Monthly Book Club: The Traitor's Wife

Welcome to the second month of my (real-life) book club and my blog’s Virtual Book Club!

If you didn’t catch my previous post about how it works, please click here, and then come back!

This month we chose to read The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki. The novel follows the lady maid of Margaret “Peggy” Arnold, wife to infamous Revolutionary War traitor, Benedict Arnold. In her eyes, we see how the plot to betray the American colonists unfolds between The Arnolds and the British army.

Intrigued yet?

Although shorter than The Nightingale (last month’s book), it took me longer to get through it. Maybe because this month was a lot busier than last, or because the book moved at a slower pace than I preferred. I think it was a good read for the purpose, and I’m glad we did chose this book; however, it definitely was not my favorite. The author did do a great job at making you understand the type of personalities each character possessed. In fact, I was utterly annoyed with Peggy Arnold right from the get-go. One of my book club gals even texted me about how frustrating she was! (#bookclubproblems). The story is told from the point-of-view of Peggy Arnold’s lady maid, who has trouble standing by as she watches the Arnold’s and the British plot to destroy the American army. There was a bit of romance mixed in but, for the most part, I found the romantic relationships, other than the Arnolds’, lacked substance and purpose. At times, it felt the author put them in there just to put them in there.

I did rather enjoy learning about this time in history since the author left a lot of the historical facts intact. I knew nothing about Benedict Arnold other than he was a traitor to the Americans so this book definitely opened my eyes to more of the story. Honestly, we picked this book because many of us had lacked knowledge on the subject. It was an unanimous that we all enjoyed that it gave us a better perspective on the subject.

We met at another member’s house this time, and will continue to rotate through the group until we have each hosted a party.

In keeping with the American theme, I brought over Corndog Mini Muffins to enjoy while we discussed the book. I’ll be sharing the recipe in a separate post. Y’all- beyond easy to make. The perfect party snack for any casual occasion. Plus, fun for the kiddos.

Due to holiday schedules, our next meeting is set for January 8th. December/ January’s pick is The Train to Crystal City: FDR's Secret Prisoner Exchange Program and America's Only Family Internment Camp During World War II. Download your e-book or purchase now so you don’t fall behind!