The Limner's Daughter

by Mary Stetson Clarke

Set in 1805 Massachusetts, depicting the introduction of the Baldwin apple, the construction of inland waterways, and patriotic prejudice, this novel reveals the struggle of a sixteen-year-old girl to understand and clear the mystery of her father's reputation as she strides to build a home for her family.Amity Lyte was sixteen, and for months she had worked in a sail factory to earn a living for her, her injured father - at one time a successful portrait painter, called in those days a limner - and her six year old brother. When a letter comes from great aunt Keziah offering the family a home, Amity rebelled against her father's refusal to accept. The determined spirit that had carried her through a long period of difficulty and exhaustion won the day, and the Lyte family set out from Boston to Woburn, Massachusetts, on the newly constructed Middlesex Canal.Amity was puzzled by a number of why had her father never spoken of his aunt Keziah? Why was he so unwilling to go back to his old home in Woburn? Why had he left in the first place? Why did he forbid Amity to talk to that friendly young man, Sam Baldwin? Her perplexity increased upon finding Aunt Keziah's front door locked and overgrown with ivy; and discovering within a few days that the people of Woburn were not just unfriendly, but downright hostile to the Lyte family.The answers to her questionings came gradually during a strange, interesting year, while she was finding herself capable of organizing the means of support for an even larger family than before.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

255 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 1967

About the author

Mrs. Clarke was a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, and inspired by local history to write several outstanding historical novels and works of nonfiction for young people. She was graduated from Boston University with a degree in English Literature, and worked in newspapers for many years. She died in November 1994 at the age of 82.

Reviews

[Elise Stegman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The ending was nice. The only thing I didn't really like was that Amity seemed a bit young to me to be thinking of getting married. Or at least I felt like the end led you to believe she was going to get married.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amity Lyte's father has not recovered from the loss of his wife and older children, leaving Amity to care for her little brother and worry about family finances. After they journey to Boston for a job that falls through, Amity learns she has an aunt in Woburn, Massachusetts, and persuades her father they must travel there and accept the kind offer of a home. Mr. Lyte is still bitter than locals believed he was a Tory during the Revolutionary War and collaborated with the British.

Initially, all goes well in Woburn, and the Lytes begin to relax in their new home, with the help of kind Aunt Kinzie and friendly neighbor Sam Baldwin, a Harvard student studying law. Amity turns the home into an inn to take advantage of travelers on the nearby Middlesex Canal. Then jealous rivals take advantage of a fire to accuse Mr. Lyte of arson! Amity had believed her troubles were over but now has responsibility for an even larger family than before and is faced with the loss of her father if his trial results in a guilty verdict. Luckily, Amity and her family now have friends willing to work hard in their defense and argue before the Massachusetts courts.