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Rebel Puritan : A Scandalous Life
SCARLETT O'HARA MEETS THE SCARLET LETTER:
Impulsively wed as a teenager to a husband she did not love, and she married three men, all for the wrong reasons.
Scarlett O'Hara?
Prosecuted and humiliated in public for an out-of-wedlock love affair.
Hester Prynne?
No, this was Herodias Long of 17th century Rhode Island.
Rebel Puritan is a 2012 winner of the Indie BRAG Medallion! To read an excerpt, go to http://www.rebelpuritan.com/Book.html
Impulsively wed as a teenager to a husband she did not love, and she married three men, all for the wrong reasons.
Scarlett O'Hara?
Prosecuted and humiliated in public for an out-of-wedlock love affair.
Hester Prynne?
No, this was Herodias Long of 17th century Rhode Island.
Rebel Puritan is a 2012 winner of the Indie BRAG Medallion! To read an excerpt, go to http://www.rebelpuritan.com/Book.html
326 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2011
3 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
About the author
Jo Ann Butler
7 books24 followersA genealogist and one-time colonial archeologist, Ms. Butler has tapped her work in New England for her first historical fiction novel, "Rebel Puritan." She can be reached at www.rebelpuritan.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 7, 2011
I am an 1/1028 Herodias descendant via her first born Hanna who married William Haviland in Newport, RI ca 1657. Then five generations in NY, one in IA and the rest in CA. I learned of "Rebel Puritan" from the www.Haviland.org web site. I had not read for pleasure in decades and I must share that I shed a happy tear and felt a thickening in my gut in reading about the birth of Hanna. I am fascinated by the mix of storytelling with probable factual American history events. Reading the book, connecting with Jo Ann Butler and additional research has shed light on other events and plight of my ancestors in the American Revolution and later. I anxiously await the sequel “The Reputed Wife” to learn more about what life was like in Puritan times.
February 21, 2011
As an historian, I find that historical fiction too often dresses modern characters in period costumes, ignoring the fact that the people and times were different. In her novel, Rebel Puritan, Jo Ann Butler has skillfully solved the above problem. She has taken Herodias Long, a real woman from the American colonial era, and breathed life into her and the times in which she lived. I heartily recommend Rebel Puritan!
March 25, 2011
I enjoyed this book immensely. A deliciously scintillating story of a young girl who grew into a woman, wife and mother. I feel a strong connection to my great x 11th Grandmother, and I love the ‘rebel’ in her! I simply couldn’t book the book down and finished it way too quickly. Now I’m eagerly waiting to see what is around the corner for Herodias in book two!
January 25, 2013
Jo Ann Butler has done it again!
I received an ARC of The Reputed Wife, the second book in this series, and was asked to read it first to assess how it worked as a stand-alone volume. I loved the book and found it indeed filled the bill as its own complete story. But once finished, I was not satisfied. The magnetism of Herodias Long proved too strong to resist, and I was struck with the need to find out what sort of circumstances forged an ordinary girl into such a remarkable woman.
I began Rebel Puritan with very high expectations and was not disappointed. Every question I had regarding the hardships Herod faced in her youth and the dire conditions of her impetuous marriage was answered in meticulous detail. The scene set by Butler’s fluid prose and classic writing style again drew me in without reservation and swept me along, satisfying my need for drama in a gripping and heart pounding conclusion that made me want to go back for more. Now I cannot wait for the third. In the meantime, I may have to read The Reputed Wife again.
If you love a richly detailed historical with a strong female protagonist, you will love this book.
I received an ARC of The Reputed Wife, the second book in this series, and was asked to read it first to assess how it worked as a stand-alone volume. I loved the book and found it indeed filled the bill as its own complete story. But once finished, I was not satisfied. The magnetism of Herodias Long proved too strong to resist, and I was struck with the need to find out what sort of circumstances forged an ordinary girl into such a remarkable woman.
I began Rebel Puritan with very high expectations and was not disappointed. Every question I had regarding the hardships Herod faced in her youth and the dire conditions of her impetuous marriage was answered in meticulous detail. The scene set by Butler’s fluid prose and classic writing style again drew me in without reservation and swept me along, satisfying my need for drama in a gripping and heart pounding conclusion that made me want to go back for more. Now I cannot wait for the third. In the meantime, I may have to read The Reputed Wife again.
If you love a richly detailed historical with a strong female protagonist, you will love this book.
October 31, 2012
The Rebel Puritan is one of the best historical fiction I have read. The author holds your attention from the first page. The book cover the bubonic plague, servitude in London and then off to the colonies to face the hardships of everyday life. The book moves fast and does not drag in the historical areas with mundane facts.
10-30-2012 Just had an opportunity to hear Jo Ann Butler speak at our local historical society. She really made the characters of her book come alive. She spoke of her new sequel to Rebel Puritan that she is working on and I can't wait.
10-30-2012 Just had an opportunity to hear Jo Ann Butler speak at our local historical society. She really made the characters of her book come alive. She spoke of her new sequel to Rebel Puritan that she is working on and I can't wait.
April 5, 2011
What can I say about Herodias Long as the Rebel Puritan? She and I are definitely kin! Jo Ann captured my interest in the first paragraphs and I couldn't put the book down. I like the way she weaves the story with history and facts - I learned more about the time period and way of life than I knew before. The story kept me wanting more and satisfied that want. (except I'm ready for part 2!!)
June 17, 2012
Rebel Puritan is available at http://www.rebelpuritan.com/. It is also available as an ebook at: http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Puritan-S....
Thank you, Jo Ann
Thank you, Jo Ann
March 31, 2011
This is an excellent historical novel. I couldn't put in down very easily while reading it. The character just happens to be based on one of my ancestors.
September 30, 2022
Can barely put it down.
January 14, 2013
The opening scenes of 'Rebel Puritan' are a powerful reminder of how life teeters on the edge of change. This was even truer for our ancestors, especially those on the lower levels of society who were so dependent on the land, their health, and the stability of each other for survival.
In the first chapters, Ms. Butler engagingly introduces us to Herodias Long at the age of twelve as a headstrong, impulsive, even precocious girl whose childhood ends as her family is dealt a tragic—but not uncommon for the times—blow. Despite her willfulness and resourcefulness, Herod is unwillingly swept from country to city life and into the control of strangers who hardly have the time or inclination to protect her and, in fact, see her more as a commodity than a vital and vulnerable young person.
Then a fateful meeting seems to offer her a chance for escape from servitude, as well as adventure and even some happiness. Of course there are many dangers inherent in desperate choices, and Herod soon realizes that the challenges she faces as an inexperienced and optimistic young woman are as old as new.
Ms. Butler’s writing is clear and fluid; her knowledge of the political, religious and superstitious backdrop, physical locations, social mores, and even everyday objects and activities of 17th century England and Colonial America offer a believable and interesting narration. Ms. Butler makes a commendable statement of how strength and vulnerability run parallel, and that women, long before feminism and the encouragement and support for legal redress, could have a strong sense of themselves and their human rights to take a stand against physical and emotional abuse.
The novel was, for me, more moving at the beginning than the end, even though the ‘final’ events are dramatic I didn’t feel their impact and wasn't as invested in the continuation of the heroine’s story as I should have been. For me it lacked subjectivity, a lingering on moments (so often a casualty of stories that travel an extended period of time) and deepening of characters especially the main ones. I wanted to feel Herod’s enticing beauty more, really get ‘inside’ her growing from a child into a woman and be more affected by her relationships to her children and with her husband and lover.
Saying that, I enjoyed this novel and recommend it for its well-researched and interesting story, very able writing and important statement about the struggle of and prejudices against women that are, amazingly, still at issue today.
DM Denton, author of the Literary Historical Fiction, 'A House Near Luccoli', which imagines an intimacy with the 17th century Italian composer, Alessandro Stradella.
In the first chapters, Ms. Butler engagingly introduces us to Herodias Long at the age of twelve as a headstrong, impulsive, even precocious girl whose childhood ends as her family is dealt a tragic—but not uncommon for the times—blow. Despite her willfulness and resourcefulness, Herod is unwillingly swept from country to city life and into the control of strangers who hardly have the time or inclination to protect her and, in fact, see her more as a commodity than a vital and vulnerable young person.
Then a fateful meeting seems to offer her a chance for escape from servitude, as well as adventure and even some happiness. Of course there are many dangers inherent in desperate choices, and Herod soon realizes that the challenges she faces as an inexperienced and optimistic young woman are as old as new.
Ms. Butler’s writing is clear and fluid; her knowledge of the political, religious and superstitious backdrop, physical locations, social mores, and even everyday objects and activities of 17th century England and Colonial America offer a believable and interesting narration. Ms. Butler makes a commendable statement of how strength and vulnerability run parallel, and that women, long before feminism and the encouragement and support for legal redress, could have a strong sense of themselves and their human rights to take a stand against physical and emotional abuse.
The novel was, for me, more moving at the beginning than the end, even though the ‘final’ events are dramatic I didn’t feel their impact and wasn't as invested in the continuation of the heroine’s story as I should have been. For me it lacked subjectivity, a lingering on moments (so often a casualty of stories that travel an extended period of time) and deepening of characters especially the main ones. I wanted to feel Herod’s enticing beauty more, really get ‘inside’ her growing from a child into a woman and be more affected by her relationships to her children and with her husband and lover.
Saying that, I enjoyed this novel and recommend it for its well-researched and interesting story, very able writing and important statement about the struggle of and prejudices against women that are, amazingly, still at issue today.
DM Denton, author of the Literary Historical Fiction, 'A House Near Luccoli', which imagines an intimacy with the 17th century Italian composer, Alessandro Stradella.
April 21, 2011
This is the story of the author's ancestor who came to New England in 1637 to escape a life of servitude.
Unfortunately she finds herself tied to a jealous and abusive husband.Also the puritan colony in Massachusetts is not letting anyone worship in their own way. This is hard reading as I hate to read about people being so mean to each other. At the same time, the details of the heroine's life and feelings intrigued me as well as the motives of those around her. This tale of domestic abuse at a time when wives were supposed to be subjective to their husbands made me wonder, how far have we really come?
Even in the present time, we still haven't stamped out domestic abuse.
The only thing off to me is that the main character is described as a beautiful even striking girl but in her head she comes across as drab and mousy.She doesn't seem to notice that she causes men's heads to turn or their jaws to drop.Jealousy in her female counterparts is also lacking in this story. The only jealousy we see is with her husband and he seems the type who would be jealous whether his wife was plain or beautiful. She didn't come across as believable to me.
Unfortunately she finds herself tied to a jealous and abusive husband.Also the puritan colony in Massachusetts is not letting anyone worship in their own way. This is hard reading as I hate to read about people being so mean to each other. At the same time, the details of the heroine's life and feelings intrigued me as well as the motives of those around her. This tale of domestic abuse at a time when wives were supposed to be subjective to their husbands made me wonder, how far have we really come?
Even in the present time, we still haven't stamped out domestic abuse.
The only thing off to me is that the main character is described as a beautiful even striking girl but in her head she comes across as drab and mousy.She doesn't seem to notice that she causes men's heads to turn or their jaws to drop.Jealousy in her female counterparts is also lacking in this story. The only jealousy we see is with her husband and he seems the type who would be jealous whether his wife was plain or beautiful. She didn't come across as believable to me.
July 5, 2011
Wow. Throughout reading this novel, the first in a series, one thought constantly prevailed: "Is this chick ever gonna get a break?" It's one of those novels in which the reader's jaw just drops at how much the heroine must endure and as it's based an ancestor of the author with documents in the back of the book supporting the story, I was amazed that it's true. Women had it rough back then!!!
The story begins with Herodias as a little girl.. She's always trying to get out work. She just wants to be a child in a time when there was no such thing. It was all work, work, and more work. Her mother is a bit over bearing. Life is bearable, however, until the plague comes to visit, taking her father and brother and leaving with her a bitter mother who wishes to no longer feed the extra mouth. So it's off to London where she has a cruel and evil aunt who works her to death.
For full review, please click on the link below.
http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2011/...
The story begins with Herodias as a little girl.. She's always trying to get out work. She just wants to be a child in a time when there was no such thing. It was all work, work, and more work. Her mother is a bit over bearing. Life is bearable, however, until the plague comes to visit, taking her father and brother and leaving with her a bitter mother who wishes to no longer feed the extra mouth. So it's off to London where she has a cruel and evil aunt who works her to death.
For full review, please click on the link below.
http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2011/...
October 7, 2011
I was delighted to read Rebel Puritan since it is a story about my 9th great grandmother. What a struggle she had to survive!!!! At the age of twelve she worked so hard and being sent to live in London because her mother didn't want another mouth to feed. Surviving the plague was certainly a miracle. Living under such poor conditions drove her to marry at thirteen to John Hicks and they came to America. Such abuse from a controlling husband was such a struggle. Her second marriage to George Gardner ended in a divorce, and then she marries John Porter. She was a very strong person to go through three marriages and for her religious beliefs. I am very proud to be a descendant of Herodias Long Hicks Gardner Porter and George Gardner.
April 3, 2011
Outstanding! Excellently readable, enjoyable, informative, historically accurate. A real treat for anyone who has an interest in early Colonial puritan abuses and/or the transfer of people from Mass Bay & Plymouth to Rhode Island in 1600s. The author does a great job of tying in real events to her realistic portrayal of believable details in the lives of many who fit the description as early settlers of Acuidneck Island (Portsmouth & Newport, Rhode Island). I bought four copies for family members and eagerly await her follow-up book due next year! Thanks, Jo Ann.
May 29, 2011
From an unusual name, to an early marriage, a trip to Puritan MA in New England, early motherhood, an abusive husband, religious banishment to RI, abandonment by husband and removal of her children. Herodias early life in “Rebel Puritan: A Scandalous Life” weaves a revealing story of 17 Century views and attitudes toward women and their lack of rights. I found this a well researched and realistic novel about a strong woman from early New England. I would highly recommend this Historical Fiction as a must-read. I am definitely looking forward to the next in the series “The Reputed Wife”.
May 16, 2011
Rebel Puritan is a fascinating work. Butler's historic preparation was clearly meticulous and comprehensive: she gleaned an amazing amount about the actual Herodias, and wove it into the social, religious, and political context of her day. Butler offers plausible interpretations of the decisions Herodias made, and draws her as a believable and sympathetic -- not perfect -- character. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to think about the people who were part of history.
March 18, 2011
I enjoyed this book very much, a can't put down book. I really liked the way the character was developed and how the author kept me reading to find out what happened next. I look forward to the next in the series. I also have to comment on how well reshearched this book is. I learned things I didn't know about that period of time. Thanks for a great story Jo Ann!
April 2, 2011
I have enjoyed Rebel Puritan so much that thus far I have read it twice. Herodias was an incredible character with a remarkable life. This is an engaging piece of historical fiction which should be made into an ebook. Highly recommended to all who are interested in an absorbing account of life in Puritan New England.
April 19, 2011
A Scandalous Life: Rebel Puritan is a wonderful story is a believable blend of fact and "fill-in." In spite of a life full of hardships and adversity, Herodias kept going, had a family and (presumably) didn't complain. Life in the 1600's was a challenge for most people, Herodias rose to meet it, and set a good example for all of us!
April 24, 2011
A fantastic window into our past. For anyone who has paused a moment by an ancient gravestone, found an old record of their ancestor, or wondered what life was like in our country centuries ago, Ms. Butler paints a living picture around the dry facts. An incredible piece of work interwoven with the factual history of our country and culture.
April 15, 2011
Superb book! I believe Rebel Puritan should be required reading in American Lit classes. A friend suggested I visit the Rebel Puritan web page, and I was impressed with the exhaustive research undertaken by the author. Butler is truly a master at weaving true events with fiction!
February 18, 2011
I gobbled this book in less than two days...I loved it! Highly recommended
April 9, 2011
Outstanding book. It gives a sense of the colonial times without glorifying or vilifying the heroine.
April 11, 2011
I am not a big reader of fiction but I could not put this book down! Well written and very entertaining. I hope Jo Ann Butler finishes the next in the series, soon.
April 13, 2011
Rebel Puritan is an exellent book. Jo Ann Butler did an amazing job of allowing the reader to vicariously experience the life of Herodias. Looking forward to reading the sequel.
April 15, 2011
It is exciting to find a talented new historical fiction writer. I've been frustrated by the lack of historical fiction about America, but now I can look forward to Butler’s next book.
April 15, 2011
Loved the book! I planned to save it to read on my vacation, but I was absolutely unable to put the book down. Bravo to Butler for giving us such a fabulous work of “herstorical” fiction.
May 8, 2011
I read very little fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
free-kindle-today
July 14, 2012This is Susan Higginbotham's friend. She gave us a heads up. Free for 2 days 7/14-15 only.
July 10, 2012
This review refers to the paperback book, Rebel Puritan: A Scandalous Life, not the Kindle edition.
In recent political chatter, Americans have heard much about the Founding Fathers and what they "must have meant" in their books, tracts, and personal letters about liberties and civil rights. For many of those contemporary speakers, the buzzwords are just hot air, not serious research into the characters and real-life situations of the Founding Fathers.
News flash: America's Founding Fathers came from a place of restriction, oppression and punishment, against which their parents and grandparents struggled to overcome. They lived with the poison fruit of a religio-political (church-state) coalition, which is ALWAYS a terrible environment, and a place where spying on and reporting on one's neighbor was encouraged. They were third- and fourth-generation descendants of the pioneers of the 1630s Great Migration from Great Britain to America, those who laid their lives and fortunes on the altar for principles' sake. They knew, first-, second-, and third-hand, what they were fighting for. They didn't need buzzwords and talking points.
Rebel Puritan (A Scandalous Life) is the first installment of a biographical-fiction trilogy on Herodias Long, a child bride who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony with her husband. Herodias was the ancestor (by DNA or by her influence) of the Founding Fathers. The author, a genealogist, archaeologist, and researcher, has brought to life not only a young woman who eventually became the ancestor of countless thousands, but the surroundings, culture, and senses of 17th-century England and New England. Herodias Long survived a bubonic plague epidemic, domestic abuse, extreme conditions in the Little Ice Age, hard physical labor, and repeated childbirth, which was a significant cause of death in that era. (And that was just in the first book. The second installment--where Herodias, holding her infant in her arms, is brutally whipped for civil disobedience--is aiming for a late-2012 release.)
The author tells the story engagingly, in clear prose, so it makes for a quick read, as other reviewers have noted. She blends facts and "probables" into a biographical novel you'll remember for a long time.
In recent political chatter, Americans have heard much about the Founding Fathers and what they "must have meant" in their books, tracts, and personal letters about liberties and civil rights. For many of those contemporary speakers, the buzzwords are just hot air, not serious research into the characters and real-life situations of the Founding Fathers.
News flash: America's Founding Fathers came from a place of restriction, oppression and punishment, against which their parents and grandparents struggled to overcome. They lived with the poison fruit of a religio-political (church-state) coalition, which is ALWAYS a terrible environment, and a place where spying on and reporting on one's neighbor was encouraged. They were third- and fourth-generation descendants of the pioneers of the 1630s Great Migration from Great Britain to America, those who laid their lives and fortunes on the altar for principles' sake. They knew, first-, second-, and third-hand, what they were fighting for. They didn't need buzzwords and talking points.
Rebel Puritan (A Scandalous Life) is the first installment of a biographical-fiction trilogy on Herodias Long, a child bride who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony with her husband. Herodias was the ancestor (by DNA or by her influence) of the Founding Fathers. The author, a genealogist, archaeologist, and researcher, has brought to life not only a young woman who eventually became the ancestor of countless thousands, but the surroundings, culture, and senses of 17th-century England and New England. Herodias Long survived a bubonic plague epidemic, domestic abuse, extreme conditions in the Little Ice Age, hard physical labor, and repeated childbirth, which was a significant cause of death in that era. (And that was just in the first book. The second installment--where Herodias, holding her infant in her arms, is brutally whipped for civil disobedience--is aiming for a late-2012 release.)
The author tells the story engagingly, in clear prose, so it makes for a quick read, as other reviewers have noted. She blends facts and "probables" into a biographical novel you'll remember for a long time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews