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Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth
The Indians started some sort of rhythmic chanting, with a clapping of their hands to accent it, and I sat a little apart at, one of the fires listening. It was a strange sound that somehow sent my blood pulsing more quickly and made me wish I could stand up and dance round and round the fire, but this I knew would not be fitting. Of a sudden I was aware of someone beside me, and turning, saw Ted Leister easing himself down to the ground. I thought it best to say nothing of the disagreement he and t'other Ted had, so I spoke of the singing. "It nigh makes me giddy," I said. "'Tis not at all like English singing." "If it makes you giddy, lie back and close your eyes," Ted Leister told me. "'Twill soon pass." I did as he suggested, and I could feel the very earth under me throbbing from the beat and beat and beat of the voices and hands. My eyes were closed, but the dizziness got no better and I moved to sit up when I felt Ted's hand push me gently back again, and then he kissed me.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
19 people are currently reading
781 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Clapp
16 books35 followersPatricia Clapp was born in Boston and attended the Columbia University School of Journalism. Her first novel, Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth, was a runner-up for the 1969 National Book Award for Children's Literature. Her other books include, I'm Deborah Sampson, King of the Dollhouse, Dr. Elizabeth, and Jane-Emily. She also authored many plays for children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
May 7, 2008
One of my favorite books of all times, omg. I try to read this once a year or so. Funny story: I had to read this in sixth grade, after which we took a field trip to Plimoth Plantation. "Constance" was on the Mayflower while we were there, and I started asking her about all kinds of stuff that happened in the book - gossip about other pilgrims, etc. She just looked at me like I had two heads....I felt really dumb. My teacher just stood there and kept prodding me to ask more - mean!
January 6, 2013
I remember reading this when I was about 12, and it really marked my life. Twenty years later I still recall certain parts, although I had read it only once. In fact, I've just decided to order a copy for myself since I'll definitely want my students to read it, as well as my daughter whenever she's ready.
Constance is the story of a young girl whose family sailed to Plymouth and it describes the hardships of the Pilgrims very accurately and vividly. At first she truly hates it there and it takes her a long time to accustom herself to new people, a new world, and of course a new life. At times she just seems to be a bit too annoying, but isn't that a realistic portrayal of how any teenager would act in times of extreme adversity? I think it is, which is one of the strengths of the story, it doesn't make the protagonist "too good to be true", she's human and fallible just like the rest of us.
Definitely recommended to all who like YA fiction, specifically for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays!
Constance is the story of a young girl whose family sailed to Plymouth and it describes the hardships of the Pilgrims very accurately and vividly. At first she truly hates it there and it takes her a long time to accustom herself to new people, a new world, and of course a new life. At times she just seems to be a bit too annoying, but isn't that a realistic portrayal of how any teenager would act in times of extreme adversity? I think it is, which is one of the strengths of the story, it doesn't make the protagonist "too good to be true", she's human and fallible just like the rest of us.
Definitely recommended to all who like YA fiction, specifically for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays!
July 21, 2012
This book was a big disappointment to me. I am disappointed in the character of the heroine and in her choices overall. I don't think she fits in her time zone, and I can't help but suspect that she is an auto-biographical reflection rather than a legitimate character of the time. It's true that the author uses the names, location, and probable happenings of a group in such a setting to build her story, but I don't think Constance fits in it. Even the name of the character is all wrong. Constance is anything BUT constant. She is a flighty coquette who, as one of the other characters in the book points out, doesn't know what she wants at all. I was also disappointed with her ultimate choice of mate. To me there was a clear choice that would have been better than either of the ones she mostly toyed with (she toys with every man in the story!!! - yuck), but of course, she discounted him from the beginning. He even saved her life at the end, and she still had blinds on. Why do people write stuff like this? BOO!
February 28, 2022
This was a reread from childhood and I have to say for historical fiction for middle grade or YA, it holds up really well. I'm not entirely sure what research the author did in constructing the main character, but the book does a great job of sharing the fears and hardships of early settlers to the U.S. One character even says that they are there to make life better for the people who will follow.
July 14, 2016
This was a childhood favorite of mine, and I was not disappointed reading it all these years later. This book imagines the life of a real Mayflower passenger, Constance Hopkins, who came to Plymouth as a teenager. I really appreciated the way that she is characterized in this book; the author does not try to pin down her character too much or make her unrealistically consistent, which I feel is a common problem in depicting teenage girls. Constance is at once curious, coquettish, kindly, selfish, playful, and discreet. My favorite scene is after she shares her first kiss on a beach and then promptly moves on to dinner: "I do love turkey!"
The book shies away from sentimental romance and instead explores Constance's education in the pleasures and pitfalls of flirting, as well as delving into the tragedies, triumphs, and anxieties in Plymouth colony. The book is marvelously well researched, and does not oversimplify the colony's heterogeneity (for example, Constance's family are not Pilgrims or Puritans--and they were not coerced into Pilgrim worship). Of course, treatment of the Indian-Pilgrim relations are problematic at times, but I can't expect more given the publication date.
Overall, this book holds up well as historical fiction, and as the bildungsroman of a complex teenage girl.
The book shies away from sentimental romance and instead explores Constance's education in the pleasures and pitfalls of flirting, as well as delving into the tragedies, triumphs, and anxieties in Plymouth colony. The book is marvelously well researched, and does not oversimplify the colony's heterogeneity (for example, Constance's family are not Pilgrims or Puritans--and they were not coerced into Pilgrim worship). Of course, treatment of the Indian-Pilgrim relations are problematic at times, but I can't expect more given the publication date.
Overall, this book holds up well as historical fiction, and as the bildungsroman of a complex teenage girl.
December 15, 2025
I read it as a school book and it was pretty good! The romance part didn't seem particularly accurate to the time, but otherwise it was a good book.
June 28, 2024
20 ans après ma premiere lecture, c'est toujours un bonheur ❤️
April 1, 2014
This was a perennial favorite of mine, growing up. I checked it out of the library time and time again... As a young girl, you live through the Pilgrim settlement of Plymouth with Constance, who is one of the original settlers. Interestingly, her family is not a part of the core group of puritans, so her take is a little bit of an outsider's view of how things worked. (Incidentally, this story is where I first encountered the Miles Standish / John Alden / Priscilla love triangle -- I was disappointed in its original version when I encountered it in high school English class.)
The romance is satisfying, although my young self was mystified / annoyed by Constance's eventual choice of mate (upon rereading it a couple years ago, I found that 20 years of life experience had changed my perspective about that!), and I always wished that Patricia Clapp had written a sequel or a volume with Constance's kids, maybe how they would have fared growing up in early colonial America.
Anyhow, wonderful book, and I am reminded to pick up my paperback copy (might have to look into an electronic version soon) and reread it once more!
The romance is satisfying, although my young self was mystified / annoyed by Constance's eventual choice of mate (upon rereading it a couple years ago, I found that 20 years of life experience had changed my perspective about that!), and I always wished that Patricia Clapp had written a sequel or a volume with Constance's kids, maybe how they would have fared growing up in early colonial America.
Anyhow, wonderful book, and I am reminded to pick up my paperback copy (might have to look into an electronic version soon) and reread it once more!
November 27, 2025
Second reading (in midst of others): November 24, 1988
November 21, 1990 With (above)
November 1993
November 22, 1994
November 26, 1996
November 26, 1997: with (above)
November 24, 1998
November 24, 1999
November 22, 2000: Wed. 11:42 p.m.
November 21, 2001: for Thanksgiving; with (above)
November 27, 2002
November 27, 2003: with (above)
November 25, 2004: with (above)
November 24, 2005
November 21, 2006: with (above)
November 22, 2007
November 26, 2008: with (above)
November 2009
November 24, 2010
November 24, 2011
November 21, 2012 (through November 25, 2012)
November 27, 2013-December 6, 2013
November 24-28, 2014
November 25-December 2, 2015
November 24-28, 2016
November 24, 2021
November 21, 1990 With (above)
November 1993
November 22, 1994
November 26, 1996
November 26, 1997: with (above)
November 24, 1998
November 24, 1999
November 22, 2000: Wed. 11:42 p.m.
November 21, 2001: for Thanksgiving; with (above)
November 27, 2002
November 27, 2003: with (above)
November 25, 2004: with (above)
November 24, 2005
November 21, 2006: with (above)
November 22, 2007
November 26, 2008: with (above)
November 2009
November 24, 2010
November 24, 2011
November 21, 2012 (through November 25, 2012)
November 27, 2013-December 6, 2013
November 24-28, 2014
November 25-December 2, 2015
November 24-28, 2016
November 24, 2021
September 1, 2009
This lively narrative, following Constance Hopkins through the first six years of the settlement of Plymouth, sticks to historical fact, but with the girl's strong voice giving conversations, thoughts, descriptions created by the author, fictionalizes these facts most engagingly. The narrative includes the growing relationship between girl and stepmother, an old fashioned romance including two suitors, and a positive friendship with a native American girl, all with the background of the problems, conflicts, and challenges of establishing the Plymouth settlement. This narrative communicates the historical fact in an engaging way that allows youthful readers to identify with those first settlers as ordinary human beings set into an extraordinary situation. Positive.
August 13, 2012
Enjoyed this book very much; it was delightfully engaging, and for the first time ever I am very interested in visiting Plimouth Plantation. Some woefully misguided depictions of the local Indians, but I accept that this was prevailing academic thought at the time. I passed my copy along to a well-educated young indigenous Brazilian woman who mentioned to me that she liked practicing English by reading English books, which are difficult to come by in Brazil. I wonder if she will read it and what she'll make of it? I thought the threads about Constance and her boyfriends would be pretty universally interesting, at least. Thanks, CLM, for the gift!
November 16, 2014
gr 6-8 ? 255 pgs
1620-1626 Told in diary format by 15 year old -21 year old Constance. Readers follow Constance as she begins the story hating her new life in Plymouth and disliking her stepmother and gradually learns to love them both.
I would recommend this story to readers gr 6+ because the second half of the book seems to focus on Constance and her various suitors and the story ends with her marriage.
1620-1626 Told in diary format by 15 year old -21 year old Constance. Readers follow Constance as she begins the story hating her new life in Plymouth and disliking her stepmother and gradually learns to love them both.
I would recommend this story to readers gr 6+ because the second half of the book seems to focus on Constance and her various suitors and the story ends with her marriage.
January 26, 2023
One of my all time favorite books. I have my copy so many times it is falling apart!
July 18, 2024
Quite delightful for a historical children's novel. The research the author did is quite evident, and although it is only to be expected in a tale of this sort that elements will be fictionalized, I also think it evokes an accurate enough portrait of these early years in Plymouth. To me, its main value lies in establishing a sense of place and time for young readers, rather than in teaching them facts about the Separatists and their emigration to the New World.
The greatest objection likely to be raised about the book is that its portrayal of Native Americans does not suit current tastes. But that, in my opinion, makes it a valuable artefact, for two reasons. 1) The Plymouth settlers themselves did not hold modern attitudes about their Native American neighbors and this book probably portrays a closer view of the settlers' attitudes than a more complex rendering would do. Understanding how people in the past thought is an important element in understanding how they acted, and sometimes a more one-sided portrayal can help us do that better than something that is more nuanced. We certainly need books that portray the Wampanoag and Narragansett with greater depth, but this book is not about the relations between the settlers and the tribes around them. It is a dramatization of the life of a girl who happened to live in a particular place and time, with the attitudes and experiences that someone in that place and time would have had. Its purpose is to allow the reader to enter into her life vicariously. For Constance to have held a fully up-to-date (according to 2024) view of Native Americans would have been completely counter to that purpose. 2) The book preserves the progressive attitude toward Native Americans that was current at the time of its writing. The author portrays the Native Americans as humans with dignity and their own culture and language and customs. While she does evoke some stereotypes in the process, it is clear she was attempting to write about them in a sympathetic and respectful manner. Such an effort is worth preserving so that children (and adults) can trace how the portrayals of Native Americans in American literature have changed through the years and also give credit to those in the past who did try to break out of the sensationalist stereotypes that have been all too common in popular literature.
Constance herself is mainly fictional, despite the fact that she bears the name of a historical person, since only the barest biographical details about her survive. We know how when she was born and died and a range of years during which she must have married, but we have no idea what sort of person she was or how she came to choose her husband. This gave Patricia Clapp free rein for her imagination in creating the details of Constance's personality and life, even while keeping to the known historical events and people Constance would have known. That said, she reads as a three-dimensional person who might very possibly have lived at Plymouth in the first years of the colony, although with a modern flair. My experience with historical novels is that the characters--especially the main ones--are almost always importations from the author's own time, rather than accurate representations of the attitudes and cultural assumptions of their own. I would venture to say that this holds true for Constance. Adolescence as a distinct stage of life did not exist at that time, yet Constance often thinks and behaves like a baby boomer teen. Her courtships seem to be conducted with a mid-20th century attitude, more than an early 17th-century one. Not because young women in the 1600s didn't consider more than one potential husband but because she often seems unaware of her approaching adulthood and the duties and responsibilities she will be expected to assume. Her flightiness about selecting a husband, however, did feel very true to her age (which may, perhaps, be my own modern viewpoint infecting my opinion). The headiness for a pretty young woman of the discovery of the power she holds over men (especially in a society where women do not hold much power in public life) read as very true to life to me.
(Note that I do not believe this analysis of Constance's modernity is a reason not to read the book; I simply find it fascinating to tease apart the threads of contemporary assumptions woven into the tapestry of a historical novel.)
I greatly appreciated the sympathetic portrayal of the Separatists. This stands in pleasant contrast to the portrayal of William Brewster in Stink Alley, for instance. They are religious and strict about it, but they are also happy and wear colorful clothes when they can and feast when it's appropriate. Even when Constance's father butts heads with William Bradford about socializing with his indentured servants, the author portrays it as a natural conflict of differing ways of life without caricaturing Bradford.
Recommended for: teen girls looking for a clean romance, as a living book for homeschoolers, for adults who enjoy light but well-researched historical fiction.
The greatest objection likely to be raised about the book is that its portrayal of Native Americans does not suit current tastes. But that, in my opinion, makes it a valuable artefact, for two reasons. 1) The Plymouth settlers themselves did not hold modern attitudes about their Native American neighbors and this book probably portrays a closer view of the settlers' attitudes than a more complex rendering would do. Understanding how people in the past thought is an important element in understanding how they acted, and sometimes a more one-sided portrayal can help us do that better than something that is more nuanced. We certainly need books that portray the Wampanoag and Narragansett with greater depth, but this book is not about the relations between the settlers and the tribes around them. It is a dramatization of the life of a girl who happened to live in a particular place and time, with the attitudes and experiences that someone in that place and time would have had. Its purpose is to allow the reader to enter into her life vicariously. For Constance to have held a fully up-to-date (according to 2024) view of Native Americans would have been completely counter to that purpose. 2) The book preserves the progressive attitude toward Native Americans that was current at the time of its writing. The author portrays the Native Americans as humans with dignity and their own culture and language and customs. While she does evoke some stereotypes in the process, it is clear she was attempting to write about them in a sympathetic and respectful manner. Such an effort is worth preserving so that children (and adults) can trace how the portrayals of Native Americans in American literature have changed through the years and also give credit to those in the past who did try to break out of the sensationalist stereotypes that have been all too common in popular literature.
Constance herself is mainly fictional, despite the fact that she bears the name of a historical person, since only the barest biographical details about her survive. We know how when she was born and died and a range of years during which she must have married, but we have no idea what sort of person she was or how she came to choose her husband. This gave Patricia Clapp free rein for her imagination in creating the details of Constance's personality and life, even while keeping to the known historical events and people Constance would have known. That said, she reads as a three-dimensional person who might very possibly have lived at Plymouth in the first years of the colony, although with a modern flair. My experience with historical novels is that the characters--especially the main ones--are almost always importations from the author's own time, rather than accurate representations of the attitudes and cultural assumptions of their own. I would venture to say that this holds true for Constance. Adolescence as a distinct stage of life did not exist at that time, yet Constance often thinks and behaves like a baby boomer teen. Her courtships seem to be conducted with a mid-20th century attitude, more than an early 17th-century one. Not because young women in the 1600s didn't consider more than one potential husband but because she often seems unaware of her approaching adulthood and the duties and responsibilities she will be expected to assume. Her flightiness about selecting a husband, however, did feel very true to her age (which may, perhaps, be my own modern viewpoint infecting my opinion). The headiness for a pretty young woman of the discovery of the power she holds over men (especially in a society where women do not hold much power in public life) read as very true to life to me.
(Note that I do not believe this analysis of Constance's modernity is a reason not to read the book; I simply find it fascinating to tease apart the threads of contemporary assumptions woven into the tapestry of a historical novel.)
I greatly appreciated the sympathetic portrayal of the Separatists. This stands in pleasant contrast to the portrayal of William Brewster in Stink Alley, for instance. They are religious and strict about it, but they are also happy and wear colorful clothes when they can and feast when it's appropriate. Even when Constance's father butts heads with William Bradford about socializing with his indentured servants, the author portrays it as a natural conflict of differing ways of life without caricaturing Bradford.
Recommended for: teen girls looking for a clean romance, as a living book for homeschoolers, for adults who enjoy light but well-researched historical fiction.
May 25, 2020
My biggest regret about reading Patricia Clapp's book is that the author is no longer alive. I would have liked to be able to thank and ask many questions. I am a direct descendant of Constance Hopkins and have read the two books about her father's life and some of his own writings and short journal references to him but the information about her life is sparse and hardly anything about her children. I would have like to ask the author about more about Constance's life and her friendship with Priscilla Alden and so much more.
But I am grateful for the description of the frightening epidemic that killed so many of the people who came over on the Mayflower. I pictured the Common House tall and strong and lined with rows of pallets of those stricken with the disease. I had the good fortune of visiting the replicas of that and the small dark house that Constance lived in when I visited that area. My biggest regret about reading Patricia Clapp's book is that the author is no longer alive. I would have liked to be able to thank and ask many questions. I am a direct descendant of Constance Hopkins and have read the two books about her father's life and some of his own writings and short journal references to him but the information about her life is sparse and hardly anything about her children. I would have like to ask the author about more about Constance's life and her friendship with Priscilla Alden and so much more.
But I am grateful for the description of the frightening epidemic that killed so many of the people who came over on the Mayflower. I pictured the Common House tall and strong and lined with rows of pallets of those stricken with the disease. I had the good fortune of visiting the replicas of that and the small dark house that Constance lived in when I visited that area. It i
My biggest regret about reading Patricia Clapp's book is that the author is no longer alive. I would have liked to be able to thank and ask many questions. I am a direct descendant of Constance Hopkins and have read the two books about her father's life and some of his own writings and short journal references to him but the information about her life is sparse and hardly anything about her children. I would have like to ask the author about more about Constance's life and her friendship with Priscilla Alden and so much more.
But I am grateful for the description of the frightening epidemic that killed so many of the people who came over on the Mayflower. I pictured the Common House tall and strong and lined with rows of pallets of those stricken with the disease. I had the good fortune of visiting the replicas of that and the small dark house that Constance lived in when I visited that area.
The author brought to life the sight, sound and thoughts of my ancestor and I an truly thankful for that. I want to encourage more people to explore their ancestry and seek article and books about their ancestors.
The author brought to life the sight, sound and thoughts of my ancestor and I an truly thankful for that. I want to encourage more people to explore their ancestry and seek article and books about their ancestors.
The author brought to life the sight, sound and thoughts of my ancestor and I an truly thankful for that. I want to encourage more people to explore their ancestry and seek article and books about their ancestors.
But I am grateful for the description of the frightening epidemic that killed so many of the people who came over on the Mayflower. I pictured the Common House tall and strong and lined with rows of pallets of those stricken with the disease. I had the good fortune of visiting the replicas of that and the small dark house that Constance lived in when I visited that area. My biggest regret about reading Patricia Clapp's book is that the author is no longer alive. I would have liked to be able to thank and ask many questions. I am a direct descendant of Constance Hopkins and have read the two books about her father's life and some of his own writings and short journal references to him but the information about her life is sparse and hardly anything about her children. I would have like to ask the author about more about Constance's life and her friendship with Priscilla Alden and so much more.
But I am grateful for the description of the frightening epidemic that killed so many of the people who came over on the Mayflower. I pictured the Common House tall and strong and lined with rows of pallets of those stricken with the disease. I had the good fortune of visiting the replicas of that and the small dark house that Constance lived in when I visited that area. It i
My biggest regret about reading Patricia Clapp's book is that the author is no longer alive. I would have liked to be able to thank and ask many questions. I am a direct descendant of Constance Hopkins and have read the two books about her father's life and some of his own writings and short journal references to him but the information about her life is sparse and hardly anything about her children. I would have like to ask the author about more about Constance's life and her friendship with Priscilla Alden and so much more.
But I am grateful for the description of the frightening epidemic that killed so many of the people who came over on the Mayflower. I pictured the Common House tall and strong and lined with rows of pallets of those stricken with the disease. I had the good fortune of visiting the replicas of that and the small dark house that Constance lived in when I visited that area.
The author brought to life the sight, sound and thoughts of my ancestor and I an truly thankful for that. I want to encourage more people to explore their ancestry and seek article and books about their ancestors.
The author brought to life the sight, sound and thoughts of my ancestor and I an truly thankful for that. I want to encourage more people to explore their ancestry and seek article and books about their ancestors.
The author brought to life the sight, sound and thoughts of my ancestor and I an truly thankful for that. I want to encourage more people to explore their ancestry and seek article and books about their ancestors.
July 18, 2020
This book was half-good. When it was focused on the struggles of the Mayflower passengers and the early Plymouth colony, it was very interesting. When it was focused on Constance and her petty behaviours, it was boring. There was an author's note that Clapp was descended from the real Constance Hopkins. Perhaps she disliked her ancestor, if she turned her into a flighty, flirty, insipid girl. Constance's endless flirtations with every man her age that crosses her path became very wearing to read after awhile. Constance didn't feel like a believable girl of 1620. Yes, women of all kinds existed then as now, but how did she find the time to flirt so much while working so hard to keep body and soul alive? There was a real disconnect in the narrative there. There is always time for romance at any period in history, but not to the level in this story, which felt at times like going with as many boys as possible to be a popular girl in a 20th-century high school (written to appeal to Clapps's readers at the time, I suspect). I would have been much more interested in hearing more about her survival in the colony than her incessant internal monologue about boys. Although the Hopkins family weren't Puritans (until late in the story), I think Constance kissing so many boys would have gotten around the colony pretty fast, and ruined her reputation. I was also surprised that Clapp eventually set up a love triangle, but the "winner" was the least-developed male character, who had the least to do in the story. Minnetuxet's character was completely wasted, which was a shame. Besides Priscilla (of the famous Miles Standish/John Alden courtship myth), Minnetuxet was the only girl friend Constance had. I expected her to play into the story more. But the historical aspect of Plymouth and its struggles were very well written. I liked Elizabeth (Constance's stepmother) very much. Her breakdown half-way through the story was heartbreaking, and I liked her strength in recovering and persevering.
November 21, 2023
This was a very entertaining story, as well as a great history lesson. It's told through the eyes of a young woman named Constance, who was among the first to settle in Plymouth Colony. Many historical characters are there, like William Bradford, William Brewster, Edward Winslow, Miles Standish, and the famous couple, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. (In fact, Priscilla and Constance become close friends.) It's also a story of a girl becoming a young woman, and finding romantic complications, even in such a small village! It's both serious and funny when two indentured servants, both named Ted, both fall under the spell of Constance's innocent flirtation and end up fighting a duel! That taught her a lesson better than any parental lecture could! A few years later, she's involved in another triangle - unintentional this time - as she finds herself courted by two attractive young men, (each in his own different way) and has to make a choice. But did she choose the right one?
there's a lot of history here, as well as romance. You learn about the hardships in the colony, the food shortages, drought, illnesses and losses (including two young siblings), as well as differences of opinion (not everyone was a member of the church), and troublemakers (one of them a minister!). You learn something of Native customs and culture as well, and Constance becomes friends with a Native girl named Minnetuxet, who shows up from time to time, and goes through the stages from girl to woman like Constance, but in the way of her people.
It's a great book for girls in middle school, and maybe high school as well. (What the heck, even an adult can enjoy it!)
there's a lot of history here, as well as romance. You learn about the hardships in the colony, the food shortages, drought, illnesses and losses (including two young siblings), as well as differences of opinion (not everyone was a member of the church), and troublemakers (one of them a minister!). You learn something of Native customs and culture as well, and Constance becomes friends with a Native girl named Minnetuxet, who shows up from time to time, and goes through the stages from girl to woman like Constance, but in the way of her people.
It's a great book for girls in middle school, and maybe high school as well. (What the heck, even an adult can enjoy it!)
February 19, 2021
When my 12 year old found out she was descended from Constance Hopkins, she found this book. She assigned her dad & I to read it also.
** I wish Ms. Clapp had noted her references. Her sources. It appears she uses Longfellows Poem "The Courtship of Standish Miles". But, I can't find anything else that might had been used.
The story is told in journal entries. The hardships & triumphs of Plymouth are interestingly told.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the romance....The Puritan young adults behave like a 20th Century young adult. I don't know why authors think modern young people can't relate to time-appropriate courtship. Men trick her into kissing them, prior to there being any official courtship. The loser in the love triangle is often leading young women out of town to make-out. There is no visiting with her and her family on Sabbath. No scheduled long walks on Sabbath. Also common, would be men blurting out marriage proposals without the woman seeing it coming. In other words, it would be more time-appropriate for men to propose out of the blue rather than longing kiss her out of the blue. (The man she eventually marries, never tricks her into a kiss.)
Also, at one point she ponders if she even needs a man to make own her life. Really? Did she plan on getting an apartment somewhere? Such thoughts would never occur to a 1620ish young woman.
I think modern young women can handle that young women in 1620s had a different outlook on life, family, love, etc.
** I wish Ms. Clapp had noted her references. Her sources. It appears she uses Longfellows Poem "The Courtship of Standish Miles". But, I can't find anything else that might had been used.
The story is told in journal entries. The hardships & triumphs of Plymouth are interestingly told.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the romance....The Puritan young adults behave like a 20th Century young adult. I don't know why authors think modern young people can't relate to time-appropriate courtship. Men trick her into kissing them, prior to there being any official courtship. The loser in the love triangle is often leading young women out of town to make-out. There is no visiting with her and her family on Sabbath. No scheduled long walks on Sabbath. Also common, would be men blurting out marriage proposals without the woman seeing it coming. In other words, it would be more time-appropriate for men to propose out of the blue rather than longing kiss her out of the blue. (The man she eventually marries, never tricks her into a kiss.)
Also, at one point she ponders if she even needs a man to make own her life. Really? Did she plan on getting an apartment somewhere? Such thoughts would never occur to a 1620ish young woman.
I think modern young women can handle that young women in 1620s had a different outlook on life, family, love, etc.
May 15, 2018
This was one of my absolute favorite books growing up, and it held up pretty well as an adult reread. I remember getting it one of the first times we visited Plymouth Plantation after moving to Massachusetts, and I've always loved the early history it gave of the early settlers, especially as told from the perspective of a young girl coming to her own, with all the usual pitfalls of growing into adulthood compounded by trying to create a new life and a new world from almost nothing. Since finding out I'm one of Constance's descendants, this story is even more fun. As an adult I do wonder how much of the book is based on fact (history, personal journals from the settlers, etc.) and how much is imagination, but not enough that it took away from the narrative at all (as a lot of historical fiction based on real people does for me).
March 31, 2018
Although this is clearly historical FICTION, it is an excellent imaginary rendition of what life might have been like for one of the young Mayflower passengers who landed in New England in the fall of 1620 and managed to survive the first winter. Originally published in 1968, Patricia Clapp has captured the feel of hardship and hope in an enterprising and spirited teenager who journeyed on that tiny and cramped vessel across the Atlantic with her father, brother and stepmother in order to establish a new community in the wilderness. I highly recommend this enjoyable novel to young readers who would like to learn about an important historical event from their perspective.
February 12, 2021
This book is written in a journal format. I enjoyed reading about the history of the early Plymouth Colony and it did spark my interest in learning more about this early time period. My one disappointment with the book was the author's portrayal of Constance. Much time and energy were required to survive those first few years, and Constance's kissing and flirting with boys just didn't seem to fit that time period or the standards of that settlement. Other than that, I think the book worth reading.
October 16, 2019
I first read Constance as a teenager. This book was one of the major influencers in awakening my love for early American history. Though there are some licenses taken with history, Patricia Clapp brought the Mayflower pilgrims to life in a way that made them seem like my friends. They weren't just names on a ship's manifest anymore. They were people who lived and loved and faced down their fears. My tattered copy of the book is in a place of honor on my bookshelf.
October 14, 2017
Really enjoyed this little work of historical fiction. Because I am a descendant of several Mayflower families, as well as those who arrived on the Fortune (1621)and the Anne (1623), I've done quite a bit of reading about colonial times and it was evident that the author had really done her research about the names, personalities and events of early Plymouth.
May 12, 2020
I read this book in seventh grade. One of the last climatic scenes has stuck with me all these years. I decided to try and find this book and reread it. The scene was much like I remembered. Rereading this book has made me happy. Glad I found it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2021
Read this YA since I recently found out I’m a direct descendant of Constance Hopkins. It started out as an interesting account of the Mayflower’s landing at Plymouth, but quickly spiraled into a story of boy crazy teen drama and rewritten history so I just wanted it to be over.
August 19, 2025
My daughter was reading this as part of her 9th grade curriculum and I read the first chapter and was hooked. It is a fascinating insight into the Plymouth colony and what life (and death) was like. We both thoroughly enjoyed the book and had great conversations sparked by this book.
September 23, 2025
Read this with my kids for school. We loved it. Such a fun story, my kids were begging for me to keep going at the end of the chapters so we could see what would happen. I loved the portrayal of the father. It’s a breezy fun historical fiction.
June 8, 2017
This book was quite interesting. I enjoyed the way the people interacted. Love the English terms. The love story was secondary to the trials of living in the new world.
December 26, 2017
Interesting historical fiction and Clapp writes well. This was her debut. I wish there had been a bibliography.
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