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The Last Runaway
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The Last Runaway
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The Last Runaway
Audiobook9 hours

The Last Runaway

Written by Tracy Chevalier

Narrated by Kate Reading

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

New York Times bestselling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring and At the Edge of the Orchard Tracy Chevalier makes her first fictional foray into the American past in The Last Runaway, bringing to life the Underground Railroad and illuminating the principles, passions and realities that fueled this extraordinary freedom movement. 

Honor Bright, a modest English Quaker, moves to Ohio in 1850--only to find herself alienated and alone in a strange land. Sick from the moment she leaves England, and fleeing personal disappointment, she is forced by family tragedy to rely on strangers in a harsh, unfamiliar landscape. Nineteenth-century America is practical, precarious, and unsentimental, and scarred by the continuing injustice of slavery. In her new home Honor discovers that principles count for little, even within a religious community meant to be committed to human equality. 

However, Honor is drawn into the clandestine activities of the Underground Railroad, a network helping runaway slaves escape to freedom, where she befriends two surprising women who embody the remarkable power of defiance. Eventually she must decide if she too can act on what she believes in, whatever the personal costs.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 8, 2013
ISBN9781101604397
Unavailable
The Last Runaway
Author

Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier is the author of eleven novels, including A Single Thread, Remarkable Creatures and Girl with a Pearl Earring, an international bestseller that has sold over five million copies and been made into a film, a play and an opera. Born in Washington DC, she moved to the United Kingdom in 1986. She and her husband divide their time between London and Dorset.

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Rating: 3.8401486527881037 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    English Quaker Honor Bright has been jilted by her fiancé. Feeling embarrassed and out of place in her community, she jumps at the chance to accompany her sister Grace, who is sailing for America to join and marry Adam Cox, a dry goods owner in a small Ohio settlement. The voyage is difficult for Honor, so rough that when,shortly after disembarking, Grace dies of yellow fever, she can't bear the thought of recrossing the Atlantic and decides to continue on to Wellington. Adam has been living with his ailing brother and his sister-in-law, but by the time Honor arrives, his sibling has died of consumption. Abigail is now the householder, and it's clear that she doesn't welcome another woman in the home. Within a few months, Adam and Abigail marry, and Honor knows that she must find her own place in her new community--most likely through marriage.Honor is curious about the runaway slaves that she encounters now and then. Quakers, of course, oppose abolition, but the new Fugitive Slave Law makes it more difficult for anyone to aid them. Before she reaches her first destination, the wagon she is riding ini s stopped and searched by a bounty hunter--the brother of a milliner named Belle who becomes a close friend. Despite his drinking and slave hunting, Honor feels attracted to Donovan--an attraction that doesn't stop when she marries a dairy farmer, Jack Haymaker. Though she is warned of the severe penalties that can be brought on those who assist runaway slaves, Honor feels bound to provide food and water to those on their way north. Out of tune with her family and her community, she reaches--and crosses--a breaking point.A lot is going on in this fairly short novel. There's Honor's dilemma of trying to find a place in a Quaker community so different from the one she knew in England and the choices she has to make between moral and practical actions. Set in 1850, the slavery debate is in full swing, and even those who oppose the practice believe that freeing the slaves would bring economic ruin to the entire nation. And Honor is torn between two men who are total opposites.I enjoyed Chevalier's depiction of the Quaker communities surrounding Oberlin, and she created two intriguing characters in Belle, the milliner, and Mrs. Reed, a black resident. Unfortunately, many of the other characters felt like stereotypes, and Honor herself was inconsistent and sometimes even annoying. So overall, this was just an OK read for me, and not the best of Tracy Chevalier's novels that I have read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Honor Bright, an English Quaker recently jilted by a romantic interest, flees to America with her sister, who is to be married to a man in Ohio in the year 1850. However, shortly after arriving, Honor's sister is met with tragedy, and Honor must fend for herself in an unfamiliar country. While struggling to fit in and find her way, she is unwittingly thrust into, and forced to take sides regarding slavery and the Underground Railroad. Though Tracy Chevalier's stories are generally rather slow-moving and lack a lot of what you might consider action, she is gifted at historical fiction storytelling. I've generally enjoyed her older books more than her newer ones, but they've all enlightened me and provided a more complete picture of subjects that I may or may not have had any previous knowledge of. This one was no exception. It started out slowly, but I became more enthralled the further I got into the meat of the story. And although the ending was not necessarily predictable, it was satisfying.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    ‘’I am excluded even from the excluded, she thought.’’Tracy Chevalier is one of those writers who have contributed in the development of Historical Fiction as we know it today. Her writing contains beautiful metaphors and a successful combination of a fresh, modern feeling and a kind of dialogue that is faithful to the depicted era. Girl With A Pearl Earring managed to bring the Netherlands to focus and started a whole array of books set during the 17th century, inspired by the magnificent painters of this beautiful country. The Last Runaway is equally successful. I dare say that, at times, it is even better…Ohio, 1850s. The tension between the cities of the North and the cities of the South regarding the abolition of slavery is brewing. The communities are divided over the issue and over their own religious beliefs, The Quakers are considered weird but they are supposed to be honest and supporters of equality. Does this ‘’equality’’ extent to salves? It depends...In the midst of it all, we find Honor. A young Englishwoman whose life changes drastically the moment she set foot in the New World. Her relationships with an array of interesting characters and her convictions compose a beautiful, sad, poignant story.‘’Well, there you go. We’re all from somewhere else. That’s how Ohio is.’’ The community Chevalier depicts is a mix of opposites. Ohio is a stop on the way North or on the way South. The residents are torn between sympathy and fear. The story is built on the notion of antithesis. Antithesis between our faith and our actions. Between love and duty. Between obligations and wishes. Honor has been brought up to be honest no matter what but there are things she can’t even admit to herself. Donovan is torn between his twisted notion of duty and the demands of his heart. To what extent can we disregard our social and familial duties in order to do what we think is right and just? Do we give in and betray our principles? These are the questions Honor has to face while trying to forge a life in a place that is an amalgam of clashing convictions and troubled souls.The writing is exceptional. I could go on about all the vivid details, the beautiful imagery, the dialogue. There is an underlying tenderness and softness in the prose even if the subject itself is difficult and harsh. Τhe daily life and customs are masterfully described and the themes that Chevalier uses to compose her story are always relevant to any era. The tone isn’t didactic or preachy but simple, direct and calm like Honor herself. The characters are major contributors to a successful novel and in this one we have quite a few memorable ones. Honor is a delight in the sense that she’s realistic, determined and persistent. I didn’t think of her as naive. On the contrary, I admired her bravery because she had to face the prejudices of a whole community and the horrible manners of her mother-in-law. Now, I will become controversial here and admit that I would choose a different path and obey my true wishes regarding marriage and family but I understand her motives given the era and the circumstances. This brings us to Donovan, one of the most interesting characters I’ve recently come across. He is complex, almost tragic in his choices, his inner battle. Belle is also exceptional as are Virginie and Mrs Reed. The Haymakers? I definitely could have done without those idiots…There is an interesting theme permeating the novel. The notion of looking and thinking forward instead of dwelling in misfortune. The American Way. Honor questions this. She considers it a mistake because not remembering leads to the same mistakes over and over again. Judging by the way our world works, I cannot help thinking that she is right. Slavery, war, atrocities committed against the people whose land was stolen by the settlers… Within such a context, future can only become better through togetherness. The end is satisfying but it is clear that Honor isn’t convinced. And she’s right, in my opinion. Noone can speak of equality and continue dividing people into categories. And once more, I cannot help thinking that every successful Historical Fiction novel acts as the clearest mirror reflecting our problematic societies…
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Chevalier had my total attention because of her simple but compelling writing.Young Honor Bright (a bit too much, that) has been disappointed in love and decides to voyage to America in 1850. Terrible seasickness puts a blight on her idea of America and her chances of success.As a Quaker, Honor abhors the idea of slavery. She inadvertently becomes involved in the Underground Railroad, and the complications of that involvement form the plot. A nicely-written, quiet book, this works well. A star off for understating the real horror of slavery and he Fugitive Save Law.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Girl with a Pearl Earring, was a bestseller for Tracy Chevalier so when I received a copy of The Last Runaway I was looking forward to read it. Set in the 1850's, this novel follows Quaker Honor Bright, accompanying her betrothed sister, on her journey from England to a new life in America. When tragedy strikes, Honor must continue to Ohio on her own where she struggles with an unfamiliar society, far from her family and friends.Unfortunately I was rather underwhelmed by The Last Runaway. The larger themes examined are the difficulties of choosing between principles and practicalities, passion and duty, but the contradictions are only cursorily explored.Honor lacked the spirit I expected from a lead character, even as a Quaker woman of her time. She makes little effort to connect with her new life and her passive demeanor is uninteresting. Her letters home reveal more of her character, but it's only a glimpse without sharing nay real insight. For me, Honor's rebellion against her husband and the Society by not speaking for six months, came across as a passive aggressive ultimatum rather than the spiritual choice Chevalier intended.I thought most of the characters in The Last Runaway tended to be fairly one dimensional, including Honor's new husband and mother in law. I really liked Belle though, a milliner who welcomes Honor into her home during her journey and is instrumental in supporting the Underground. Belle's brother Donovan, a slave hunter, is perhaps the most complex character in the novel but he remains largely incidental to the story.Much is made of Honor's role in the Underground Railway in the synopsis, however her actual interaction with the escaping slaves was minimal. She leaves food out under upturned crates and whispers instructions to those that occasionally pass through but it is passive assistance, even with the threat of the Slave Fugitive Act. While there are glimpses of the fear and desperation of the escaping slaves, it seems almost irrelevant somehow.The ending was quite the surprise however, not what I was generally expecting though it was not quite enough to redeem the book either.For me The Lost Runaway was not much more than okay. It gave a brief glimpse into life during a specific time and place but without the depth I thought the subject deserved and the author capable of.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this book, but felt like it could have been better. It's a little bit slow to get going, with the main character's journey to Ohio taking up much of the early section. The details regarding Honor's involvement with the Underground Railroad are the most interesting part of the book, I just wish that the section was more in depth.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In 1850, Honor Bright, a Quaker, leaves England with her sister to begin a new life in Ohio. There is a lot to learn about surviving in her new environment. Honor also encounters the Underground Railroad in her new community and has to make choices about whether or not to help out. From a historical fiction perspective, it was interesting to learn about Quakers and what everyday life was like in rural Ohio in 1850. This book was on my "to read" list at my local library so I was pleased to have been given a free copy to review through the Goodreads giveaway program.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    English Quaker Honor Bright immigrates to the United States with her sister who is arranged to marry a man in Ohio. When her sister dies on the journey, Honor is left alone in a new world and must find her place. I have enjoyed Chevalier's previous novels but found this one on the dull side. I never cared much for Honor's character and the story as a whole was on the boring side for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Tracy Chevalier is an excellent story teller and this tale of Honor Bright, a Quaker who sets off from Bridport to the New World, doesn't disappoint.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This continues the reason I like Tracy Cevalier's books. They give me a deeper understanding of an event in history. In this case the involvement of Ohio Quakers in the Underground Railroad.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "When she saw Donovan, she felt as if she were looking on a distant shore of a place she had once loved but no longer felt such an urgency to get to. Donovan had become like England." - Tracy Chevalier, "The Last Runaway"A major turning point in the story of Honor Bright, the young Quaker woman at the center of Tracy Chevalier's fine 2013 novel "The Last Runaway," comes very early. Jilted by the man she was pledged to marry, Honor decides to accompany her sister from England to America, where her sister plans to marry a man who has settled in a small frontier town south of Oberlin, Ohio. The year is 1850. But Honor gets seasick as soon as the ship leaves port and stays sick for the entire long voyage, She knows she can never put herself through that ordeal again, meaning she can never return to England.Before getting to Ohio, however, her sister dies of disease, and Honor is stranded alone in a strange country. She continues her journey to Ohio and to the man who had expected to marry her more outgoing sister. Honor realizes that to survive in this tiny Quaker community, she must soon marry, but she is not drawn to this man, nor he to her. Besides, another woman, his brother's widow, already has her sights on him even before Honor finally arrives.So many good women seem to be attracted to bad men, and such is the case with Honor. She yearns for Donovan, a tireless pursuer of runaway slaves who follow the Underground Railroad to Oberlin and then to Canada. She detests slavery and, in fact, assists Belle, Donovan's own sister, in aiding runaways, yet she can't stop wondering if she could change Donovan by marrying him. Even after she marries a more suitable Quaker man and has a baby girl, Donovan continues to occupy her thoughts. That is, until she herself becomes "the last runaway."I love this novel. It may be Chevalier's best book since "Girl with a Pearl Earring."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Honor Bright, a young Quaker girl, travels from England with her sister to begin a new life in 19th Century Ohio, where her sister is to marry her fiance. During the overland part of the journey, Honor's sister dies from yellow fever, leaving her alone in a strange new land.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book started very slow but the last few chapters were worth the wait. This story of the Underground Railroad will be of particular interest to those who quilt. So many of the refrences made about patterns, designs, and types of materials were lost on me, but an avid quilter would have a real apreciation for what those details add to the story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am trying to figure out today what made this book so unputdownable last night (I was up reading it until I finished at 3am) and the only thing I can come up with is the character of Honor Bright. She is such a sympathetic character and I wanted to know what happened to her.The Last Runaway is the story of Honor Bright, a young Quaker woman who leaves England to escape an unpleasant past that is not of her own doing, and her attempt to fit into the American society in a small town in Ohio. There are a cast of interesting characters in Donovan and Belle, Jack Haymaker, Adam and Abigail, and more and decisions that need to be made by Honor that foreshadow a deeper meaning behind her name.There were familiar aspects to this novel, anyone who has read Uncle Tom's Cabin will recognize similarities between the stories - but this is more dealing with the other side, what happens to those who disobey the Fugitive Slave Act. It's a life filled with secrets and lies in the midst of a people who refuse to lie.So this ended up being an unputdownable book for me. It moved quickly, had heart and characters that tugged at my heartstrings, and it was a story that was above and beyond interesting. There were little bits of flavor throughout it as well that helped with the story, making it more personable. The difference between English quilting and American, recipes, culture, and more. This is a great book for fans of historical fiction who are interested in immigration, the underground railroad, Quakers, and the early pioneer midwest.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Tale of English girl Honor, raised as Quaker, who find herself trying to carry on her beliefs in America. Describes her interrelationships with some of the people involved with the underground railroad. Not as good as some of the other books by this author.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I find that each novel by Tracy Chevalier seems to be even better than the last one, and, let's face it, she started from a very high level. She seems to have a particular facility for weaving glorious, engaging and engrossing stories from subject matter that one might not immediately view as particularly exciting.. In her latest novel the protagonist is Honor Bright, a young Quaker woman from Bridport, Devon, who travels out to Ohio with her sister Grace who is engaged to be married to a former neighbour who had emigrated to set up a draper's shop. Honor is plagued with dreadful sea-sickness throughout her Atlantic crossing, and then suffers the shock of seeing her sister contract, then very soon die from, yellow fever. Distraught, and still unwell herself, Honor spends a week recovering at the house of Belle Mills, a local milliner with whom she develops a lasting friendship. It is here that we learn of Honor's considerable skills at sewing quilts, a fundamental talent for any Quaker woman. Meanwhile Honor has sparked the interest of Donovan, Belle's half-brother. Donovan's life revolves around the sinister heart of the novel. The action all takes place in northern Ohio which in 1850 was part of the route followed by escaping slaves heading for the total freedom on offer if they can cross into Canada. Honor finds herself participating in "the Underground Railroad", an ad hoc network of people helping the escapes to evade recapture. Donovan is a bounty hunter specialising in catching them and returning them to their "owners". Honor's fellow Quakers find themselves in a quandary - they abhor the existence of slavery but they are also bound by the law and risk losing their livelihoods for open collusion. Honor's life is far from easy, and Chevalier gives a moving picture of her struggles to become accepted in the community. We get a close insight into nineteenth century life on a farm, and also of the rituals of Quaker life (including quilts), though this is never allowed to intrude into the novel. At the end of each chapter we find a letter from Honor and addressed either to her parents or to "Biddy", her best friend from back home in England which allows Chevalier to advance the story.The blending of the characters, the historical context, an engaging plot and Chevalier's trademark beautiful prose makes this a glorious novel. One of the finest I have read this year.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read Chevalier's The Girl with the Pearl Earring years ago, but have not kept with her later work. I stumbled across this book and was intrigued by the topic. Chevalier lived up to my high hopes and expectations. I loved this book. I listened to it, rather than read it. The narrator was the perfect fit. I loved her slow, quiet voice. It fits the protagonist's character who was a Quaker. I also appreciated Chevalier's writing style with her careful attention to detail. I didn't realize that "silence" could be described, and so beautifully. The story centers around Honor Bright who is a young Quaker women accompanying her sister to America. Honor's sister is engaged to a Quaker man living in Ohio. But events quickly turn upside down and Honor finds herself alone in a strange, new country. Woven into Honor's story is her chance meeting with a runaway slave. She is drawn into being a part of the last leg of the underground railroad. This role puts her in conflict with the gov't new law and with her community.I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Runaway! I highly recommend it to those who enjoy historical novels, particularly ones about America's early years. Now, I plan to pick up Chevalier's other books and read those as well!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked learning about Quakers and quilts and underground railway, good read indeed.However, somehow it happened that within several months I read three books with vivid description of vomiting on the boat from Europe to USA by a young nice girl who later agonizes that she wouldn't be able to go home. "Brooklyn", "Shoemaker's Wife" and "Last Runaway". Well, I am glad I flew here ;-)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jilted by her fiance, English Quaker Honor Bright travels with her sister from Britain to America in 1850. When her sister dies of yellow fever soon after arrival, Honor has not choice but to continue her journey and meet up with her sister's fiance. Unfortunately his brother has also just died. Honor stays with him and his newly widowed sister-in-law and tries to get used to a very different life in pre-civil war Ohio. Life is complicated by a local slave hunter, her relationship with two very strong women, and the activities of the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses and food depots helping runaway slaves make their way to freedom in Canada. We learn much about quilts and quilting, but I would have liked more development of the underground network and plight of runaway slaves. Enjoyed.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Set in the 1850s, Honor Bright, a Quaker from England who suffered the loss of her sister on her journey to America, is forced to rely on the goodness and kindness of strangers she meets on her way to Ohio, where she was to live with the man to whom her sister had been engaged to be married. Before long, she meets both abolitionists and slave hunters. With her conscience as her guide, and going against the wishes of the family she now lives with, she helps and hides runaway slaves on their way north to Canada despite the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act. Her actions are not without consequences, but her strength and conviction in the choices she makes highlight the contrast among those who seek to do the right thing and those who are willing to turn a blind eye to racial injustices. Honor's internal struggle to conform with the community's expectations and to silence her conscience was boldly explored.I thought this was probably the weakest of the author's works. I'm surprised the Underground Railroad and the other people who helped maintain it in addition to the hardship and dangers faced by the runaway slaves weren't given more attention in the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A good read with a plot that moved along -- though this book was not as enjoyable as Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was mesmerizing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What drew me to this book are my family roots in the Midwest and the Quaker faith. The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier is set in the 1850s and in Ohio. Honor Bright decides to leave Dorset, England go with her sister to America after she was jilted. Embarrassed and disappointed she wants a fresh start. Her sister, Grace is betrothed to Adam Cox in the little farming community of Faithwell, which is very close to Oberlin. This was the time of the Underground Railroad but a new law was coming to punish those who hid and fed runaway slaves. That law would put a big strain and threatened their livelihood on those who participated in helping the runaways. They could go to prison and lose their farms.Her sister dies of yellow fever and Honor has to either return to Dorset in England or marry someone. Choices were very limited for a young unattached woman. She could temporarily live with the Cox family but she was made to feel unwelcome.Honor experiences great differences between the life in Ohio and England, in clothes, customs, food, Quaker meetings and types of houses. I was amazed at how Tracy Chevalier accurately captured the lifestyle of the farmers in the Midwest. There are things that in this book that are only known by Midwesterners today. And the meals eaten were similar to what I remember as a child visiting my aunts and uncle on the farm. I have had some of the same farm experiences in the 1950s. I know that the author researched Quaker people in that period in the Midwest. I wonder how she learned about the secrets. I will not tell you what they are so you can discover them in this book.Besides the story of the Quaker farming community, the Underground Railroad this is also one of a young woman with very few choices and how she coped.I highly recommend this book to all American Historical fiction lovers.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really enjoyed the setting of the book and the details about Quaker life and farming in 1840s Ohio. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to care about the dull and judgmental heroine, who seems to devote more emotional energy to being critical of her neighbors' quilting preferences and love of rocking chairs than she does to grieving the loss of her sister or deciding who she ought to marry.

    I had hoped the novel's plot would involve a lot more detail about the Underground Railroad than it does--but this is not really primarily a story about escaped slaves at all, but the story of a young Quaker woman struggling to find a balance between doing what she thinks is right and accommodating the views of her community and family. Readers going in expecting that to be the primary focus may enjoy it more than I did.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A good story ( as always by Chevalier) - 1850's migration from England to Ohio - Quakers - quilting - slave underground railroad
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great story and setting however I enjoyed Remarkable Creatures more.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Mediocre tale. The reader is never truly involved with any of the characters and certainly is never drawn into the perils of the slaves trying to escape their bondage. Even the Quaker way of life is never truly defined so that one could empathize with Honor, a name WAY too contrived. Wellington and Oberlin are mentioned as important to the underground, but nothing of note is ever said about the communities. There are other books on this topic far better, I'm sure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Deceptively simply told, set in the 1850's. Illuminating the slave trade and a young America's relationship with it, and the confinement of pioneers both men and women in such a large New World. Stitched together with quilting. And no easy answers. Chevalier just gets better and better.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I eagerly await each of Tracy Chevalier's books - she is one of my favorite authors. When I started reading The Last Runaway, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It seemed different from her other books. The sentences are simple and slightly awkward at the start. As I kept reading though, I decided that the simple writing matches the simplicity of the very likable heroine, Honor Bright. She is a Quaker making her way in a new country. This book has a lot in it. I feel like I need to read it again because it has some very subtle "a-ha" moments. While it takes place in the early 1850's, the themes are very relevant to headlines in the the news today - especially how people with different views have to live together in the same communities. I highly recommend reading this book - it has everything in it: friendship, love, lust, loss, bravery, quilting, and more all set in a very believable historically relevant backdrop.And have I mentioned how much it feels like reading Little House on the Prairie? There is much to compare and contrast between the books, but the feeling is there - how often does one get to recreate the feeling of reading a beloved book from childhood?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is the story of a young English Quaker Woman's journey to America during the time period that Southern Slaves were running away and people were trying to help them.

    Here is what I really enjoyed about liked about this book; Honor (our young Quaker) sends detailed letters of what life is like in America. There was so much depth and detail in those writings and I will tell you that those letters kept me going.

    Here is what I didn't care for about this book; it is advertised as being a book about the underground railroad and, unfortunately, that simply is not true. I feel a bit duped by the synopsis. I also felt that Honor would not have done many of the things that she did based on what we know about her. Some of Honor's action just did not seem to fit the time period or her background.

    Many thanks to net galley and Dutton Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of my favorite authors, I love the historical subjects she picks to write about and she does it brilliantly. In this book she tackles quilting, hat making, the Quakers and the underground railroad. Her writing is so fluid, almost effortless and her characters are so very interesting. I never knew there were so many Quakers here in the states, but I did know their faith kept them from fighting, drinking, and that they strongly believed that everyone was equal. Set in Ohio, many slaves passed through, coming from the South and hopefully making their way to Canada. As I was reading I actually felt as if I knew these people, became invested in their struggles and successes. Although the ending was a bit tidy, I was very satisfied with the resolution. ARC from publisher.