James Fenimore Cooper was America's first successful popular novelist. Son of the prominent federalist William Cooper, founder of the Cooperstown settlement, James was educated at Yale in preparation for a genteel life as a federalist gentleman. After his father's death in an 1809 duel, Cooper quickly squandered his inheritance, and at thirty was on the verge of bankruptcy. He turned to writing but his first book, Precaution (1820), was a failure. It did, however, receive some favorable reviews and he decided to try again. In searching for another topic, he remembered the story of a spy, which had been related to him by John Jay years before, recurred to his memory, and the surroundings of his home Westchester county, the debatable ground of both armies during almost the whole revolutionary period furnished a convenient stage. The Spy was the result, and during the winter of 1821-22 the American public awoke to the fact that it possessed a novelist of its own. The success of this book, which was unprecedented at the time in the meager annals of American literature, determined Cooper's career and he went on to write more than fifty novels.
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"This was a good classic read. Sometimes, with classics, the language is just way too difficult and abstract and the story is not...capturing ...but I liked the story, I liked the descriptions of battle and the 'mystery' of the spy. There was a little romance, a little suspense. It was a great book. " — Karen (4 out of 5 stars)
"This was a good classic read. Sometimes, with classics, the language is just way too difficult and abstract and the story is not...capturing ...but I liked the story, I liked the descriptions of battle and the 'mystery' of the spy. There was a little romance, a little suspense. It was a great book. "
" Fun to read while reading, didn't draw you back. Cooper's first, and the ending was written before the middle... so there's a reason for it's "imperfection". Definitely enjoyable. "
" Cooper has such a long, painful way of writing conversation, but it was an interesting book anyway. Kept my interest until the end, but would not read it again. "
" The plot and characters were interesting, but the story just dragged the whole way through. I probably will not read much more of Cooper. "
" Being as JFC's mother is a blood relative I am more than obligated to read his books. "
" I was always a big fan of Cooper, and this book was a great treat to find. Once more, here is a little known book that should be on everone's list of must-reads but instead gets little to no attention. "
" Entertaining story set against the Revolutionary War. Suffers a little from archaic language and expressions, also a bit wordy to the modern reader. "
" My all time favorite Cooper book. It is set in the time of the Revolutionary War. I spent the whole time trying to figure out which character was the spy and which side they where spying on. Can't say more or I'd spoil the ending. "
" This was a fairly good effort on Cooper's part. I enjoyed the Leatherstocking series, and this is along the same lines. Very interesting details and insight into life of the 18th century. "
" This was an AMAZING story of an extremely heroic man. "
" Classic Cooper style and story. Excellent portrayal of the time, environment, and historical period. "
James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851), the first major American novelist, was the son of a wealthy landowner who founded Cooperstown, New York. He attended Yale and served in the navy before turning to writing, winning international fame with The Spy (1821). After The Pioneers (1823), public fascination with the character of Natty Bumppo led him to write a series of sequels that gradually unfold the entire life of the frontier scout.
Jim Roberts is a published author, illustrator, and a narrator of children’s books.
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