April 18th 1775; what happened that night and the following day; the immediate consequences of the Battle of Lexington and Concord; and the way Revere and those consequences have come to be remembered.

Kostya Kennedy is not a historian. He is a professional writer and editor. But for this book he has done a historian’s work of reading all the primary and secondary literature relevant to this story. He has distilled it all into an easily digestible book.

I thus was able to feel patriotic, but not overburdened, for taking the time--at the right time—to read a work that honors the courage of not just Revere but also his fellow rider, William Dawes. More than that it honors the courage of the hundreds of citizens—Minutemen--in Lexington and Concord and surrounding towns who responded to an alarm that came in the middle of the night and were willing to sacrifice their lives—as many of them did—in a battle that they probably never imagined would lead to a full-scale war and the birth of a new nation.

What became clear—at least to me—from reading this book is that Revere, Dawes, the combatants in the battle, and indeed no one who participated in the events leading up to that battle could have imagined where it would lead.

I am grateful that this book reminded me of how much courage, how much rage, how much faith in the rightness of their cause, it took for these “rebels” to believe that, by taking up arms, the American colonies could free themselves from British rule.

The Ride; Paul Revere in the night that saved America by Kostya Kennedy, the author not only recreate the night Paul Revere let everyone know the British were coming but tells us how the economic atmosphere was all the way down to Paul Revere‘s favorite horse‘s name. She goes further to let us know where Mr. Revere sat in the upper echelon which I was shocked to learn was closer to the bottom. This book was very well researched with every detail having to do with that night. The only thing I didn’t like in the book was despite the fact Paul Revere owned no slaves ever in his life and she had to go back two generations to find a relative who did own one she still felt the need to stop and tell us everyone Mr. revere interacted with that had a slave and their names where they got them and if they didn’t have them who they were related to that did. There were other times in the book where talking of slavery and or abolition was apropos to the story but at other times it seemed the author did their best to work it in whether it fit or not. I love history and had this book been called the slaves of the revolution I would’ve definitely been just as excited to read that because I believe everyone’s story needs to be told but I thought that these additions were pointless in the main scheme of the story especially when she would pontificate on whether the slave answered the door or the homeowner because that’s not only not the point of the story it totally takes away all the greatness that Paul Revere wrist for his country. that part of the narrative just seemed ill placed and out of context for the story the author was telling. From the Boston tea party to Paul Revere’s ride I think the author did a great job retelling the story putting everything in order and this is a book I definitely recommend the above about who own slaves was just a small part of the book and I just found it it didn’t fit with the narrative. Yet here I am continuing to go on and on about it so I digress. there’s even a chapter on Longfellow has been the champion for many downtrodden but most obviously he put pen to paper to retell the ride of Paul Revere. This was a great book and one I definitely absolutely recommend.#NetGalley, #SaintMartin’sPress, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #KostyaKennedy, #TheRide,

I was hooked from the beginning!!
I enjoyed this well written and researched story of Paul Revere.
A detailed piece of history that sucked me in immediately.
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Did you have to read (or perhaps memorize) Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow when you were in school? Even if you didn't you probably remember from the history lessons the famous line, "One if by land, and two if by sea" referring to the number of lanterns that the sexton at a local church was to hang to notify the patriots of the coming British forces. And that is probably all you know about Paul Revere. At least that is all I know about him.

I enjoyed a book about Benedict Arnold a couple of years ago and I feel like I need to learn more about the American Revolution and those who fought for a free and democratic society.

As with any history nonfiction book I pick up, I never know exactly what I'm getting into. Sometimes is a dry read with long lists of dates and names. Other times, it is more of a narrative story. Thankfully, The Ride is the latter. I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed Johnny Heller's narration.

I'm starting to think the reason we only learned about this one ride of Paul Revere is because there is little to really know about the man. He was an express rider during the American Revolution - his job was to carry communications to various patriot leaders. Because of this, he was often out of the fray of any of the battles.

Kennedy includes a few more tidbits about Revere's life including his family, his career as a silversmith, and his rise in the political scene. But a lot of the book was about various events that he was not directly involved with. Also, the author uses speculation to transition between various subjects and therefore touches on the issue of slavery a bit more than I was expecting in a book about the American Revolution.

I thought that the book jumped around a bit which made it difficult to follow as an audiobook. But my attention may have wandered a little as well which contributed to my confusion. If you regularly listen to history or other nonfiction podcast, you shouldn't have a problem with it.

I liked that the author brought up the poem in the final chapters of the book. He also spent some time mentioning Revere's fellow rider William Dawes, who has all but been forgotten by history. I remember a few years ago hearing about a female Paul Revere. Kennedy shares the story as well. The girl (she was only 16 years old at the time) was named Sybil Ludington. Finally, he concludes with stories from Revere's descendant Paul Revere III, which ends the book on a light but poignant note.

An interesting point - April 18 is the 250th anniversary of the famous ride, making it the perfect time to pick up this book.

This is a fascinating and detailed look into the life of Paul Revere and his historic ride that took place almost 250 years ago.

The author paints a vivid picture of that night taking the reader along on the ride, up the steeple of the Old North Church, and through the villages receiving the news. There are also interesting tidbits about the event and Paul Revere that I had never read before.

I highly recommend the book to history lovers or anyone who likes an adventure!

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This book provides more context and detail to the way information was disseminated in the early days of the revolution, including that Paul Revere was joined by others to proclaim "The Readcoats are coming."

"The Ride" is a well-written history detailing the events leading up to the Battle of Lexington and Concord, including the rides of Paul Revere and others to warn the Boston countryside of the British army’s approach. Author Kostya Kennedy begins the book with an introduction to Revere himself, a silversmith, engraver, artist, and even dentist, with a passion for liberty and the ability to ride long distances quickly to facilitate communications among various colonies. Kennedy includes sketches of such notables as English General Thomas Gage, his wife Margaret, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Dr. Joesph Warren as well as descriptions of important events such as the Townsend and Intolerable Acts, The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, The Suffolk Resolves, The First Continental Congress, and Lexington and Concord. Kennedy also imparts some of the flavor of the times with descriptions of what 1775 Boston was like. All in all, a good choice for readers interested in American Colonial History, Paul Revere, and/or the American Revolution.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and author Kostya Kennedy for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest and independent opinion.

I enjoyed learning more about Paul Revere's ride in new nonfiction book including things that I didn't learn in school.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book. The opinions are my own and freely given.

This is a well written book telling the story of Paul Revere. How he grew up, how he became part of the group that saved America from the British, and what he did with his life after The Ride.

I got more background of what sparked that ride and what the night was really like. I didn't know there was another "ride" that night either, but Paul Rever's is the one that everyone knows about.

This was a short, fast-read and very informational

I realized I don’t know enough about American. history!!! This really went into what really happened during Paul Revere’s famous ride. It was a fascinating book about an American legend. It is extremely engaging and drew me in from the beginning.
Perfect for people of all ages. I look forward to more books about this author. Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheRideBook #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #PaulRevere #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #NewBiography

As a lover of all things related to the Revolutionary War, I was very excited to read The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America. I'm always a little hesitant to read nonfiction, not because I don't love to learn, but because I never know how the author is going to decide to put their information out there. I'm happy to report that Kostya Kennedy gave you all the facts in an easy to read style, chronologically, with lots of background info, but not in a dry, professorial way. We're given a run up to the Revolutionary War, and then given a chance to ride along with Paul Revere on his infamous ride. We also got to hear about some of the other Sons of Liberty, and how Paul Revere fit into their stories, as well.

All in all, I enjoyed this book very much, and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Kostya Kennedy for the opportunity to read and review The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America.

At first I was skepical that anyone could get an entire book from Revere's eighteen-mile ride on a single night during the complex mess that we now call the Revolutionary War.

But I LOVRD this book.

It's exactly the kind of history I like most: well researched evocations of all the people involved, not just military leaders. Kennedy takes the time to give vivid biographical sketches of key people on both sides (key being those around Revere, including some whose names are scarcely a footnote in broader histories), and then conveys a cinematic feel for the geography of the time. What it must have been like to live there. What everyone saw. What the survivors said later.

Then, after the Ride, we get a sketch of the poem that kept the legend alive, and then brief sketches of other famous riders.

All in all, I thought it was a terrific book for the sort of person who walks the Freedom Trail, or goes to various sites, and squints past telephone poles and stuccoed box buildings and automobiles and all the other detritus of modern life for what it must have been like in those tense days.

The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America by Kostya Kennedy is a deeper look into Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride. On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere, a Boston silversmith, engraver and an anti-British political operative, set out for a crucial mission to alert the awaiting American colonists of the advancing British troops. He had completed similar missions before and yet, this one would help change the American Revolution from isolated skirmishes to a full fledged war and would cement Revere as one of America’s heroes and legends. Digging deeper into the events which would lead to the famous ride, Kennedy details the coordinated pieces to the puzzle. We all know the ride and its importance to American history, but do we know the events and the people who made it happen?
I love American history and I knew Paul Revere’s famous ride, even Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s favorite poem which recounted, “One, if by land, and two, if by sea.” Perfectly timed for the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride, I was ready to dive into Kostya Kennedy’s investigation into this historical event. What the book did was open up much more into the event that I never knew. Through primary and secondary sources, family letters and diaries and so much more, we learn that history is so much more complex than we learned as children in school. While Revere was central to the mission’s planning, he had a lot of help and information from unlikely sources. Told through dramatic and thrilling narrative, The Ride is an engaging page turner! I highly, highly recommend The Ride.

The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America
is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Kostya Kennedy's The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America is a brief but thorough exploration of Paul Revere, his defining moment and the way it was forgotten and then revitalized. April 1775 was when tensions between the American colonists and their British rulers were reaching a crisis point.

Kennedy sets the scene by first going back and discussing Revere's upbringing and skills that made him such a personable and stalwart figure. He had become one of the best dispatch riders available to the patriots. Revere was important, but he was not the only rider, Kennedy notes that their numbers actually were as high as 40.

While a short book, Kennedy paces it well, the chapters focused on the ride of the title are the longest and full of the drama of the moment and how simple accidents of fates or improved knowledge of the local area could have changed the outcome of what accorded at Lexington and Concord.

Kennedy also details the legacy, and the importance of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride" in cementing Revere's legacy. Longfellow's poem arrived just before the American Civil War. Kennedy was able to visit the church tower where the 2 lanterns were (briefly) displayed. He also talked with descendants of Revere, and while modern infrastructure makes it impossible to recreate the full ride on horse, it is drive-able.

Recommended to readers of American history, foundational myths vs. documented fact, and the legacy of history in the modern environment.

It is interesting the things we choose to remember and glorify - both individually and collectively. Paul Revere looms large in many American's mind because he is a testament to speed, cunning and effective communication to spark revolution and independence. But how did these get attributed to fairly ordinary single man when so many others did the same and had equally rhyme-able names?
This well researched book looks at a few years of PR's life and the people surrounding him - well, only white men and black men that were slaves. The epilogue at the end was the most interesting and informative as it discusses similar riders and incidents in revolutionary war era.

This is a well-written, entertaining, meticulously researched biography. It is interesting and informative, and gives a detailed account of Paul Revere's famous ride, and the events preceding and following it, as well as an enlightening description of his life and family. The beautiful pictures at the beginning of each chapter add depth in their illustration of this work. This book has piqued my interest in learning more about the historical figures mentioned in the book, and visiting the sites that are mentioned. I especially enjoyed the reference to Paul Revere's great-great-great-great granddaughter, and the message that a single conscious act can change the world. Many thanks to Mr. Kennedy, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this fascinating book. This is my honest opinion.

Schools teach an abreviated story of Paul Revere's ride to warn colonists of British soldiers approach. The United States of America is almost 250 years old, yet still referred to as a "young" country. I've read many biographies of the founding fathers and the cast of citizens who risked all to free themselves from British rule, But I'd never seen nor heard of one for Paul Revere. One man's efforts stood out against the challenges faced by all, yet there had been little to distinguish his story from any other....until now. Kostya Kennedy gives readers an excellent trip into early colonist life as he builds Revere's back story from a young age. His research shows in the small things, including the names and stories of those citizens who would ride aalong Revere that night to spread the word.
This is not a dry recital of facts. Kennedy has woven the factual events into a fascinating look at how Revere and his compatriots would have lived under British rule. Then we see how the promise of self rule was a driving force. This is a fascinating....there's that word again....story that would make an excellent thesis for seniors or an original gift for the history lover in your family. I know several on my "hard to shop for" list that will be thrilled to have this book.