Hope Leslie: or, Early Times in the Massachusetts

by Catharine Maria Sedgwick

Set in seventeenth-century New England, Hope Leslie (1827) portrays early American life and celebrates the role of women in building the republic. A counterpoint to the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, it challenges the conventional view of Indians, tackles interracial marriage and cross-cultural friendship, and claims for women their rightful place in history. At the center of the novel are two friends. Hope Leslie, a spirited thinker in a repressive Puritan society, fights for justice for the Indians and asserts the independence of women. Magawisca, the passionate daughter of a Pequot chief, braves her father's wrath to save a white man and risks her freedom to reunite Hope with her long-lost sister, captured as a child by the Pequots and now married to Magawisca's brother. Amply plotted, with unforgettable characters, Hope Leslie is a rich, compelling, deeply satisfying novel.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, School, American, 19th Century, Literature

399 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1827

About the author

Catharine Maria Sedgwick was born December 28, 1789 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. As a young woman, Sedgwick took charge of a school in Lenox. She converted from Calvinism to Unitarianism, which led her to write a pamphlet denouncing religious intolerance. This further inspired her to write her first novel, A New-England Tale.

With her work much in demand, from the 1820s to the 1850s, Sedgwick made a good living writing short stories for a variety of periodicals. She died in 1867, and by the end of the 19th century, she had been relegated to near obscurity. There was a rise of male critics who deprecated women's writing as they worked to create an American literature.

Interest in Sedgwick's works and an appreciation of her contribution to American literature has been stimulated by the late 20th century's feminist movement. Beginning in the 1960s, feminist scholars began to re-evaluate women's contributions to literature and other arts, and created new frames of reference for considering their work. In addition, the advent of low-cost electronic reproductions, which became available at the end of the 20th century, made Sedgwick and other nineteenth-century authors' work more accessible for study and pleasure.

Reviews

[Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catharine Maria Sedgwick (1789-1867) earned Nathaniel Hawthorne's praise as "our most truthful novelist." Many other writers and critics in her own day also had a high estimation of her work, and she was deservedly popular with the reading public, both in America and in England. But like many other Romantic-school writers, especially the females, she tended to be "dropped down the memory hole," around the turn of the 20th century, by a male-dominated Realist critical clerisy that had, among other things, an agenda of largely purging women writers from the American canon. I wasn't taught anything about her in American Literature classes in high school or college, and it's a safe bet that most contemporary readers have never heard of her. That's a shame, because on the evidence of this novel she was as talented an author, and as worthy of reading, as most of the "canonical" writers of her day.

Hope Leslie (1827) was Sedgwick's third novel, and usually considered her best. It's historical fiction, set mostly in her native Massachusetts in the 1630s and early 1640s, though some of the early chapters are set in England as far back as into the 1620s, to explain the connection between the Fletcher and Leslie families. Written in the Romantic style, it's certainly influenced by Sir Walter Scott (whose work Sedgwick is known to have read and liked) and probably by Cooper as well. With a main storyline set in the aftermath of the Pequot War between the English settlers and the Pequot Indians, it focuses primarily on Indian-white relations --and the author's sympathies are solidly with the grievances of the former (though she doesn't deny, or condone, the fact that both sides were capable of atrocities), and against racial prejudice. Other themes are feminism (she has several female characters who display initiative, agency and even heroism, and depart from the patriarchal norms of behavior that were expected in the 17th -and 19th-- century) and the conflict between an approach to Christianity that's more concerned with the spirit than the letter of the law versus the much more rigid and legalistic orthodoxy of the Puritans. (Like Hawthorne, she respected and even admired the genuine virtues of the latter, and their contributions to America's democratic heritage, while recognizing and deploring "Their bigotry --their superstition & above all their intolerance," as she put it in a letter to the Swiss historian Charles Sismondi.)

This is not, however, a dry novel of ideas. On the contrary, it's a gripping page-turner, with an ably constructed plot that involves frontier warfare (one scene isn't for the squeamish, although Sedgwick spares us from as much of the gore as possible), Indian captivity, Puritan witch-hunting, daring rescues and escapes, concealed identity and cross-dressing, nefarious plotting, a romantic triangle --actually a couple of them at least, that interlock-- and, in the tradition of Hollywood action-movie blockbusters, before anybody knew what "movies" were, a colossal explosion. (It's probably owing only to Sedgwick's relative obscurity in the 20th and 21st centuries that this novel has never been filmed; but if a producer would ever discover it and have brains enough to do an adaptation that's actually faithful to the book, I think it would be a hit --I'd certainly watch it!) It also offers wonderful characterizations, with both good and bad characters who are believable and three-dimensional, an excellent depiction of female friendship, and strong moral messages. We should also add that Sedgwick's knowledge of New England history in this period is substantial and solid, and the research shows without being at all intrusive. Readers who can't stand 19th-century diction and occasional direct authorial address (some of it moralizing) to the reader won't like this; but those features didn't bother me in the slightest.

This Penguin Classics edition has a 30-page Introduction by literature and Women's Studies professor Carolyn L. Karcher of Temple Univ., which absolutely should NOT be read as an Introduction --it has plot spoilers galore! I read most of it after finishing the novel; and I'd advise readers to do the same with the whole of it. It would serve as a worthwhile Afterword, the strongest points being its discussion of Sedgwick's life and work up to 1827, the historical and literary context (although her claim that Scott created the historical fiction genre is a factual error; Daniel Defoe and Ann Radcliffe, just to name the first two writers who come to mind, preceded him by quite a bit!), and the reception of the work and comments on it by the public, other writers, and contemporary critics. (IMO, it's weaker where she tries to analyze Sedgwick's messages; there, I find her reasoning usually less convincing than she thinks, and I particularly find the treatment of interracial marriage here more positive than she does, though going into my reasoning would involve spoilers.) She also supplies about 26 1/2 pages of end-notes dealing with historical background, sources of quotations and allusions, etc., and appends a selected list, a bit over a page long, of other Sedgwick works; a roughly one-page bibliography of the sources she cited in the Introduction; and a three-page list of other suggested background reading. This includes primary historical sources by the likes of William Bradford and John Winthrop (who's an important character in the book), secondary histories, and a number of books and articles by other literary scholars, though none that I'm personally familiar with.

[Nancy Oakes]

I have to say I'm very surprised at the number of one-star and two-star ratings for this book. Then again, maybe not. I suppose few people have too much patience for old-style writing these days. That's a shame.

While published in 1827, the author chose to set her novel in the mid 1600s and in the milieu of the Puritans of Massachusetts in order to examine her present and America's future "by way of the past." More here re plot, etc.


I can't possibly begin to expound on all of the issues that Sedgwick raises in this book -- serious reflections on the roles and futures of women in America, the presence of women in the public sphere, their submission to male authority, the ethical treatment of Native Americans, the rigidity of the Puritans, the historical record vs. an alternate theory re what really happened as far as Puritan-Native American interaction, whether or not tolerance can exist between Native Americans and the people who continue to move further out into the American frontier -- all of these subjects would demand much more time than I can give to them. The focus is on the two main characters of Hope and Magawisca, who are each in their own right heroines of their time, each able to use her own good judgment and sense of moral right to better an entire community even though their actions are at odds with prevailing authority. Each lets her own moral code guide her in her actions, each strongly speaks out against injustice, and each is a strong representation of what all people, not just women, can aspire to as individuals in a quickly-growing and changing America of Sedgwick's time.

Hope Leslie is an amazing book on several levels and I have no hesitation in recommending it even to the most casual of readers who may want something very different. The only issue that people unacquainted with novel writing of this time period might run up against is in the way Sedgwick writes, which is sort of bulky and complicated while we're used to more streamlined prose; despite this minor impediment, though, the story flows nicely and very quickly over the nearly 400 pages. It is another book I'm very happy to have discovered.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe I've found a new favorite author in Miss Sedgwick! This was a beautiful and exciting story set in the early days of New England. I really liked that it included so many prominent historical figures and events, and a close look at the everyday lives of the Puritans. Sedgwick certainly shows their stern side, but she also portrays them with real human feelings, which I appreciated. I loved Hope Leslie...she reminded me a little of an Anne of Green Gables or a Pollyanna! Perhaps that's not the best comparison, but she just had such a sunny disposition and appreciation for the beauty of God's creation that endeared her to all.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.9/5

Can we grasp in friendship the hand raised to strike us?

For the temper of the brain in quick apprehensions and acute judgments, to say no more, the most High and Sovereign God hath not made the Indian inferior to the European.
-Roger Williams, A Key into the Language of America, 1643

There were some solid four, even five, star moments in this book, and the ideal is unique and surprisingly well executed enough at times for me to momentarily forgo the whole 'good intentions pave the road to hell' repetition for the moment. I'm not surprised this book has fallen out of favor, as it isn't popular these days to religious in a way that actually touches upon a moral issue that denizens of this author's country would prefer to murder even more thoroughly than they already have. I usually avoid white authored narratives concerning themselves with non-white traumas, but with this one, I'm glad I experienced it, even if the second half didn't completely fulfill the promises of the first. An eye for an eye and all that, and here you get a glimpse of the Spanish Tragedy continually fulfilled by white people's betrayal to the point that it's no surprise why white audiences are captivated by the threat of the hoard approaching their hallowed civilizations, from the obscenely popular TV shows to the most well received of video games. Unfortunately, Sedgwick can't completely defeat her settler state mentality, else this would be a true classic undeniably worth being brought back.

Jennet was one of those persons, abounding in every class of life, whose virtues are most conspicuous in "damning sins they are not inclined to."

[H]e surely may walk straight who hath nothing to draw him aside.

The beginning of the work was slow going, but once I became accustomed to the prose and realized that this early 19th century tome was attempting to write early to mid 17th, the style of archaic prose became more understandable, or at least more worthy of the effort of understanding. The best parts occurred when the facts of indigenous humanity and white settler brutality were laid out without flinching, and the murderous retaliation of the natives was not softened, but instead shown to be, at heart, a provoked act of defense. It made for a more complicated picture than the era of 'The Last of the Mohicans' usually paints, which is likely why that and other sensationalist 'noble savage' nonsense has thrived in the forms of full color films and impressive editions, while this has had to be repeatedly disinterred through great and persistent effort. I wouldn't say Sedgwick never once stepped outside the bounds of her conjectured relations between indigenous inhabitants and white intruders, and the second half had too many slips into degrading moralizing for me to rate this any higher. However, I would much prefer that this was the early start to many a white denizen of this country's introduction to a conversation of indigenous sovereignty than what most get these days, fictional or otherwise, as this work does much to combat the dehumanization soaked into mass media and reveal the genocidal history of these lands of mine for what they truly are. Not a perfect book, then, but its sins do not merit the obscurity in which it has fallen today, and there is much to be learned from it nearly 200 years later.

["Y]ou must allow, brother, that she hath not, I speak it tenderly, that passiveness, that, next to godliness, is a woman's best virtue."
"I should scarcely account," replied Mr. Fletcher, "a property of soulless matter, a virtue."

Magawisca's reflecting mind suggested the most seriously obstacle to the progress of the Christian religion, in all ages and under all circumstances; the contrariety between its divine principles and the conduct of its professors[.]

I've started to realize that I've developed sufficient self-control in my book buying habits to be able to maintain my personal library without exceeding my storage capacity, which means I can afford to relax a bit when it comes to my purchases. I just finished making up a more comprehensive list than most of 19th century women's writing (nearly 1000 individually published works of many genres), and it's staggeringly obscene how few of them were already in the system. As such, anything old and demographically unusual is fair game when the title intrigues and the summary looks worth my time, as even works like this greatly supplement my holistic understanding of literature as it truly exists in history. There's something truly rewarding about filling up the blanks in the personal reading records of myself, and it's taken me a while to develop sufficient resources, material and otherwise, for me to truly appreciate and augment my efforts in this regard. Long story short, I'm eager to find the next work speaking from a year, decade, or century where supposedly women did not speak, as what's the point of adulthood if one only reads what one is supposed to?

The experienced smile sorrowfully at the generous impulses, and fearless resolves of the young, who know not how costly is the sacrifice of self-indulgence—how difficult the ascent to the heights of disinterestedness; but, let not the youthful aspirant be discouraged; the wing is strengthened by use, and the bird that drops in its first flutterings about the parent nest, may yet soar to the sky.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope Leslie, according to the inimitable John Matteson, "is also the first American novel to feature a forthright, independent heroine who is not made to pay a heavy price for the freedom of her spirit, and it is the first to include a strong, emotionally complex Native American woman. It is arguably the first novel to deal successfully with the American Puritains and their complicated relation with the native peoples of New England." (iv) Indeed, Hope Leslie is not ultimately punished for following her conscience, and Magawisca is given a voice, inner life, and resolve that holds her above many of the other characters. However, after reading this and A New-England Tale, I am just not a huge fan of Sedgwick's novel-writing style. She did go far, far beyond her literary peers, in ways that were not approached until the twentieth century.

As I expected after reading A New-England Tale, Sedgwick has choice words for Puritans and their ways. I found this humorous, especially when the characters discuss laughter, and no one thinks to mention that a certain Old Testament patriarch was named Laughter. Less humorous was Sedgwick's perversion of Roman Catholicism, growing from a fear and revulsion that, methinks, could only come from myths and rumors, not from having personal acquaintance with Roman Catholics.

Hope Leslie offers much food for thought regarding religion in New England, relations between indigenous peoples and colonists, and the natural theology vs. revelation debate. Even though I am not overawed by Sedgwick's skill, I think this book is underrated in American literary history and deserves more attention. Sedgwick certainly does not live up to contemporary ideals of "mercy, compassion, and justice" (words that Sedgwick favors) toward indigenous people, but she goes far beyond her contemporaries in many ways.

Overall, I'm glad I read Hope Leslie, whose story does not end hopelessly, but I think I shall end my exploration of Sedgwick here.

-----

From Matteson's introduction: "The tremendous irony of the English settlers, as Sedgwick sees it, was that they had traveled to a place of extraordinary natural harmony and splendor and utterly lacked the eyes with which to see it." (viii)

"Magawisca paused--she looked at Everell and said with a bitter smile--'You English tell us, Everell, that the book of your law is better than that written on our hearts, for ye say it teaches mercy, compassion, forgiveness--if ye had such a law and believed it, would ye thus have treated a captive boy?'" (52)

"The lagging spring had at last come forth in all her power; her 'work of gladness' was finished, and forests, fields, and meadows were bright with renovated life." (63)

[Rosa] "'Oh, what shall I do,' she said, 'where shall I go! if I go to the good, they will frown on me, and despise me; and I cannot go to the wicked,--they have no pity.'" (210)

[Mrs. Grafton] "It is not often I quote scripture, as you all know; because, as I have said before, I hold a text from scripture, or a sample of chintz, to be a deceptive kind of specimen." (281)

"'Scripture warrant!' exclaimed Everell with surprise and vexation he could not conceal. 'And are you to do no act of mercy, or compassion, or justice, for which you cannot quote a text from scripture?'" (287)

[Esther] "She illustrated a truth, which, if more generally received by her sex, might save a vast deal of misery: that marriage is not essential to the contentment, the dignity, or the happiness of woman." (363; emphasis original; from the closing paragraph of the novel)

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sedgwick was raised Puritan but ultimately broke ties with the religion because of the harsh treatment of nonbelievers. It is very obvious in this novel that she really struggled with her decision. Her description of the massacre of the Native Americans is heart breaking. But the revenge massacre of the white family caring for two native children is just as terrible. She describes the natives as savages but also raises the question of why whites believed they had a right to evict them from their land just because they did not have Puritan beliefs. The novel is full of prejudice but also understanding and love. I definitely want to read more about this time. I think a history of the United States before white invasion would be beneficial to all.

[Chase Pereboom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really an excellent book, with wonderful characters, powerful prose, and a surprisingly enlightened message for being written in 1827. It’s a work of historical fiction; set in mid 17th century Massachussets, we follow Hope Leslie as she defies an oppressive Puritan culture that tries to box her in.

Catharine Sedgwick really did her homework here, as the cast of characters includes many real figures from history, alongside numerous references to historical documents and events. In epigraphs at the start of each chapter, and punctuated throughout, we also get a wealth of literary quotations: French and Italian poetry, Shakespeare, early colonial writings, all relevant to some theme or event.

I loved Hope Leslie as a protagonist, as well Magawisca and Esther Downing, the other two young women that figure heavily in the story. They all exhibit courage and strength in their own way. Hope and Magawisca have unshakeable moral convictions, which they literally risk life and limb to uphold, while Esther is the picture of unselfish love for others, even at great personal cost. Sedgwick takes care to give depth and complexity to them all, especially given the cultural context she was writing in. This isn’t a feminist novel per se, and we get explicit praise for the Puritan forefathers and male-dominated order of things, but reading into it a bit, I think Sedgwick was doing what she could under the cultural constraints of her day. If you really thought John Winthrop and his ilk had it all figured out, you wouldn’t write a protagonist like Hope Leslie.

I should mention that, given the setting, Native American tribes and characters feature heavily throughout the story. It’s not my place to judge how well Sedgwick depicts them, but I can at least say that she’s much more sensitive to their shared humanity than many others in her day. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, and the Trail of Tears, came 3 years after this book was published. Sedgwick acknowledges the equal worth and valid grief of her Native characters, and while that’s a very basic thing, it was (and still is) sorely lacking in the public consciousness.

On the whole, I’m very glad I picked this up, and I think it’s a hidden gem of American literature. If you enjoy older works and want to try something outside The Canon, give this one a shot!

[Havalah Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite book. I read it for my American Literature class just recently and could not put it down. I even had to stop reading a few times because I was crying so hard.

It was written by Catharine Maria Sedgwick in 1827. The book is set in seventeenth-century New England amongst the Puritans in the Boston area. It was an interesting perspective into the lives of the puritans and their dealings with the indigenous Indians. Through the book, she displays all sides of the puritans. She shows the Puritans piousness as well as their harsh suppressing of the Indians.

Within the historical placement, Sedgwick weaves this elaborate and beautiful story into the novel. A story of deep love and friendship. Puritans believed in a strong duty to God, in which many sacrifices were made. Did I mention this has a major romantic twist to it? I promise if you choose to read this you will not be disappointed.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before it was assigned reading for an American Lit. class, I'd never heard of this book or its author. As I started reading, I figured that was for a good reason. The prose is rife with flowery language and subordinate clauses that make each sentence a slog. However, Hope Leslie surprised me. It has these shining moments of sarcastic humor that poke through unexpectedly and, while most of the main characters are flat and boring, some of the side characters are pretty engaging. (Sir Phillip, colossal prick he may be, is a refreshing and narcissitic contrast to all the goodly Puritan men our titular Puritan girl hangs out with.)

If you're looking for something quick and easy, this isn't for you. But, if you don't mind (or even enjoy!) a flowery, classical style of writing peppered with sneaky humor and creeping social commentary, you could give it a try. As my Professor said, "Hope Leslie is the great American classic you've never heard of."

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a radical book for 1823, reading more like historical fiction written in the last 10 or 20 years. I appreciated the author's perspective on the equality of the Native American's and also the way she protrayed the main character. This book really kept my attention.

[Anna C · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I'm really not a fan of early American literature, taking "The Birth of the American Novel" was maybe not the smartest idea. After trudging through some truly appalling books, I was pleasantly surprised to catch myself enjoying "Hope Leslie."

Recently, there has been a movement within literature and feminist studies to uncover great women writers who have been excluded from the canon. "Hope Leslie," which achieved only moderate popularity in its own time, was rediscovered and instated in many early American literature curriculums. However, as far as I can tell, this hidden masterpiece has not actually strayed out of college syllabi. In fact, when I was trying to find a historical perspective on the novel, I found that virtually nothing has been written about "Hope Leslie."

It's actually rather intriguing, reading this hidden gem. It makes the reader feel half hipster and half archaeologist.

"Hope Leslie" is a surprisingly liberal novel. Even the most cursory reader will note the strong female heroines and the implied equality between Hope and Everell. But we also see:
1. Subtle digs at the cloistered society of Old World Europe
2. Strong women of color
3. Likely the only interracial relationship in literature from this time period
4. A direct refutation of the racism in "Last of the Mohicans"
5. A call to stop the forced relocation of Native Americans
6. A dismantling of the Puritan government
7. A mockery of the violent religious ideology
8. A condemnation of marriage
9. A recognition that servants actually exist and are real people too
10. Cross dressing and subversion of gender

Actually, I could keep naming liberal elements until I exhausted the allowed character count of this review. It is one thing to find the above in "Mother Jones," quite another to stumble across it in an 18th century American novel. "Hope Leslie" is not only politically explosive but, in the standards of the time, quite well-written. The flowery prose and contrived monologues may not appeal to some modern readers, but "Hope Leslie" is far less contrived and far less flowery than many other books from the time period.

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sort of gung-ho about this for a while, but my interest tapered about halfway through. Then I was down to having one more chapter to read but wasn't able to finish it before I went out of town; so coming back to it today to finish even those last few pages was sort of like being told I missed a test in some class I skipped.

I picked this book up because it was referenced in depth in Ann Douglas's The Feminization of American Culture and I had a copy so why not see for myself what Douglas was going on about?

The back cover calls Hope Leslie "a counterpoint to the novels of James Fenimore Cooper", and I think that's pretty accurate. What I do remember from reading the snooze-fest that is more commonly known as The Last of the Mohicans is that there were a couple chicks who passed out a lot. Clearly Cooper didn't think so highly of women. Sedgwick wrote her women a bit differently - they're all rather independent, striving for equality in both race and gender. And they had actual voices, and brains too. Cooper probably was horrified. "A woman does more than just fall down a lot? Get back, Jack!"

My largest issue is really the lamest one ever. It's a 19th-c book telling a 17th-c story, which is great - who doesn't love a good historical fiction? But my mind is really in no place for sentimental literature, so obviously the timing was off for the last half of this. Not to mention there's a lot of historical ambiguity here, which is something Douglas pointed out as well. You're going to have that in a lot of historical fiction, but historically that's usually one of my biggest gripes about the genre anyway.

Good, but not great. I'll take it over Cooper any day though.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catharine Maria Sedgwick (1789-1867) was widely read in her own time but, like a tragic number of female authors, was neglected by male literary gatekeepers after her death and now lacks the recongition she deserves. Her 1827 historical romance Hope Leslie, set in the 1630s-40s, is both an entertaining read and well ahead of its time. Women come to each other's rescue and stand up to grim Puritan patriarchs. The Pequot Magawisca in particular directly calls out the English genocide of her people, while her vengeful father is depicted as a legitimate victim of violence and betrayal. The Puritans themselves are portrayed as generally well-meaning, but blinded by their own fanatical legalism, a flaw which leads one especially obnoxious Bible-thumper into an ironic alliance with a duplicitous villain who had been posing as a Puritan that results in both their deaths. There is also cross-dressing, civil disobedience, indigenous people who choose their native faith over Christianity, and a happy interracial marriage between a Native American man and an English girl who assimilated into his tribe.

I first heard of Catharine Maria Sedgwick in the 1984 anthology Old Maids: Short Stories by Nineteenth Century U.S. Women Writers . The theme of the book was portrayals of single women from 1834 (Sedgwick's own story, "Old Maids") to 1891 ("How Celia Changed Her Mind" by Rose Terry Cooke). Incidentally, the end of Hope Leslie tells us one female character remained happily unmarried for the rest of her life and muses that if only more women could accept this as an option, much misery could be avoided.

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often categorized (and thus demeaned) as a female Last of the Mohicans, Hope Leslie is a historical romance that accomplishes the unimaginable feat of making Puritans seem half-human. A full decade or so before Hawthorne would depict them as craggy, humorless grouches ("The Maypole of Merrymount"), Sedgwick manages to invest some real depth and conflict in the men and women of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, c. 1630-42 or so. This is at heart, however, a book about Native American relations, and one that proves to be intriguingly ambivalent about forced relocation---a topic as relevant in 1827 as in 1636. On the one hand, Sedgwick offers an alternative account of the Pequot War that shows the colonists to be less than heroic; on the other, nothing in the narrative refutes the idea of the vacuum domicilium," which is not some new Oreck boondoggle but the "empty house" theory that stated Native Americans were more "vassals" of the land, not it's conquerors, in part because they were only ever agriculturalists. Against this background, there's also a lot of mushy stuff. The one problem with the novel is that it's exceptionally hard to take the central dramatic scene seriously: when a young Puritan boy is about to be given a crew cut at the neckline, the Indian heroine Magawisca intervenes and promptly has her arm chopped off by accident. That the "quivering member" (Sedgwick's words, not mine) goes flying over the cliff only makes it harder to keep a straight face. Fascinating book, historically important, but its faults make it more of a job than a love.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rebuttal to James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans was much more intelligently and skillfully written than that rambling tome. Well done, Sedgwick!

While LotM is horrifically, condescendingly racist (a regrettable sign of the times), Hope Leslie displays the authoress's genuine concern for native American welfare. However, she voices her concerns without inciting hostility against either party or portraying either group as the sole possessor of love, honor, and wisdom. All parties are variously in the wrong and in the right throughout this historical novel. Sedgwick, perhaps intentionally and hopefully effectively, raises more questions than she answers.

A valuable early American novel, worth the time of any serious individual interested in the nation's history and literature. (I've read it for school twice now, and I still enjoy it.)

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little hard to get into because the language is so archaic since it was written over 250 years ago. However, it had been recommended to me by someone whose opinion I trusted, so I kept going. I'm glad I did. I began to get caught up in the story and to care about the characters. The author had an interesting attitude about people for someone of her time: race, culture and upbringing don't matter as much as goodness of heart. Also, outward professions and acts of righteousness don't matter as much as goodness of intent in those actions.
I thought that the ending happened relatively quickly and some things were tied up a bit too neatly, but this was an interesting look into another time.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic story about how love prevails all with an undertone of incest, manifest destiny, and white man's burden. The Indian characters in the story are, at first, portrayed quite strongly with many having their own opinions and trying to find the balance between white and their own native background. However, they fade to the back after a couple chapters in and appeared only to move the plot along to help Hope Leslie move on to her happily ever after ending.
Still quite an interesting read, especially about the clashing ideals of Puritans and Native Americans and what they want out of each other, be it eradication or servitude.
Would recommend 7/10.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovering Sedgwick's best known work made me angry, that I hadn't been urged to read it in high school. Penguin's edition is enhanced by a particularly illuminating introductory essay, which explains that 1820s American authors were attempting to forge a national literature distinct from European literature in theme and style. Although its a 200-year-old book of historical interest, there is nothing anachronistic about the characters, who leap to life from the first chapter. The book is more suspenseful than a modern thriller. I will make my daughter read this right before True Grit.

[Nicolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

November 28, 2024, 1:20 AM

I am progressively reviewing this spiritually placed and beautiful novel. The above statement on the novel’s spiritual power and animation is how I felt in experiencing the first seven chapters alone, with the first and seventh being the most powerful. The radical opposition for/of/[to] forced custom and tradition in this novel was beautiful, along with the adherence/s to/of allegiance and harmonious empathy versus that of dominance and perceived separation of the cosmos.

As I am now finished with volume one, I will say the standout characters were Magawisca, Mononotto, and Everell, with William Fletcher being a wonderful character until he submitted to the societal heartbreak of arranged marriage, with Everell’s laughter in response powerful and extremely significantly against any manipulative use of one’s spiritual allegiance for human, “civilized”, and societal will. Overall, I felt[,] as I kept reading the novel, that Magawisca was the main character, as even now, before beginning Volume two, I feel she is the spiritual vessel and titular character. Sedgwick really knows how to build tension for a reunion, and I pray Everell & Magawisca reunite in an, or The, even further harmony than that of the harmony with which they intimately and collectively held before.

I found it hilarious and really heartbreaking that our titular character, Alice Leslie, only showed up twice at the 90th page of the book. I would’ve retitled the work ‘Magawisca, Or The Theophany’, ‘The Union’, ‘The Theophany’, ‘Mark 10:9’ / ‘Matthew 19:6’, or ‘The Doctrine of Metempsychosis’, being that I believe Magawisca and Everell are The main character/s.

In the first eight chapters, I finally felt like I was given a book spiritually ever animated/animating to becoming my favorite book, alongside ‘The Great Gatsby’. Such proves how Yah, Potter & Parent, purposes/uses all for His Loving, Pacifistic, and Perfect Will, speaking ever in Revelation through each character given in variety. Adieu.

December 1, 2024

Magawisca’s peace/fullness/completeness whenever Everell is [ever] in her bosom and mind—beautifully written. Sedgwick sure knew how to keep her readers waiting, and in tension for relief. The character progression with Rosa and Hope’s relationship is beautiful, along with the merciful Barnaby. That whole chapter with Magawisca, Barnaby, Digby, and Everell was wonderful, as was the description of Mononotto in the storm. How powerful and animating the action and love of Everell, given during Magawisca’s trial!!!! How powerful the sympathy for Rosa, when she and Hope reunite before Hope is found by the Fletcher’s. I have four chapters left. All of these love triangles with Everell make me laugh. “…Everell’s Magawisca…”

December 4, 11:39 PM

Days ago, I woke up thinking I had finished the novel, wherein I really just had a dream, where the novel ended terribly with Everell playing a video game, laughing at the screen in joy, either with his friend/s, or by himself. It was really surreal to wake up and question my having finished the novel.

On a side note, one extremely emphatic, the only intimate moments of Magawisca and Everell, after their reuniting, are the trial scene, the whisper, and perhaps her hearing him upon the ladder, attempting to help her. Again, I can’t wait to finish the novel. I’m praying the ending is satisfactory, at least in regards to Everell & Magawisca[‘s union].

Monday, Dec 9, 1:32 AM

Don’t go Magawisca. Why did you write such for Everell/Magawisca, Mrs. Sedgwick? Truly, His book ended on chapter 14 of Volume Two for me. And why name the novel ‘Hope Leslie’, after/being a story about both the spiritual and tangible union of Magawisca and Everell? Why was there no earthly solace for Rosa, and no redemption or rehabilitation for Jennet or Gardiner?

All of these many heartbreaks I had are overwhelmed in love, specifically By the Love given for/of Magawisca and Everell’s ever-oneness and utter Love. Such, along with the beautiful and ever-powerful spiritual beauties of the expression, are given Towards [The] beyond beauteous, and are positively animated/animating.

Truly though, the last chapter felt distant and rushed, interpolated and interrupted from the rest of the animated novel, with Gardiner’s character not closed in resolution, and neither Magawisca’s perspective told thoroughly, both before and after her heart breaking with the portrait and lock given of the counted hair of Her Everell.

I have more to say later.

4 and a half stars.

No Embrace with/for Magawisca & Everell?!?!

“Mr. Fletcher felt himself stretched on a rack, that he must endure with a martyr's patience; he lifted up his head and with much effort spoke one brief sentence—a sentence which contains all that a christian could feel, or the stores of language could express—he uttered, "God's will be done!" and then hurried away, to hide his struggles in solitude.”

Dec 10, 1:41 AM

I will miss you all, Magawisca and company. To be on such a beloved journey with you all was a true blessing. All Esteem To Yahayah for Animating such Towards Him ever-evermore. Volume One was my favorite, and I pray that all re-reads are ever-revelatory. I am given to write a poem for you both, Magawisca & Everell, the beloved union. Adieu.

Dec 13, 2:30 AM

I keep adding to this review. When will such stop, I do not know. I only know that I was beautifully and wonderfully immersed into the novel and characters dearly. Magawisca & Everell were wondrous. Truly, the spiritual truth of the novel was and is given to revelatory animation. The only other novel that comes close to such is ‘The Great Gatsby’, but I must say, this novel perhaps immersed me moreso alongside the characters than Francis’ beloved immersion of James & Nick, and that’s saying something, being that I dearly love ‘The Great Gatsby’ so very much.

More people need to read this spiritual novel. Adieu, Adieu, Adieu. More may be added to this review. I just miss these characters and their progressions so much. Adieu.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting themes going on here with the Puritans, Native Americans, and women's rights/place/ideals...the early American writers do quite like to ramble on, but the sensationalist/slightly gothic plot in the last hundred or so pages is quite riveting. Would be interesting to read alongside "The Scarlet Letter"...

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoyed this book, despite reading it for class. I am not certain I would have picked it up for fun, but the book is very rich and complex, with wonderful characters (especially Magawisca). It is certainly worth your time if you have any interest in the Puritan age, Native American destruction, or literature as a whole.

[Alicia Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, maybe most everything WAS a bit too convenient for our heroine, but isn't that what we wanted? I thoroughly enjoyed this. It doesn't read like a classic. I actually had a hard time putting it down.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It's like a Jane Austen novel with Indians and adventures thrown in and set in America.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I regularly teach this one. It's got it all, though I tend to think less of the historical stuff because I loooooove the love plot, the adventure plot, and the way the villains get their comeuppance.

[Amal El-Mohtar · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Settler-Modernities course. This was really enjoyable, and utterly remarkable for the number of interesting women and their positive, supportive relationships with each other.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoomed to the top of my Most Favorite Books list.

[Pat Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shoutout to the Literary Hangover podcast for this one

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my 19th-century American literature class, and I went in with no expectations. I’m usually not big on American literature, but I was interested to see what American women writers were doing during this time period. The story itself is not just interesting; it’s exciting. There are fights, people losing limbs, daring escapes, scenes set in stormy graveyards. I had a great time reading about it in the critical pieces my professor assigned. But I found Sedgwick’s execution far more dull. Something about her writing just made me immediately want to fall asleep. I’m not sure if that’s just her style or if it was because she set the story in the 1600s and was trying to mimic the language of that time. There is also a fair amount of exposition to plod through before reaching the exciting parts. It’s all important to understanding the overall story, but I found it hard to get through. This could also just be my bias against American literature coming through. It’s always a bit hard to tell for me. Would I find it better if it were by a British author? Who knows.

However, there are some fantastic scenes, particularly whenever Magawisca shows up. Magawisca is such a compelling character, frankly far more compelling than the book’s heroine Hope Leslie. She is the daughter of a Pequod chief who is captured and placed with the Fletchers as a servant. She is eventually rescued by her father in his raid of the Fletcher house, but she maintains a friendship with Everall Fletcher, who she saves from being killed, and Hope. Every time Magawisca shows up, the book becomes ten times more interesting. It should be noted, though, that there is a bit of the noble savage trope in her characterization. While Sedgwick’s portrayal of Native Americans is more positive and sympathetic than that of other writers, it’s still fairly problematic, especially by modern standards. It’s important to be aware of this while reading the book and discussing characters such as Magawisca.

Overall, I found Hope Leslie to be an exciting story bogged down by dull writing, but Magawisca ultimately made it worth the read. It’s certainly an important book in the history of American–particularly American women’s–literature.

[Jack]

A sentimental novel that opens, like The Searchers, with a brutal massacre and captivity. Very entertaining to discover in between bursts of pious tears and women so infatuated they become bed-bound--life ain't easy in a love quadrangle--narratorial barbs with the true Judge Holden flavor: "Caution is the instinct of the weaker animals; the Indian cannot be surprised out of his wariness." Or, "Imagination may be indulged in lingering for a moment in those dusky regions of the past; but it is not permitted to reasonable instructed men, to admire or regret tribes of human beings, who lived and died, leaving scarcely a more enduring memorial, than the forsaken nest that vanishes before one winter's storms." Try finding that in Cooper!