“Muskets and Minuets” by Lindsey S. Fera

492 pages; Published by Zenith Publishing ©2021

It’s the 1770’s in Massachusetts, and Tories and Whigs alike are trying to go about their daily life on the eve of the American Revolution despite the constant threat of that life being upended by the tensions between the colonials and the British soldiers who have been sent to nearby Boston to keep the peace. 

For young Annalisa Howlett, life is difficult enough at her home in Topsfield without the brewing trouble with the British. Annalisa would rather ride horses and drink cider than wear dresses and learn womanly duties. Society’s expectations keep her at home learning French and keeping house. Annalisa sneaks off to shoot a musket whenever she can and even takes that musket to a neighboring town, disguised as a man, to join its militia. 

It’s not the only time she sneaks out, though. Another episode puts her in the middle of a confrontation between British soldiers and colonists on a fateful March night that would become known as “The Boston Massacre”, where she shows her courage when facing off against the soldiers who roughly question the colonials. Annalisa finds herself standing up to soldiers and the womanizing Oliver Perkins on different occasions.

There are a lot of books that tell about colonial life. “Muskets and Minuets” goes into great detail chronicling not only the tensions in the town, but also in families. In the midst of all this, Fera takes the reader inside local taverns and to strawberry festivals and corn hustings. It’s a book that tells of a young woman’s coming of age and finding out who she really is while the rest of the colony makes decisions that will decide it’s own fate.