Tinker
The violent days of the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania in 1794 fuel this dramatic story of a young woman caught up in its midst. Caroline Neville is the daughter of the local tax collector, John Neville. John is unquestioningly loyal to President George Washington’s need to use the whiskey tax to help pay off the new country’s wartime debts. Most of the local citizens do not have the money to pay this tax, however, because they barter with whiskey and are cash poor. A schism between those who can afford to pay the whiskey tax and those who cannot seems inevitable. Tension grows, and a local militia begins destroying the whiskey stills of those who pay the tax. The resulting chaos pits neighbor against neighbor. It threatens people’s personal safety, property, and livelihoods.
Caroline is sympathetic to those who cannot pay the tax, but she also understands her father’s point of view. This fraught situation causes her to insert herself into the middle by writing anonymous articles as Tom the Tinker which suggest solutions. The letters call upon her father to push for a land tax instead, and call on the local citizens to form a commission to present reasonable alternatives to the tax. Instead of compromise, however, she inadvertently fans the flames. And if that is not enough drama, she also falls in love with a pressman who does not know her true identity.
The fast and furious plot drives the relentless action of this novel. It offers readers a swift and entertaining read. It also calls into question what good government should be and how the will of the people should be recognized. Anyone interested in the early days of the American Republic would find this story to be of considerable interest.
