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Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction (2013)هنگامی که آنور برایت، یک کواکر متواضع، همراه با خواهرش از پریستول راهی سفر دریایی میشود، میخواهد از غصه و دلشکستگی بگریزد و زندگی تازهای در آمریکا پیدا کند. اما فاجعهای او را تنها و آسیبپذیر باقی میگذارد، ماندن میان دو دنیا و وابسته به مهربانی غریبهها.
376 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2013
1700 people are currently reading
30204 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Chevalier
74 books11.6k followersBorn:
19 October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post.
Childhood:
Nerdy. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed reading. Favorite authors back then: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander. Book I would have taken to a desert island: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
Education:
BA in English, Oberlin College, Ohio, 1984. No one was surprised that I went there; I was made for such a progressive, liberal place.
MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.
Geography:
Moved to London after graduating from Oberlin in 1984. I had studied for a semester in London and thought it was a great place, so came over for fun, expecting to go back to the US after 6 months to get serious. I’m still in London, and still not entirely serious. Even have dual citizenship – though I keep the American accent intact.
Family:
1 English husband + 1 English son.
Career:
Before writing, was a reference book editor, working on encyclopedias about writers. (Yup, still nerdy.) Learned how to research and how to make sentences better. Eventually I wanted to fix my own sentences rather than others’, so I quit and did the MA.
Writing:
Talked a lot about becoming a writer as a kid, but actual pen to paper contact was minimal. Started writing short stories in my 20s, then began first novel, The Virgin Blue, during the MA year. With Girl With a Pearl Earring (written in 1998), I became a full-time writer.
19 October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post.
Childhood:
Nerdy. Spent a lot of time lying on my bed reading. Favorite authors back then: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Joan Aiken, Susan Cooper, Lloyd Alexander. Book I would have taken to a desert island: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
Education:
BA in English, Oberlin College, Ohio, 1984. No one was surprised that I went there; I was made for such a progressive, liberal place.
MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.
Geography:
Moved to London after graduating from Oberlin in 1984. I had studied for a semester in London and thought it was a great place, so came over for fun, expecting to go back to the US after 6 months to get serious. I’m still in London, and still not entirely serious. Even have dual citizenship – though I keep the American accent intact.
Family:
1 English husband + 1 English son.
Career:
Before writing, was a reference book editor, working on encyclopedias about writers. (Yup, still nerdy.) Learned how to research and how to make sentences better. Eventually I wanted to fix my own sentences rather than others’, so I quit and did the MA.
Writing:
Talked a lot about becoming a writer as a kid, but actual pen to paper contact was minimal. Started writing short stories in my 20s, then began first novel, The Virgin Blue, during the MA year. With Girl With a Pearl Earring (written in 1998), I became a full-time writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,564 reviews
May 31, 2020
Oh, goodreads. Why does thee not allow for a half star rating? If thy did, I would give this book a solid 2.5 star rating. For the cover-art, I would give thy a 5 star rating. But I digress. Tracy Chevalier's latest book examines the Quakers' role in the Underground Railroad during the mid-1800s. We see this time period through the eyes of one Honor Bright, a recent emigrate from England. Honor is a twenty year old who (like most twenty somethings) finds it is one thing to profess moral ideals and quite another to live by them.
Issues that vex Honor:
- Quakers are not allowed to lie or keep secrets BUT the success of the Underground Railroad relies on such prevarication.
- How does thy quilt when the very material used to quilt comes off the backs of slaves?
- Her mother-in-law, Judith, an elder in the Quaker community. Sour-faced and judgy.
- Donovan, the slave-catcher. Her loins and all.
Earnest details about quilting, millinery, and social customs add interest to the narrative- as does Mrs. Reed, a Conductor of the Underground Railroad. Most of the other characters are a bit wooden and fall flat. This could have been a better book but for lack of development and oversimplification. I still enjoyed it.
Issues that vex Honor:
- Quakers are not allowed to lie or keep secrets BUT the success of the Underground Railroad relies on such prevarication.
- How does thy quilt when the very material used to quilt comes off the backs of slaves?
- Her mother-in-law, Judith, an elder in the Quaker community. Sour-faced and judgy.
- Donovan, the slave-catcher. Her loins and all.
Earnest details about quilting, millinery, and social customs add interest to the narrative- as does Mrs. Reed, a Conductor of the Underground Railroad. Most of the other characters are a bit wooden and fall flat. This could have been a better book but for lack of development and oversimplification. I still enjoyed it.
February 4, 2014
This novel was enjoyable enough. However, reading it gives one a sensation of floating atop the story - nothing pulls a person in or attaches itself to the reader's emotions. The story is just too light.
The first hundred pages are largely given over to quilting patterns and sewing techniques, which is fine enough if one has a taste for such thorough narrations of domestique intricacies; but a reader choosing this book based on the cover description would be disappointed. It leaves one to believe that it is centred around the Underground Railroad, leaves one to expect a drama of true trials and interpersonal struggles as no tale concerning such a matter could be - or was - otherwise, especially to the people immediately concerned. However, excluding the last scene, the collection of scarce small events involving black runaways throughout this novel most definately purposes as a side story, and, futhermore, each event in and of itself also carries a feeling of being 'small.'
The majority of text is dedicated to quilting, as already mentioned, and the dynamics of Quaker communities - the back description should reflect this. Although the main character, Honor Bright, does go through a personal struggle, excited by her and her new family's differing views (including that of dealing with runaways, but certainly not the most prominent dissimilitude), the reader once again feels left floating atop, never really seeing into the character. The reader never really knows Honor Bright and some times she surprisingly demostrates more understanding then one would expect from her hollow, bland character - where did this come from?
The afforementioned aside, this book is a nice light read that can remove one from the present without demanding emotional or intellectual strain of any kind.
The scenic descriptions of this novel are on par. Chevalier can effectively paint a descriptive picture in few words; she knows just what can be left out, what the reader can fill in himself and does not drag the book down by counting off the leaves on trees.
Prehaps my rating would be higher if the cover description properly described the novel: it is a very airy book about a Quaker's life in America at the time of slavery - though slavery is far from its focal point - and do not forget to mention the quilting, quilting, quilting.
I was disappointed because I was mislead; I was expecting Underground Railroad and instead got quilting Quaker.
The first hundred pages are largely given over to quilting patterns and sewing techniques, which is fine enough if one has a taste for such thorough narrations of domestique intricacies; but a reader choosing this book based on the cover description would be disappointed. It leaves one to believe that it is centred around the Underground Railroad, leaves one to expect a drama of true trials and interpersonal struggles as no tale concerning such a matter could be - or was - otherwise, especially to the people immediately concerned. However, excluding the last scene, the collection of scarce small events involving black runaways throughout this novel most definately purposes as a side story, and, futhermore, each event in and of itself also carries a feeling of being 'small.'
The majority of text is dedicated to quilting, as already mentioned, and the dynamics of Quaker communities - the back description should reflect this. Although the main character, Honor Bright, does go through a personal struggle, excited by her and her new family's differing views (including that of dealing with runaways, but certainly not the most prominent dissimilitude), the reader once again feels left floating atop, never really seeing into the character. The reader never really knows Honor Bright and some times she surprisingly demostrates more understanding then one would expect from her hollow, bland character - where did this come from?
The afforementioned aside, this book is a nice light read that can remove one from the present without demanding emotional or intellectual strain of any kind.
The scenic descriptions of this novel are on par. Chevalier can effectively paint a descriptive picture in few words; she knows just what can be left out, what the reader can fill in himself and does not drag the book down by counting off the leaves on trees.
Prehaps my rating would be higher if the cover description properly described the novel: it is a very airy book about a Quaker's life in America at the time of slavery - though slavery is far from its focal point - and do not forget to mention the quilting, quilting, quilting.
I was disappointed because I was mislead; I was expecting Underground Railroad and instead got quilting Quaker.
March 11, 2017
A Quaker girl from England landed up in Faithwell, Ohio, 1850, right in the middle of the Underground Railroad's path. Heartsick and homesick, Honor Haymaker struggled to wrap her mind around the slavery laws of America and the way it was applied in the northern states. Milking cows, sewing quilts, making hay, bottling the bounty of summer for the harsh uncompromising winters, tapping maple trees for syrup, making cheese, obeying her mother-in-law, and being a good wife, drained her from everything she ever believed in or aspired to.
Her only true friends were Belle Mill, the milliner, and Mrs. Elsie Reed, a former slave, in Wellington, but their friendship were strictly forbidden by her husband's family.
Belle was also the sister of Donovan Mill, the slave-hunter, who made it his business to uphold the laws. The relentless clattering of his horse's hooves--one of the hooves had a distinctive thud as a result of a thick shoe--were heard anytime, anywhere, even in the small radical town of Oberlin. Donovan did not hesitate to paw through his sister's possessions as well to get behind possible stationmasters's actions of the Underground Railroad. Just as he did with Honor's trunk a few months earlier, when Honor was on Thomas's wagon on her way from Hudson to Wellington after arriving in America.
Belle gifted her a gray bonnet with a yellow trimming. It became the first act of rebellion against a community which was slowly choking the last breath from Honor Haymaker's body. From there, the road to freedom of choice became tougher than the survival of the snares in the woods that caught run-away slaves on their journey to the Canadian border.
MY COMMENTS
To start of with: this story is about people on the move. Of people running away from lives they could not face. Honor Bright, became Honor Haymaker, with the plot of the story clearly established in the protagonist's names.
From then on it became a heartfelt, and gripping adventure through the history of slavery and the settlement of the immigrants, with the hardships surrounding the lives of all the people on the run. Their journeys took them either from east to west, or south to north over the vast territories of America. And there, where their roads crossed, this story took shape.
A beautiful, compassionate read. I really enjoyed this book. An excellent read.
Her only true friends were Belle Mill, the milliner, and Mrs. Elsie Reed, a former slave, in Wellington, but their friendship were strictly forbidden by her husband's family.
Belle was also the sister of Donovan Mill, the slave-hunter, who made it his business to uphold the laws. The relentless clattering of his horse's hooves--one of the hooves had a distinctive thud as a result of a thick shoe--were heard anytime, anywhere, even in the small radical town of Oberlin. Donovan did not hesitate to paw through his sister's possessions as well to get behind possible stationmasters's actions of the Underground Railroad. Just as he did with Honor's trunk a few months earlier, when Honor was on Thomas's wagon on her way from Hudson to Wellington after arriving in America.
Belle gifted her a gray bonnet with a yellow trimming. It became the first act of rebellion against a community which was slowly choking the last breath from Honor Haymaker's body. From there, the road to freedom of choice became tougher than the survival of the snares in the woods that caught run-away slaves on their journey to the Canadian border.
MY COMMENTS
To start of with: this story is about people on the move. Of people running away from lives they could not face. Honor Bright, became Honor Haymaker, with the plot of the story clearly established in the protagonist's names.
From then on it became a heartfelt, and gripping adventure through the history of slavery and the settlement of the immigrants, with the hardships surrounding the lives of all the people on the run. Their journeys took them either from east to west, or south to north over the vast territories of America. And there, where their roads crossed, this story took shape.
A beautiful, compassionate read. I really enjoyed this book. An excellent read.
August 24, 2013
Simply put, this is one of the BEST historical novels I have ever read.
The plot: After being jilted by her fiance in England, Quaker woman Honor Bright decides to accompany her sister Grace to America and help Grace adjust to her upcoming marriage and impending life as a pioneer woman. But when tragedy befalls them, Honor finds herself alone in a strange country, dependent on the kindness of strangers and trying to learn the customs of 1850s Ohio--still a rough and wild place. Furthermore, she has much to learn about the raw, bitter, divisive nature of the issue of slavery, and how very little is as black and white as we wish it could be.
Chevalier is, at this point, a veteran writer of historical fiction. I've enjoyed her novels in the past, but The Last Runaway sets a new, even higher standard for her work. While Chevalier is skilled at forming compelling, conflicted primary and secondary characters, where she truly excels in this novel is her setting and framework. I moved away from the Midwest several years ago, but she evokes the landscape, the climate, the burgeoning history and legacy so exquisitely, I had to put the book down at one point and have a good, homesick cry.
I fear it will be a long time before I encounter the likes of this book again.
The plot: After being jilted by her fiance in England, Quaker woman Honor Bright decides to accompany her sister Grace to America and help Grace adjust to her upcoming marriage and impending life as a pioneer woman. But when tragedy befalls them, Honor finds herself alone in a strange country, dependent on the kindness of strangers and trying to learn the customs of 1850s Ohio--still a rough and wild place. Furthermore, she has much to learn about the raw, bitter, divisive nature of the issue of slavery, and how very little is as black and white as we wish it could be.
Chevalier is, at this point, a veteran writer of historical fiction. I've enjoyed her novels in the past, but The Last Runaway sets a new, even higher standard for her work. While Chevalier is skilled at forming compelling, conflicted primary and secondary characters, where she truly excels in this novel is her setting and framework. I moved away from the Midwest several years ago, but she evokes the landscape, the climate, the burgeoning history and legacy so exquisitely, I had to put the book down at one point and have a good, homesick cry.
I fear it will be a long time before I encounter the likes of this book again.
January 8, 2013
I did not like this as much as I thought I would. I like Chevalier, I like Historical Fiction, and I adore books of this period. That's why the book gets a three star rating from me, but it leans towards the lower end of the 3. The book's weakness to me is the wishy-washy main character Honor Bright. She drifts along with events, believes in Silence so much that she doesn't seem to have any thoughts, and above all she didn't make me believe that she was sincere.
Honor Bright is an English Quaker, who comes to America to get away from a jilting, ostensibly to help her sister settle into her new home. Her sister succumbs to a yellow fever sickness before she can reach Ohio. Honor, unable to go back to England, but nitpicking away with America because among other things, it is not neat and ordered and there are trees everywhere, decides to continue on to Ohio where she meets a number of interesting characters, all of them somehow connected with fugitive slaves. She continues drifting without purpose until she decides that "the corn is ready" (please don't tell me this used to happen and if it did, is this where the word corny originate from?), and gets married to the second man that happens along. (The first is there to provide some conflict.) Then, she becomes involved in a totally floaty fashion in the Underground Railroad.
Honor is a wispy creature to build a story on. Her main trait is that she's silent, and that she's an expert quiltmaker. This gets us through the first hundred pages. She whines incessantly about where she is - everything is so transient, everyone wants to move away, they have wood houses and not solid stone like in England - all the while forgetting that more and more people were leaving England to make a life in the new world, including herself. She doesn't make any effort to be involved in the Community she believes in so much, so it becomes really hard for us to empathize with her when she says she's friendless. She becomes involved in the Underground Railroad, true, but as I read it, it's used as a backdrop to this wallflower's story, and that's just not interesting. She uses her people's aversion to help fugitive slaves to make a martyr of herself. They have a very compelling reason for the aversion, in spite of which they give her a great deal of latitude. Sure, they could use some spine, and their actions are deplorable and all too common. But, what bothered me with the book is that the girl who will go silent for months on her family in some weird sort of judgment for refusing to help a runaway can see the "Light" in a merciless slave catcher denounced even by his own sister. What kind of person would do that? Other than a horny one having the hots for the slave catcher, I mean. She doesn't actually have the guts to admit that either.
But I do give Chevalier points for a bunch of other things. As always the descriptions of the period, and of the place are great to read. She evokes the transience of the place well. There are some memorable characters - Belle Mills, Donovan, Judith Haymaker, Mrs. Reed. In fact, any one not named Honor Bright happen to have a personality. I would have loved to read a book from Belle's perspective or Mrs. Reed's. Infinitely more interesting characters. The scenes with the fugitives are affecting and I kept wishing that the book had more of that. I even liked the almost endless commentary on Quaker quilting, it was well researched and definitely preferable to the main character's whining. I was looking forward to the book very much, and while it was well-written in the historical point of view, it was a very unsatisfying read. I wish books didn't take something important and trivialize it to a marginality, but insist that it is "very important". We can see it's not. 3 stars for nostalgia.
I received a copy via NetGalley for review.
Honor Bright is an English Quaker, who comes to America to get away from a jilting, ostensibly to help her sister settle into her new home. Her sister succumbs to a yellow fever sickness before she can reach Ohio. Honor, unable to go back to England, but nitpicking away with America because among other things, it is not neat and ordered and there are trees everywhere, decides to continue on to Ohio where she meets a number of interesting characters, all of them somehow connected with fugitive slaves. She continues drifting without purpose until she decides that "the corn is ready" (please don't tell me this used to happen and if it did, is this where the word corny originate from?), and gets married to the second man that happens along. (The first is there to provide some conflict.) Then, she becomes involved in a totally floaty fashion in the Underground Railroad.
Honor is a wispy creature to build a story on. Her main trait is that she's silent, and that she's an expert quiltmaker. This gets us through the first hundred pages. She whines incessantly about where she is - everything is so transient, everyone wants to move away, they have wood houses and not solid stone like in England - all the while forgetting that more and more people were leaving England to make a life in the new world, including herself. She doesn't make any effort to be involved in the Community she believes in so much, so it becomes really hard for us to empathize with her when she says she's friendless. She becomes involved in the Underground Railroad, true, but as I read it, it's used as a backdrop to this wallflower's story, and that's just not interesting. She uses her people's aversion to help fugitive slaves to make a martyr of herself. They have a very compelling reason for the aversion, in spite of which they give her a great deal of latitude. Sure, they could use some spine, and their actions are deplorable and all too common. But, what bothered me with the book is that the girl who will go silent for months on her family in some weird sort of judgment for refusing to help a runaway can see the "Light" in a merciless slave catcher denounced even by his own sister. What kind of person would do that? Other than a horny one having the hots for the slave catcher, I mean. She doesn't actually have the guts to admit that either.
But I do give Chevalier points for a bunch of other things. As always the descriptions of the period, and of the place are great to read. She evokes the transience of the place well. There are some memorable characters - Belle Mills, Donovan, Judith Haymaker, Mrs. Reed. In fact, any one not named Honor Bright happen to have a personality. I would have loved to read a book from Belle's perspective or Mrs. Reed's. Infinitely more interesting characters. The scenes with the fugitives are affecting and I kept wishing that the book had more of that. I even liked the almost endless commentary on Quaker quilting, it was well researched and definitely preferable to the main character's whining. I was looking forward to the book very much, and while it was well-written in the historical point of view, it was a very unsatisfying read. I wish books didn't take something important and trivialize it to a marginality, but insist that it is "very important". We can see it's not. 3 stars for nostalgia.
I received a copy via NetGalley for review.
October 15, 2017
Honor Bright follows her sister Grace over to America in 1850. She crosses the sea in the Adventurer and makes her slow way to Faithwell, Ohio. She meets despair and tragedy along the way and quickly finds herself in an uncomfortable situation almost as quickly as she arrives. Honor is a Quaker and lives within her community of Friends. She finds that Faithwell is a stop for runaway slaves from the South on their North Star path to Oberlin and onto Canada.
I enjoyed each chapter ended with a letter either from or to Honor, I found myself looking forward to these pieces of correspondence between her old life and new one. I also enjoyed reading about quilting, and learning the differences in the patterns, technique and colors. The things that fell a little flat for me was the runaway storyline- this felt a little too light given the situation. I'm not sure helping runaways in Ohio would've been quite as easy as it was for Honor. These plot points didn't feel gritty enough and I found myself questioning the authenticity of the narrative. Belle Mills was by far my favorite character-- the local milliner whose brother is the slave catcher in the area. Belle is a no-nonsense hat maker with a personality this book sorely needed.
Overall, I enjoyed this book-- but it was a lighter historical version of this time period than I would've liked.
I enjoyed each chapter ended with a letter either from or to Honor, I found myself looking forward to these pieces of correspondence between her old life and new one. I also enjoyed reading about quilting, and learning the differences in the patterns, technique and colors. The things that fell a little flat for me was the runaway storyline- this felt a little too light given the situation. I'm not sure helping runaways in Ohio would've been quite as easy as it was for Honor. These plot points didn't feel gritty enough and I found myself questioning the authenticity of the narrative. Belle Mills was by far my favorite character-- the local milliner whose brother is the slave catcher in the area. Belle is a no-nonsense hat maker with a personality this book sorely needed.
Overall, I enjoyed this book-- but it was a lighter historical version of this time period than I would've liked.
January 4, 2013
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.
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.
January 29, 2019
Honor volgt haar zus die gaat trouwen in Amerika. Honor gaat met haar mee omdat haar verloofde in eens voor een andere vrouw koos. Aangekomen in Amerika sterft haar zus onderweg naar haar toekomstige man. Verloren en met geen andere keus dan door te gaan gaat Honor op weg naar de verloofde van haar zus.🦔🦔🦔
Ze sluit vriendschap met twee uitzonderlijke vrouwen en raakt betrokken bij de illegale praktijken van de Underground Railroad, een beweging die ontsnapte slaven helpt te vluchten naar het vrije noorden. In haar worsteling om haar eigen plek en stem te vinden, moet Honor kiezen wat ze bereid is te riskeren voor haar overtuigingen. Ik kan mij best lastig een voorstelling va; maken. Meegaan naar een totaal onbekend land, zonder vastomlijnde plannen, afwachtend wat haar zou gebeuren, bijna zonder geld, een opmerkelijke vrouw. ☘️☘️☘️
Ze sluit vriendschap met twee uitzonderlijke vrouwen en raakt betrokken bij de illegale praktijken van de Underground Railroad, een beweging die ontsnapte slaven helpt te vluchten naar het vrije noorden. In haar worsteling om haar eigen plek en stem te vinden, moet Honor kiezen wat ze bereid is te riskeren voor haar overtuigingen. Ik kan mij best lastig een voorstelling va; maken. Meegaan naar een totaal onbekend land, zonder vastomlijnde plannen, afwachtend wat haar zou gebeuren, bijna zonder geld, een opmerkelijke vrouw. ☘️☘️☘️
December 28, 2022
The Last Runaway by Jennifer Chiaverini is a well written book about a Caucasian Quaker coming to America in 1850. She was to be married. When she caught him with another woman and then her sister died she was at a quandary what to do. She married. Her mother in law was against helping the slaves who were running away due to past legal concerns. Honor Bright continued.
I enjoy such books as this! I like to think I would do the same. I would take the risk and see another human and reach out to help.
I enjoy such books as this! I like to think I would do the same. I would take the risk and see another human and reach out to help.
December 19, 2018
Inspiring and realistic. A heart warming tale of one woman's unexpected journey to ferry runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad and saving her soul and self in the process.
February 2, 2013
After being spurned by her fiancé in 1850s England, Quaker Honor Bright accompanies her sister Grace to Ohio, where Grace is to be married. Soon Honor must fend for herself. Feeling unwelcomed by her sister’s fiance and his sister-in-law, Honor marries a local Quaker man and moves to his family's farm, where she also feels unwanted. Against their wishes, Honor becomes involved in assisting runaway slaves.
This book was just good enough to keep me reading, but Honor was so judgmental and priggish that I found myself siding with the characters who disliked her--which was almost all of them, including the dog. Yet I don’t think the author realized how fundamentally annoying Honor was. In general, the writing, plot, and characters (most of whom were pretty one-dimensional) felt like a mediocre YA book.
The story frequently focuses on Honor’s love of quilting. You have probably guessed that she is a better quilter than anyone else and is unfairly resented for that. Aside from references to Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilts, which would have instead been called honeycomb or mosaic quilts in that era (being a know-it-all is contagious), the quilting references seemed to be accurate.
There were interesting parts to this book, but it didn’t quite come together.
This book was just good enough to keep me reading, but Honor was so judgmental and priggish that I found myself siding with the characters who disliked her--which was almost all of them, including the dog. Yet I don’t think the author realized how fundamentally annoying Honor was. In general, the writing, plot, and characters (most of whom were pretty one-dimensional) felt like a mediocre YA book.
The story frequently focuses on Honor’s love of quilting. You have probably guessed that she is a better quilter than anyone else and is unfairly resented for that. Aside from references to Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilts, which would have instead been called honeycomb or mosaic quilts in that era (being a know-it-all is contagious), the quilting references seemed to be accurate.
There were interesting parts to this book, but it didn’t quite come together.
August 5, 2013
Oy! I've enjoyed a couple of Chevalier's other works many years ago. They are light, interesting, fun books to read/listen to. The artistic side of the story adds appeal and interest for me, as I enjoy crafting and the arts, etc.
This story, however, seems to miss all the marks. The characters seem flat. Honore is too naïve, despite her sheltered upbringing. She is acting on convictions that we, the readers, can't believe she has...or, if she has them, where she got them from. She shakes at an unkind word, yet defies her family and risks their property and lives, for a conviction. A wonderful thing and something I could endorse but it doesn't seem like something the character, Honore, would do. She's not that strong.
Also, the historical aspects of this book, although in the forefront, seem rather like a background story. They are a cheap cover-up for a romance story that doesn't seem plausible.
I am on disc 6 of 8 and the story is just beginning, in many ways. The previous section has been all set up, (chaste) lusting and quilts....much, much talk about quilts, fabric, pattern, design and technique.
The last two discs may surprise me yet but I'm not hopeful.
Well, I finished listening to this today. Nothing changed. This story does not pull the reader in or connects in many ways. It seems to be a shell of a story, with no real detail or substance.
I suppose Chevalier is trying to say that Honor had to decide about her life and how to be happy. The story of the runaways and the friendships Honor made were filler; they brought nothing to the story, which is sad. There are some interesting characters in this book but their story doesn't come out.
A fluff of a story. Chevalier's other books were enjoyable and fun. This one missed the boat.
This story, however, seems to miss all the marks. The characters seem flat. Honore is too naïve, despite her sheltered upbringing. She is acting on convictions that we, the readers, can't believe she has...or, if she has them, where she got them from. She shakes at an unkind word, yet defies her family and risks their property and lives, for a conviction. A wonderful thing and something I could endorse but it doesn't seem like something the character, Honore, would do. She's not that strong.
Also, the historical aspects of this book, although in the forefront, seem rather like a background story. They are a cheap cover-up for a romance story that doesn't seem plausible.
I am on disc 6 of 8 and the story is just beginning, in many ways. The previous section has been all set up, (chaste) lusting and quilts....much, much talk about quilts, fabric, pattern, design and technique.
The last two discs may surprise me yet but I'm not hopeful.
Well, I finished listening to this today. Nothing changed. This story does not pull the reader in or connects in many ways. It seems to be a shell of a story, with no real detail or substance.
I suppose Chevalier is trying to say that Honor had to decide about her life and how to be happy. The story of the runaways and the friendships Honor made were filler; they brought nothing to the story, which is sad. There are some interesting characters in this book but their story doesn't come out.
A fluff of a story. Chevalier's other books were enjoyable and fun. This one missed the boat.
August 25, 2015
Tracy Chevalier is so skilled at getting under the skin of the protagonist in a specific period whether it's a 19th century fossil collector or a 15th century Belgian weaver, you always believe her.
Honor Bright is a real person from page 1 of ‘The Last Runaway’ and you are rooting for her. The book tackles a difficult subject: the rights and wrongs of helping escaping slaves, and the moral issue this poses for Ohio’s Quakers. Honor struggles to understand this sometimes frightening new country with its huge skies and geometrical roads, forthright people and different social rules. Even the air seems strange. “I feel when I am in it as if the air around me has shifted and is not the same air I breathed and moved in back in England, but is some other substance,” she writes to her parents.
Chevalier does her research thoroughly, but feels no need to wave the depth of her research in her reader’s face. Instead it informs every simple description. Woven throughout the book is Honor’s sewing of quilts. Even this is different in Ohio where Honor’s calm nature and precise sewing is admired by the local hat-wearing ladies, but her needle workmanship is deemed overly exact for the local Quaker ladies who prefer to quickly sew appliqué quilts rather than take time to plan traditional patchwork designs.
Strong women play a key role in the book. Honor is a strong character, though perhaps she does not know it. Belle Mills, the local milliner is strong too. Honor describes Belle, “If women were meant to look like doves these days, Belle resembled a buzzard.” The quilt Honor most admires is owned and made by Mrs Reed, a small black woman who decorates her hat with fresh wildflowers.
Read more about my thoughts on books and writing at www.sandradanby.com
Honor Bright is a real person from page 1 of ‘The Last Runaway’ and you are rooting for her. The book tackles a difficult subject: the rights and wrongs of helping escaping slaves, and the moral issue this poses for Ohio’s Quakers. Honor struggles to understand this sometimes frightening new country with its huge skies and geometrical roads, forthright people and different social rules. Even the air seems strange. “I feel when I am in it as if the air around me has shifted and is not the same air I breathed and moved in back in England, but is some other substance,” she writes to her parents.
Chevalier does her research thoroughly, but feels no need to wave the depth of her research in her reader’s face. Instead it informs every simple description. Woven throughout the book is Honor’s sewing of quilts. Even this is different in Ohio where Honor’s calm nature and precise sewing is admired by the local hat-wearing ladies, but her needle workmanship is deemed overly exact for the local Quaker ladies who prefer to quickly sew appliqué quilts rather than take time to plan traditional patchwork designs.
Strong women play a key role in the book. Honor is a strong character, though perhaps she does not know it. Belle Mills, the local milliner is strong too. Honor describes Belle, “If women were meant to look like doves these days, Belle resembled a buzzard.” The quilt Honor most admires is owned and made by Mrs Reed, a small black woman who decorates her hat with fresh wildflowers.
Read more about my thoughts on books and writing at www.sandradanby.com
April 24, 2017
After leaving England, Honor Bright is on her own after the death of her sister soon after they reached the United States. She arrives in Ohio in 1850 with her Quaker religion and her excellent sewing skills, but little else. We see Ohio through the eyes of a newcomer as Honor tries to fit into her new environment. Ohio is at a crossroad with pioneers traveling through to the west, and runaway slaves traveling north to Canada.
At that time, many Quakers were involved in the Underground Railroad, helping slaves in their journey to the North. Honor marries into a family who experienced a tragedy when they had helped slaves in North Carolina. Honor is torn between sticking to her beliefs and helping the runaways, or jeopardizing both her new family's safety and their dairy farm. Usually a protective "nesting instinct" kicks in when a woman is just days away from giving birth, so Honor's trek to the next town when she disagreed with her husband's family seemed hard to believe.
The author worked historical details about Quakers, slavery, quilting, millinery shops, and farm life into the story in a very readable way. The use of letters sent to her British friend made the reader understand that Honor herself was also running away after an emotional disappointment in England. The end of the book seemed to hold promise that Honor would be running toward a better future.
This would be a good bookgroup read. Honor was an engaging character, and it would be interesting to know more about her husband, so I'm hoping Tracy Chevalier writes a sequel.
At that time, many Quakers were involved in the Underground Railroad, helping slaves in their journey to the North. Honor marries into a family who experienced a tragedy when they had helped slaves in North Carolina. Honor is torn between sticking to her beliefs and helping the runaways, or jeopardizing both her new family's safety and their dairy farm. Usually a protective "nesting instinct" kicks in when a woman is just days away from giving birth, so Honor's trek to the next town when she disagreed with her husband's family seemed hard to believe.
The author worked historical details about Quakers, slavery, quilting, millinery shops, and farm life into the story in a very readable way. The use of letters sent to her British friend made the reader understand that Honor herself was also running away after an emotional disappointment in England. The end of the book seemed to hold promise that Honor would be running toward a better future.
This would be a good bookgroup read. Honor was an engaging character, and it would be interesting to know more about her husband, so I'm hoping Tracy Chevalier writes a sequel.
Read
May 2, 2023Fitou o homem. Era de altura e constituição medianas, com cabelo crespo e faces largas. Estava descalço e vestido com roupas coçadas e sujas. E esta era toda a informação que conseguia absorver, ou sabia como absorver, pois não estava familiarizada com os traços fisionómicos dos negros o suficiente para conseguir avaliá-los, compará-los ou descrevê-los. Não sabia se o homem estava assustado, zangado ou resignado. Aos seus olhos, era apenas negro.
Com um pano de fundo delicado como o é a abolição da escravatura, a fuga dos escravos dos estados do sul e o prenúncio da guerra civil, destaca-se a luta de uma mulher para encontrar o seu lugar num país estrangeiro e hostil. Para o conseguir, procurará trazer a reposta a questões que a assaltam desde " em que assenta a fragilidade dos laços que nos ligam" ou de onde vem o "sentido de comunidade" numa narrativa compassiva à qual o seu tom protetor de heroína empresta um cunho muito próprio.
O Ohio 'tá cheio de caçadores de escravos, vêm do Kentucky e da Virgínia pra tentar levar os negros de volta pròs seus proprietários. Há muitos escravos fugidos que passam por aqui, a caminho do Canadá. Na verdade, há muito trânsito no Ohio, pra um lado ou prò outro. Diabo, uma pessoa põe-se num cruzamento e é vê-los passar. Do leste prò oeste, tens os colonos à procura de mais terra. Do sul prò norte, há escravos fugidos em busca da liberdade. É engraçado, ninguém quer ir prò sul ou pra leste. É o norte e o oeste que inspiram algum tipo de promessa.
Desterrada num meio onde a sobrevivência impera sobre todas as coisas, Honor Bright (uma jovem quaker inglesa em idade casadoira) tem de aprender a conviver com os códigos e as regras conduta de uma América dividida na qual amigo e inimigo se fazem anunciar por sinais mínimos e imperceptíveis:
O escravo tinha o rosto ferido, a roupa rasgada, mas, quando Donovan partiu, os olhos dele fitaram os dela por um breve momento. Donovan não viu essa troca de olhares, mas Jack viu. Olhou de relance para a mulher, e ela baixou os olhos. Até o olhar se tinha tornado perigoso.
O seu questionamento, sintoma de uma viagem de auto descoberta, vai da inconstância da vida em comunidade e da dificuldade em criar raízes ao sentido de pertença e à união familiar, que Honor não parece conseguir encontrar:
(...)não me sinto enraizada. É como se, como se estivesse a flutuar e os meus pés não tocassem no chão. Em Inglaterra, eu sabia onde estava e sentia-me fixa naquele lugar.
(...)Isso é o Ohio - disse a Sra. Reed. Muitas pessoa diz o mesmo.
- Toda a gente passa p'lo Ohio só pra chegar a outro lugar - acrescentou Belle. - Os foragidos vão pra norte; os colonos prò oeste. Conheces alguém e nunca tens a certeza se vais encontrar essa pessoa no dia seguinte. No dia seguinte, no mês seguinte ou no ano seguinte já pode ter partido.
Sem se esgotar em si mesma, a sua busca continua através da dissecação dos princípios que regem a sociedade, a comunidade e os indivíduos:
Tinha começado por um princípio claro nascido de uma vida inteira a sentar-se em silenciosa expectativa: a de que todas as pessoas são iguais aos olhos de Deus e, como tal, não devem ser escravizadas umas pelas outras. Todo e qualquer sistema de escravatura deve ser abolido. Parecera-lhe simples em Inglaterra; e no entanto, no Ohio, esse princípio era minado por argumentos económicos,circunstâncias pessoais e um preconceito há muito enraizado e que ela pressentia mesmo entre quakers. Era fácil imaginar o banco dos negros na Casa de Reunião de Filadélfia e sentir-se indignada; mas que será que ela própria se sentiria realmente confortável s ao lado de uma pessoa negra? Era capaz de ajudá-los, mas não os se se sentasse conhecia como pessoas. (...)
Quando um principio abstrato se enredava na vida quotidiana, perdia a sua clareza e acabava por comprometer-se e fragilizar-se.
___
Julgas que, só porque os Quakers dizem que os homens são todos iguais aos olhos de Deus, isso significa que sejam iguais aos olhos uns dos outros?
...a religiosidade e a espiritualidade:
-Há uma coisa que gostava de saber sobre os Quakers - disse baixando o jornal.
Honor levantou os olhos.
- Vocês sentam-se todos juntos, calados, não é? Sem hinos, nem preces, nem um pregador pra vos fazer pensar. Porquê?
- Estamos à escuta.
- De quê?
- De Deus.
E, mais importante de tudo, o questionamento acerca das nossas expectativas e das nossas limitações enquanto seres imperfeitos, movidos por interesses, valores e ideias díspares:
A mulher chamava-se Virginie. Durante toda aquela noite que Honor passara com ela na floresta e nos campos, não lhe ocorrera perguntar-lhe o nome. Na verdade, nunca perguntara o nome a nenhum dos foragidos. Agora, perguntava-se porquê. Talvez não tivesse querido personalizá-los dessa forma. Sem nomes, era mais fácil deixá-los desaparecer da sua vida.
Com pormenores deliciosos, representativos da feminilidade, da comunhão e da transição da infância para a idade adulta em alta evidência na narrativa, atuando como pequenos retalhos numa enorme manta - sejam eles a costura, o patchwork, ou a produção de conservas -, podemos definir A Última Fugitiva como um longo desfiar de reflexões acerca de preconceitos, posturas e atitudes que assumimos ou não, que confrontamos ou não, que aceitamos ou não - e, se não aceitamos, procuramos (se tivermos coragem) mudar: para melhor.
Com um pano de fundo delicado como o é a abolição da escravatura, a fuga dos escravos dos estados do sul e o prenúncio da guerra civil, destaca-se a luta de uma mulher para encontrar o seu lugar num país estrangeiro e hostil. Para o conseguir, procurará trazer a reposta a questões que a assaltam desde " em que assenta a fragilidade dos laços que nos ligam" ou de onde vem o "sentido de comunidade" numa narrativa compassiva à qual o seu tom protetor de heroína empresta um cunho muito próprio.
O Ohio 'tá cheio de caçadores de escravos, vêm do Kentucky e da Virgínia pra tentar levar os negros de volta pròs seus proprietários. Há muitos escravos fugidos que passam por aqui, a caminho do Canadá. Na verdade, há muito trânsito no Ohio, pra um lado ou prò outro. Diabo, uma pessoa põe-se num cruzamento e é vê-los passar. Do leste prò oeste, tens os colonos à procura de mais terra. Do sul prò norte, há escravos fugidos em busca da liberdade. É engraçado, ninguém quer ir prò sul ou pra leste. É o norte e o oeste que inspiram algum tipo de promessa.
Desterrada num meio onde a sobrevivência impera sobre todas as coisas, Honor Bright (uma jovem quaker inglesa em idade casadoira) tem de aprender a conviver com os códigos e as regras conduta de uma América dividida na qual amigo e inimigo se fazem anunciar por sinais mínimos e imperceptíveis:
O escravo tinha o rosto ferido, a roupa rasgada, mas, quando Donovan partiu, os olhos dele fitaram os dela por um breve momento. Donovan não viu essa troca de olhares, mas Jack viu. Olhou de relance para a mulher, e ela baixou os olhos. Até o olhar se tinha tornado perigoso.
O seu questionamento, sintoma de uma viagem de auto descoberta, vai da inconstância da vida em comunidade e da dificuldade em criar raízes ao sentido de pertença e à união familiar, que Honor não parece conseguir encontrar:
(...)não me sinto enraizada. É como se, como se estivesse a flutuar e os meus pés não tocassem no chão. Em Inglaterra, eu sabia onde estava e sentia-me fixa naquele lugar.
(...)Isso é o Ohio - disse a Sra. Reed. Muitas pessoa diz o mesmo.
- Toda a gente passa p'lo Ohio só pra chegar a outro lugar - acrescentou Belle. - Os foragidos vão pra norte; os colonos prò oeste. Conheces alguém e nunca tens a certeza se vais encontrar essa pessoa no dia seguinte. No dia seguinte, no mês seguinte ou no ano seguinte já pode ter partido.
Sem se esgotar em si mesma, a sua busca continua através da dissecação dos princípios que regem a sociedade, a comunidade e os indivíduos:
Tinha começado por um princípio claro nascido de uma vida inteira a sentar-se em silenciosa expectativa: a de que todas as pessoas são iguais aos olhos de Deus e, como tal, não devem ser escravizadas umas pelas outras. Todo e qualquer sistema de escravatura deve ser abolido. Parecera-lhe simples em Inglaterra; e no entanto, no Ohio, esse princípio era minado por argumentos económicos,circunstâncias pessoais e um preconceito há muito enraizado e que ela pressentia mesmo entre quakers. Era fácil imaginar o banco dos negros na Casa de Reunião de Filadélfia e sentir-se indignada; mas que será que ela própria se sentiria realmente confortável s ao lado de uma pessoa negra? Era capaz de ajudá-los, mas não os se se sentasse conhecia como pessoas. (...)
Quando um principio abstrato se enredava na vida quotidiana, perdia a sua clareza e acabava por comprometer-se e fragilizar-se.
___
Julgas que, só porque os Quakers dizem que os homens são todos iguais aos olhos de Deus, isso significa que sejam iguais aos olhos uns dos outros?
...a religiosidade e a espiritualidade:
-Há uma coisa que gostava de saber sobre os Quakers - disse baixando o jornal.
Honor levantou os olhos.
- Vocês sentam-se todos juntos, calados, não é? Sem hinos, nem preces, nem um pregador pra vos fazer pensar. Porquê?
- Estamos à escuta.
- De quê?
- De Deus.
E, mais importante de tudo, o questionamento acerca das nossas expectativas e das nossas limitações enquanto seres imperfeitos, movidos por interesses, valores e ideias díspares:
A mulher chamava-se Virginie. Durante toda aquela noite que Honor passara com ela na floresta e nos campos, não lhe ocorrera perguntar-lhe o nome. Na verdade, nunca perguntara o nome a nenhum dos foragidos. Agora, perguntava-se porquê. Talvez não tivesse querido personalizá-los dessa forma. Sem nomes, era mais fácil deixá-los desaparecer da sua vida.
Com pormenores deliciosos, representativos da feminilidade, da comunhão e da transição da infância para a idade adulta em alta evidência na narrativa, atuando como pequenos retalhos numa enorme manta - sejam eles a costura, o patchwork, ou a produção de conservas -, podemos definir A Última Fugitiva como um longo desfiar de reflexões acerca de preconceitos, posturas e atitudes que assumimos ou não, que confrontamos ou não, que aceitamos ou não - e, se não aceitamos, procuramos (se tivermos coragem) mudar: para melhor.
November 5, 2015
I’ve been an admirer of Tracy Chevalier’s novels, especially Girl with a Pearl Earring and Remarkable Creatures, so I looked forward to this novel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed; this book is not of the caliber I’ve come to expect from this author.
The novel is set in the 1850s in Ohio. Honor Bright, a Quaker, leaves England after being jilted and finds herself in Ohio where she struggles to adapt to a new life. She becomes involved in the Underground Railroad despite the objections of her husband and his family.
One of the weaknesses is the character of Honor Bright. She tries to be an honourable person but she is not very bright. She is rather dull and bland and judgmental. This last failing she does acknowledge: “Perhaps, Honor thought one day, it is not that Americans are so wedded to individual expression, but that we British are too judgmental” (258). She spends a great deal of time being critical of rocking chairs and American quilting but devotes very little time to getting to know the man she agrees to marry. She knows “She could not go back” (1) but makes little effort to adjust to life in America; she has to be admonished by the two women she most admires to keep “an open mind” (292).
Most of the characters are one-dimensional. Donovan, the slave hunter, has the potential to be an interesting character, but he ends up being unbelievable. A runaway refers specifically to him at one point: “’Them slave hunters got a sense makes ‘em good at guessin’ where a runaway is. Otherwise they be out of a job. He’ll turn up again tonight – I can guarantee it’” (251). Nonetheless, he is constantly outwitted by his own sister even though he knows she assists runaways and he frequently watches her home.
There is some attempt to use literary devices, but they come across as heavy-handed. For example, after her first sexual experience, which takes place in a cornfield, Honor wonders “if there were snakes nearby; nothing was moving but it was only a matter of time before one appeared” (126). Then her marriage quilt is made for her by women with varying degrees of skill so she begins her married life “under a quilt of dubious quality. It was not an auspicious start” (132). This foreshadowing of problems in the marriage is anything but subtle. One technique I did like is the use of English versus American quilting styles as parallels to Honor’s difficulties in her new country: Honor’s English quilting style is unappreciated by the women in her new community and she is dismissive of American quilting.
I looked forward to learning more about Quakers, but the information is sketchy. They are pacifists; they will not lie; they will shun members of their community who marry outside their faith; they dress modestly; they use “thee” in conversation; they believe in the equality of all humans. All of this I knew. The only new thing I learned about the Religious Society of Friends is their attitude to pre-marital sex; perhaps I shouldn’t be skeptical of the research of an author known for her historical fiction, but I intend to do some research to determine if what Chevalier suggests is true.
I did appreciate one of the major themes explored in the novel: the difference between principles/religious beliefs and the practice of those principles/beliefs: “When an abstract principle became entangled in daily life, it lost its clarity and became compromised and weakened. Honor did not understand how this could happen, and yet it had: [the family into which she marries] had demonstrated how easy it was to justify stepping back from principles and doing nothing” (227). Quakers believe in the equality of all, but in the religious community to which Honor belongs, not all practice their belief; some choose not to help the slaves fleeing north.
This may seem a minor complaint to many, but I was very annoyed with the punctuation. Commas are left out when they are needed – “The day after Comfort was born Belle had sent word to the Haymakers” and put in where not needed – “Honor got that feeling she had when she was sewing together patchwork pieces, and saw that they fit” (259). These problems indicate poor editing.
At one point Honor says, “’. . . I do not feel settled. It is as if – as if I am floating above the ground, with my feet not touching’” (290). This is the feeling I had while reading this book. I was not engaged by the characters or the plot. Interestingly, I recently read The Purchase by Linda Spalding, another recent book about the Quakers and slavery. It too was unsatisfactory.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
The novel is set in the 1850s in Ohio. Honor Bright, a Quaker, leaves England after being jilted and finds herself in Ohio where she struggles to adapt to a new life. She becomes involved in the Underground Railroad despite the objections of her husband and his family.
One of the weaknesses is the character of Honor Bright. She tries to be an honourable person but she is not very bright. She is rather dull and bland and judgmental. This last failing she does acknowledge: “Perhaps, Honor thought one day, it is not that Americans are so wedded to individual expression, but that we British are too judgmental” (258). She spends a great deal of time being critical of rocking chairs and American quilting but devotes very little time to getting to know the man she agrees to marry. She knows “She could not go back” (1) but makes little effort to adjust to life in America; she has to be admonished by the two women she most admires to keep “an open mind” (292).
Most of the characters are one-dimensional. Donovan, the slave hunter, has the potential to be an interesting character, but he ends up being unbelievable. A runaway refers specifically to him at one point: “’Them slave hunters got a sense makes ‘em good at guessin’ where a runaway is. Otherwise they be out of a job. He’ll turn up again tonight – I can guarantee it’” (251). Nonetheless, he is constantly outwitted by his own sister even though he knows she assists runaways and he frequently watches her home.
There is some attempt to use literary devices, but they come across as heavy-handed. For example, after her first sexual experience, which takes place in a cornfield, Honor wonders “if there were snakes nearby; nothing was moving but it was only a matter of time before one appeared” (126). Then her marriage quilt is made for her by women with varying degrees of skill so she begins her married life “under a quilt of dubious quality. It was not an auspicious start” (132). This foreshadowing of problems in the marriage is anything but subtle. One technique I did like is the use of English versus American quilting styles as parallels to Honor’s difficulties in her new country: Honor’s English quilting style is unappreciated by the women in her new community and she is dismissive of American quilting.
I looked forward to learning more about Quakers, but the information is sketchy. They are pacifists; they will not lie; they will shun members of their community who marry outside their faith; they dress modestly; they use “thee” in conversation; they believe in the equality of all humans. All of this I knew. The only new thing I learned about the Religious Society of Friends is their attitude to pre-marital sex; perhaps I shouldn’t be skeptical of the research of an author known for her historical fiction, but I intend to do some research to determine if what Chevalier suggests is true.
I did appreciate one of the major themes explored in the novel: the difference between principles/religious beliefs and the practice of those principles/beliefs: “When an abstract principle became entangled in daily life, it lost its clarity and became compromised and weakened. Honor did not understand how this could happen, and yet it had: [the family into which she marries] had demonstrated how easy it was to justify stepping back from principles and doing nothing” (227). Quakers believe in the equality of all, but in the religious community to which Honor belongs, not all practice their belief; some choose not to help the slaves fleeing north.
This may seem a minor complaint to many, but I was very annoyed with the punctuation. Commas are left out when they are needed – “The day after Comfort was born Belle had sent word to the Haymakers” and put in where not needed – “Honor got that feeling she had when she was sewing together patchwork pieces, and saw that they fit” (259). These problems indicate poor editing.
At one point Honor says, “’. . . I do not feel settled. It is as if – as if I am floating above the ground, with my feet not touching’” (290). This is the feeling I had while reading this book. I was not engaged by the characters or the plot. Interestingly, I recently read The Purchase by Linda Spalding, another recent book about the Quakers and slavery. It too was unsatisfactory.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
August 17, 2016
This was such a well written book it's hard to know where to start. Fabulous characters set against the backdrop of the beginning of the end of slavery. Honor Bright the main character, brings us on a journey of her emigration to America, her religion as a Quaker and her battle to please her new family in the continuing injustice of slavery. There are other really strong characters on both sides on the divide during this powerful episode in American history. It covers the underground railway and the defiance of people in a small community that could lose everything. This however is not a sentimental story, it shows us real people and the impact of their decisions. Highly recommended.
January 30, 2013
I'm not good at doing plot summaries in my reviews, because I'm always afraid I'll give too much away.
That being said, I've never read this author, but had the recommendation after reading "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker."
I cannot STAND people trying to tell me what I should read to understand slavery, history, etc (I'll make people mad, but I'm thinking about Oprah's book recommendations). But, I often take stands on issues or say I would've taken a stand had I lived in (fill in the blank) era...but who really knows?
This book, while working within the plotline of a Quaker young woman, really gave me pause...where do you draw the line with your conscience, what would cause you to rethink that, would you risk your own family for certain causes you come to feel are important?
The characters are well written...I won't say much about that, because I feel I'll give information away...but the slave catcher, who you would think you would hate, sort of grows on you...I really wanted them together, oddly, as the book progressed.
I literally put it down so that I could prolong the ending, and this is one book on a very, very short list (and I read at least 5 books a week) that I would read again....
I'm still thinking about it, pondering the characters, and wish I knew how the rest of Honor's life turned out after I closed the novel.
That being said, I've never read this author, but had the recommendation after reading "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker."
I cannot STAND people trying to tell me what I should read to understand slavery, history, etc (I'll make people mad, but I'm thinking about Oprah's book recommendations). But, I often take stands on issues or say I would've taken a stand had I lived in (fill in the blank) era...but who really knows?
This book, while working within the plotline of a Quaker young woman, really gave me pause...where do you draw the line with your conscience, what would cause you to rethink that, would you risk your own family for certain causes you come to feel are important?
The characters are well written...I won't say much about that, because I feel I'll give information away...but the slave catcher, who you would think you would hate, sort of grows on you...I really wanted them together, oddly, as the book progressed.
I literally put it down so that I could prolong the ending, and this is one book on a very, very short list (and I read at least 5 books a week) that I would read again....
I'm still thinking about it, pondering the characters, and wish I knew how the rest of Honor's life turned out after I closed the novel.
December 5, 2012
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.
March 16, 2018
U samo nešto malo više od 200 stranica Tracy je majstorski uspjela napisati savršen roman, sa izvrsno razrađenom radnjom i likovima. Lik mlade kvekerice Honor Bright je tako simpatičan da je nemoguće ostati ravnodušan na njenu životnu sudbinu i ne suosjećati s njom, ali i ostalim likovima i njihovim potresnim sudbinama. Ispod površine naizgled mirnih stanovnika kvekerske zajednice kriju se jako burne strasti i duboka osjećanja, a ta kombinacija mira i nemira daje poseban šarm romanu. Čitala sam ranije Djevičanski plavo, isto jako dobar roman, ali moram priznati da me je ovaj puno dublje dotakao i potresao. Chevalier ide na listu meni omiljenih autorica!
July 15, 2023
Quite a complex read compared to her other books
June 2, 2024
Totally amazing on many levels. The lead character, Hope Bright was a quaker who left England to look for a husband, as they did in those days.
After getting married, she was conflicted with her husband‘s family’s orders not to mess with slaves. She said that’s not what God‘s telling me to do.
Story about her struggles with the family and she was still helping run away slaves along the Underground Railroad.
A fast paced story that I loved.
After getting married, she was conflicted with her husband‘s family’s orders not to mess with slaves. She said that’s not what God‘s telling me to do.
Story about her struggles with the family and she was still helping run away slaves along the Underground Railroad.
A fast paced story that I loved.
June 22, 2022
Interesting back list book by the author best known for Girl with the Pearl Earring. This I picked up as it was my bookclub read. The story has several elements that come together in a well crafted historical fiction novel: Quakers, quilting, underground railroad, the fugitive Slave Act, early Ohio settlements, pioneer living and surviving.
The story centers around a young woman, Honor Bright (about age 20), who travels to Ohio from her Quaker home in England in the 1850's. The journey is not an easy one and when she finally arrives she has few prospects and much adjusting to do. She has two important assets which assist her in learning to live in her new environment, a strong Quaker community and an ability as a quilting seamstress that is much in demand. Sewing is once again a strong presence in this novel. (A Single Thread, Chevalier's latest novel has a strong embroidery focus.)
As a stranger in a strange land and one raised in the environment of Quaker silences she learns much by observing. An early encounter with a runaway slave influences her to become involved in helping others on their underground journey to freedom. Slowly she learns who in the community are serving as local stops along this route and assists in her own small way. But even this assistance is not without consequences for herself and those around her.
This is a single point of view story, with history sown seamlessly into an engaging story. Honor Bright's journey is well written and carries the reader along. I enjoyed it much more than expected and admire the author's ability to tell a simple story that says much about these times just prior to the civil war and how slavery was dividing the country.
The story centers around a young woman, Honor Bright (about age 20), who travels to Ohio from her Quaker home in England in the 1850's. The journey is not an easy one and when she finally arrives she has few prospects and much adjusting to do. She has two important assets which assist her in learning to live in her new environment, a strong Quaker community and an ability as a quilting seamstress that is much in demand. Sewing is once again a strong presence in this novel. (A Single Thread, Chevalier's latest novel has a strong embroidery focus.)
As a stranger in a strange land and one raised in the environment of Quaker silences she learns much by observing. An early encounter with a runaway slave influences her to become involved in helping others on their underground journey to freedom. Slowly she learns who in the community are serving as local stops along this route and assists in her own small way. But even this assistance is not without consequences for herself and those around her.
This is a single point of view story, with history sown seamlessly into an engaging story. Honor Bright's journey is well written and carries the reader along. I enjoyed it much more than expected and admire the author's ability to tell a simple story that says much about these times just prior to the civil war and how slavery was dividing the country.
October 27, 2025
Слаба работа, очаквах доста повече...
April 15, 2018
A really great read - engaging, moving with fascinating historical detail. I would highly recommend.
February 25, 2013
I really enjoyed this story of Honor Bright - great name! The letters written home painted a picture of the isolation Honor felt in her spirit. When questioned about what she liked and her answer said she found lightning bugs “cheerful and welcoming” it was a clear word picture of her solitude that went beyond the silent times at church.
I appreciated the description of Honor’s realization of the background of the cotton fabric that she used. “She had always loved fabric, admiring the weaves and patterns and textures, imagining what she could make…Now she understood that much of it was not innocent, unsullied material, but the result of a compromised world.” The former slave (Mrs. Reed) remarks about, “Abolitionists got lots o’ theories, but I’m livin’ with realities” was a powerful use of words.
Honor chose to follow her own conscience and that isolated her even more from most of the people surrounding her. She did what little she could. “Is it worse to have no principles, or principles you cannot then uphold?”
This book was not full of information about the underground railroad. I don’t believe that was the author’s purpose. It was rich with emotional responses in the lives of those who knew slavery to be wrong and made choices often based on practicality and not on principles.
I loved the author’s statement about “When an abstract principle becomes entangled in daily life, it lost its clarity and became compromised and weakened. …the Haymakers had demonstrated how easy it was to justify stepping back from principles and doing nothing. …She felt so confused by the gap between what she thought and what was expected of her that she could not speak. …Silence was a powerful tool… Perhaps now it would allow Honor to be heard.” I felt this turn of the story to be perfect in the way it was written.
I also enjoyed her comparisons of British and American buildings and America having a “flimsiness of community, a feeling that no one has been there long.” Honor desired the feeling of being settled and fitting into place. The ending was perfect. I will not give it away but I felt it tied together the story and resolved many of the problems.
I would like to give this book a five star. I have chosen to give it 4 stars only because I felt there was one short part of the story that was unnecessary and didn't fit. It was the part of the story that happened in the cornfield. The book had wonderful development of characters and perfect use of imagery. I enjoyed it and liked that it had an element of making me ponder if I live according to principles and convictions or just do what I see others doing? I like books that leave me thinking.
I appreciated the description of Honor’s realization of the background of the cotton fabric that she used. “She had always loved fabric, admiring the weaves and patterns and textures, imagining what she could make…Now she understood that much of it was not innocent, unsullied material, but the result of a compromised world.” The former slave (Mrs. Reed) remarks about, “Abolitionists got lots o’ theories, but I’m livin’ with realities” was a powerful use of words.
Honor chose to follow her own conscience and that isolated her even more from most of the people surrounding her. She did what little she could. “Is it worse to have no principles, or principles you cannot then uphold?”
This book was not full of information about the underground railroad. I don’t believe that was the author’s purpose. It was rich with emotional responses in the lives of those who knew slavery to be wrong and made choices often based on practicality and not on principles.
I loved the author’s statement about “When an abstract principle becomes entangled in daily life, it lost its clarity and became compromised and weakened. …the Haymakers had demonstrated how easy it was to justify stepping back from principles and doing nothing. …She felt so confused by the gap between what she thought and what was expected of her that she could not speak. …Silence was a powerful tool… Perhaps now it would allow Honor to be heard.” I felt this turn of the story to be perfect in the way it was written.
I also enjoyed her comparisons of British and American buildings and America having a “flimsiness of community, a feeling that no one has been there long.” Honor desired the feeling of being settled and fitting into place. The ending was perfect. I will not give it away but I felt it tied together the story and resolved many of the problems.
I would like to give this book a five star. I have chosen to give it 4 stars only because I felt there was one short part of the story that was unnecessary and didn't fit. It was the part of the story that happened in the cornfield. The book had wonderful development of characters and perfect use of imagery. I enjoyed it and liked that it had an element of making me ponder if I live according to principles and convictions or just do what I see others doing? I like books that leave me thinking.
June 2, 2020
The power of this book is quite subtle. The year is 1850 and 20-year-old Honor Bright is traveling with her sister, Grace, from Bridport in England across the Atlantic ocean to New York and then on to Ohio. I thought the story was going to be about one set of things, but Tracy Chevalier went in some different directions.
Her recipe for this story combines research into Quaker beliefs, practices, and lifestyles; with issues surrounding the abolition of slavery and The Fugitive Slave Act; 19th century English and American quilts, and elements of how the Underground Railroad functioned. Many of the chapters are named for things which may have featured prominently in the natural world and culture in the state of Ohio in the 1850s, i.e. "Bonnets", "Sugaring", "Fever", "Water"---often signifying double or multiple meanings much like the hidden language of the Underground Railroad or the visual language stitched in quilts.
Inserted between chapters are letters of correspondence amongst characters that transition the storyline, vary the tone, and provide elements of backstory....but didn't reveal much personality in the process: the opinions are polite and well thought-out, journalistically expressed with perfect syntax and spelling (---no flavor!) The characters were engaging but sometimes seemed to be ventriloquist dolls voicing and acting out the historical issues of the time and place.
I enjoyed the role that SILENCE played in this book, as well as how much the story is driven by the actions of strong women. I would be curious to know if Quakers are/were so exquisitely somber and barely capable of playfulness and laughter. Don't get me wrong, though, this is not a depressing read. 3.5 ⭐️'s.
Her recipe for this story combines research into Quaker beliefs, practices, and lifestyles; with issues surrounding the abolition of slavery and The Fugitive Slave Act; 19th century English and American quilts, and elements of how the Underground Railroad functioned. Many of the chapters are named for things which may have featured prominently in the natural world and culture in the state of Ohio in the 1850s, i.e. "Bonnets", "Sugaring", "Fever", "Water"---often signifying double or multiple meanings much like the hidden language of the Underground Railroad or the visual language stitched in quilts.
Inserted between chapters are letters of correspondence amongst characters that transition the storyline, vary the tone, and provide elements of backstory....but didn't reveal much personality in the process: the opinions are polite and well thought-out, journalistically expressed with perfect syntax and spelling (---no flavor!) The characters were engaging but sometimes seemed to be ventriloquist dolls voicing and acting out the historical issues of the time and place.
I enjoyed the role that SILENCE played in this book, as well as how much the story is driven by the actions of strong women. I would be curious to know if Quakers are/were so exquisitely somber and barely capable of playfulness and laughter. Don't get me wrong, though, this is not a depressing read. 3.5 ⭐️'s.
February 21, 2020
I like Tracy Chevalier a lot.
I like the way she leads us into the time and place of her historical novels.
I really enjoyed reading this book and learn about the Quakers and how the Underground Railroad worked, and also about quilting, especially about Quaker quilts that I've never heard of before.
I like the way she leads us into the time and place of her historical novels.
I really enjoyed reading this book and learn about the Quakers and how the Underground Railroad worked, and also about quilting, especially about Quaker quilts that I've never heard of before.
October 16, 2025
2.5 🌟 rounded up.
I think this is the first time I’ve read from Chevalier and not absolutely loved the story. On a surface level all of the ingredients should’ve produced something really special, but I think that was part of the issue, it was very much surface level, the characters failed to really draw me in to the story. I think a huge part of the issue was the narration, Honor Is supposed to hail from Dorset England, but the narrator took us on a merry little jaunt through much of England and I think she strayed off course into Scotland and Ireland for the odd sentence. This might not bother others, it’s a bug bear for me though.
Side note that I’d absolutely love a handmade quilt!
I think this is the first time I’ve read from Chevalier and not absolutely loved the story. On a surface level all of the ingredients should’ve produced something really special, but I think that was part of the issue, it was very much surface level, the characters failed to really draw me in to the story. I think a huge part of the issue was the narration, Honor Is supposed to hail from Dorset England, but the narrator took us on a merry little jaunt through much of England and I think she strayed off course into Scotland and Ireland for the odd sentence. This might not bother others, it’s a bug bear for me though.
Side note that I’d absolutely love a handmade quilt!
January 9, 2020
**4,5 estrelas**
É sempre uma surpresa agradável quando um livro se torna inesperadamente uma companhia especial.
Uma história de uma simplicidade tocante, despretenciosa, passada na América, num ambiente rural, em meados do séc. XIX, antes da abolição da escravatura.
Foi verdadeiramente interessante conhecer o modo de vida pacífico e singelo das comunidades Quakers.
Igualmente impressionante é a arte na concepção dos quilts e a importância que assume nas suas vidas. Curiosamente, alguns destes fascinantes padrões usados nos quilts, terão ganho associações a códigos secretos pelo Underground Railroad (rede de rotas clandestinas nos E.U.A. usadas na fuga dos escravos) como forma de comunicação.
Irão certamente gostar de conhecer Honor, uma jovem humilde, sem malícia, serena, genuína, preseverante, fiel aos seus princípios e corajosa. De resto, todas as personagens são bem construídas, tecendo um enredo terno e interessante.
É sempre uma surpresa agradável quando um livro se torna inesperadamente uma companhia especial.
Uma história de uma simplicidade tocante, despretenciosa, passada na América, num ambiente rural, em meados do séc. XIX, antes da abolição da escravatura.
Foi verdadeiramente interessante conhecer o modo de vida pacífico e singelo das comunidades Quakers.
Igualmente impressionante é a arte na concepção dos quilts e a importância que assume nas suas vidas. Curiosamente, alguns destes fascinantes padrões usados nos quilts, terão ganho associações a códigos secretos pelo Underground Railroad (rede de rotas clandestinas nos E.U.A. usadas na fuga dos escravos) como forma de comunicação.
Irão certamente gostar de conhecer Honor, uma jovem humilde, sem malícia, serena, genuína, preseverante, fiel aos seus princípios e corajosa. De resto, todas as personagens são bem construídas, tecendo um enredo terno e interessante.
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