“Eben’s only shirt had barely survived the washerwoman of Albany” (74). The conditions at Valley Forge were poor before the French joined our side, for example, clothing, most of the soldiers had holes in their clothing and they were very worn down. For example, “the snow was crushed with ice next morning, but it was as nice as the finest day in July” (92).ĭuring the battle, there were onomatopoeias such as “Crrr-ack BOOM!” (9) which allowed me to feel like I was there.

“The cold was a beast gnawing at my fingers and toes” (Prelude) and “The cold knifed through my skin, seared my flesh, and buried deep into my bones” (143), there were also few similes that emphasize comparisons in the weather and how cold and brutal it was. For example, when they were building there hut it was brutally cold outside and they had clothing that was in very poor condition. Overall, I rate this book an 8/10 due to the fact the plot was intriguing, and it had all the components of a well-made plot.The figurative language was very descriptive and useful when it comes to understanding the conditions during the novel. They had to find some way to get around this problem and they find a pretty interesting way. During the last part of the novel Curzon tries to escape from Bellingham who is Curzon’s master, but they run into a problem, Isabel has a collar around her neck so if she were to escape she would be caught and returned to Bellingham. Curzon and his friends construct a hut to keep them warm during the winter.

The following chapters in the book describe the living conditions at Valley Forge such as food, shelter, clothing, climate, etc. Curzon comes across a young boy in the woods (Eben) who kills a redcoat soldier with the help of Curzon.

Curzon was abandoned by Isabel who went in search of her lost sister. Forge tells the story of Curzon Smith, a runaway slave who enlists in the colonial army during the revolutionary war. This book is good for anyone trying to learn about the Revolutionary War and the living conditions for the soldiers and the slaves.The plot of the book was very good, it flowed well and it was organized in a chronological matter. Anderson did a really good job when it comes to the use of figurative language and how she emphasized the living conditions and battles, etc. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson is the second book of the Seeds of America trilogy and it proved to be a fantastic book because of its amazing historical accuracy and use of figurative language.