What do you think?
Rate this book
The Running of the Tide
The period of Salem's splendor, as home port of the new era of American shipping, is given full portraiture in this vigorous story of the Inmans -- the grandmother, Old Ma'am, dominating and controlling the family fortunes, her daughter-in-law, and the four grandsons,- Dash, temporarily penalized for losing his ship, ""Liz"", grown to captain's estate, but shipping as first mate on the new Victrix, Tom, off at sea when the story opens, and Peter, not strong enough to follow in the family footsteps. A grand tale of men and ships -- and of the women they loved -- and of twisted loyalties and cowardice mistaken for honor, but a tale overlong and overburdened in the telling. The minutiae of life in the days of Jefferson's embargo and Madison's war -- of the women who waited at home and the men who were rootless ashore; of Peter's quixotic shouldering of his brother Dash's brief interlude of romance, in order to save him for Polly, who had an eye on the main chance and worshiped only one person, herself. Good Americana.
633 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1948
1 person is currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Esther Forbes
49 books581 followersEsther Forbes was born in Westboro, Massachusetts in 1891, as the youngest of five children. Her family roots can be traced back to 1600s America; one of her great-uncles was the great historical figure and leader of the Sons of Liberty, Sam Adams. Her father was a probate judge in Worcester and her mother, a writer of New England reference books. Both her parents were historical enthusiasts.
Even as a little child, Forbes displayed an affinity for writing. Her academic work, however, was not spectacular, except for a few writing classes. After finishing high school, she took classes at the Worcester Art Museum and Boston University, and later, Bradford Academy, a junior college. She then followed her sister to the University of Wisconsin where Forbes wrote extensively for the Wisconsin Literary Magazine. After developing her writing skills, she returned to Massachusetts where she began working for Boston's Houghton Mifflin. As a reader of manuscripts, Forbes used this experience to advance her own writing career. Her first novel, O Genteel Lady! was published in 1926 to critical praise. With its selection by the newly formed Book-of-the-Month Club, the novel gained popular appeal as well. That year, Forbes also married Albert L. Hoskins, Jr., a Harvard Law School student.
As Forbes continued to write and gain notoriety, her marriage suffered because her husband disapproved of her career. They divorced in 1933. After several other novels, Forbes began her research of Paul Revere with her mother, who was then in her mid-eighties. When the historical biography, Paul Revere and the World He Lived In won the Pulitzer Prize in History, Forbes recognized her mother's immense contributions. During the process of researching Paul Revere, Forbes became fascinated with the large role young apprentices played in the war. Thus, she wrote Johnny Tremain, a historical novel of a young boy growing up in the time of the Revolutionary War. With poignant character development and a keen sense of history, it contained the elements for lasting popularity. It was published as "A Novel for Old and Young." In 1944, it won the Newberry Award, the top award for children's literature and became an instant children's classic. Forbes continued to turn out award winning books, most notably, The Running of the Tide, which was commissioned as a movie but never filmed. While working on a book about witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts, she died in 1967 of rheumatic heart disease.
Forbes literary achievements, awards, and recognition speak for themselves in regards her place in letters. Johnny Tremain is still read widely in schools and its popularity makes it one of the few lasting classics of American children literature.
Even as a little child, Forbes displayed an affinity for writing. Her academic work, however, was not spectacular, except for a few writing classes. After finishing high school, she took classes at the Worcester Art Museum and Boston University, and later, Bradford Academy, a junior college. She then followed her sister to the University of Wisconsin where Forbes wrote extensively for the Wisconsin Literary Magazine. After developing her writing skills, she returned to Massachusetts where she began working for Boston's Houghton Mifflin. As a reader of manuscripts, Forbes used this experience to advance her own writing career. Her first novel, O Genteel Lady! was published in 1926 to critical praise. With its selection by the newly formed Book-of-the-Month Club, the novel gained popular appeal as well. That year, Forbes also married Albert L. Hoskins, Jr., a Harvard Law School student.
As Forbes continued to write and gain notoriety, her marriage suffered because her husband disapproved of her career. They divorced in 1933. After several other novels, Forbes began her research of Paul Revere with her mother, who was then in her mid-eighties. When the historical biography, Paul Revere and the World He Lived In won the Pulitzer Prize in History, Forbes recognized her mother's immense contributions. During the process of researching Paul Revere, Forbes became fascinated with the large role young apprentices played in the war. Thus, she wrote Johnny Tremain, a historical novel of a young boy growing up in the time of the Revolutionary War. With poignant character development and a keen sense of history, it contained the elements for lasting popularity. It was published as "A Novel for Old and Young." In 1944, it won the Newberry Award, the top award for children's literature and became an instant children's classic. Forbes continued to turn out award winning books, most notably, The Running of the Tide, which was commissioned as a movie but never filmed. While working on a book about witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts, she died in 1967 of rheumatic heart disease.
Forbes literary achievements, awards, and recognition speak for themselves in regards her place in letters. Johnny Tremain is still read widely in schools and its popularity makes it one of the few lasting classics of American children literature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 20, 2011
Interesting, Frustrating, and Disturbing.
January 18, 2011
This is the story of the Inman family of Salem, MA, owners and managers of a fleet of sailing ships that travel the world to trade at foreign ports. There is rivalry between the four brothers in the family over their women as well as over the ships and who might be captain of which ship. This is a good romance of sea faring and life in the early 1800's. Esther Forbes was an accomplished historian who wrote the Newbery Award winner, Johnny Tremain, as well as adult historical fiction and Paul Revere and the World He Lived In. I first read this book the summer I graduated from high school, and when something jogged my memory of it and I wanted to re-read it a few years ago I couldn't find a copy anywhere. This summer, I spotted a copy on the book sale shelf at the library, and nabbed it.
January 1, 2021
Since Johnny Tremain is my favorite kids' book, I was very excited to start The Running of the Tide. Overall, it did not disappoint. It's long, slow-paced family story about guilt, longing, and decay, with very beautiful, descriptive prose. The characters are its best asset, vivid, fully realized and differing widely from one another. All are more or less flawed, and while their flaws are shown candidly, there's no one who's not viewed with some sympathy. It has a few flaws, such as spending a bit too much time with thoughts and emotions in places, but I definitely recommend it, and will be looking for more of Forbes' books.
December 3, 2014
Read it many times, I love it, and I love Salem.
October 23, 2025
Comparisons remain odious, but Esther Forbes’ The Running of the Tide is what you might expect if Nathaniel Hawthorne had somehow rewritten John Galsworthy’s "Forsythe Saga." Except that Forbes was a more modern writer than Hawthorne and more skilled than Galsworthy. Although probably too long [632 p.) and too sentimental to suit contemporary tastes, Forbes' engrossing saga of her Inman Salem shipping dynasty is a delight from beginning to end. It is also an entertaining and deeply grounded chronicle of its early-19th century setting, the once thriving port of Salem, Massachusetts. For those partial to superlatively entertaining historical and family dramas, this is not to be missed.
October 5, 2020
A retelling of THE SCARLET LETTER as well as epic family saga. A masterpiece.
July 27, 2013
Revived my love for historical fiction. The author realistically developed the characters and brought era to life. Story really held my interest almost to the end, then I believe it waned but then that must have been intentional as the entire era and lives just kind of drifted away. Really glad to have read the book...it was acquired by my mother in the '40's (I believe it was a Book of the Month Club selection). Don't know if she ever read it, do remember asking her about it when I was a teen and she was not excited abut it. Anyway, the book was just always there on the living room book shelf and after reading it, I'm glad it fell into my possession 'cause was more than an entertaining experience.
January 2, 2015
A moderately well-written romantic tale, a bit lengthy here and there. Very much lacking in both political and social historical insight: two hours of reading up on the history of the United States around 1800 in Wikipedia (e.g. the 1812-15 war with Britain, privateering, Thomas Jefferson) taught me way more than the over six hundred pages of this "historical novel".
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews