The Borough Press The Last Runaway, Fiction, Paperback, Tracy Chevalier
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Price: £9.99
Brand: The Borough Press
Description: 'Addictively compelling' The Times 'A joy to read' Maggie O' Farrell. The Borough Press The Last Runaway, Fiction, Paperback, Tracy Chevalier - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Harper Collins
Product ID: 9780007350353
Delivery cost: Spend £20 and get free shipping
Dimensions: 129x198mm
Keywords: Quaker,1850S,Slavery,Quilting,Ohio,Underground Railroad,Dorset
ISBN: 9780007350353
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Author: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5
Review: Like all her books, this author leaves you completely believing in her characters and having learnt something about a different era. Similar to others of her books, there is a strong central female lead, and I guess that always appeals to me. That said, the men are not painted in a uniformly bad light - as so often ( and Ill advisedly) happens. The men are a very human mix of good and bad , as are the women. Although the scales are somewhat weighted in favour of the women. This is set in 1800s Ohio, in a Quaker community and set against the background of the era of US slavery. I had no idea the Quaker’s were against slavery even then, on the grounds of equality! The story of Honor Brite who comes from the UK to what is actually almost the Wild West, is fascinating. There is politics, pragmatism, bravery, brutality, every day relationships and, at the end, a sense of being able to build a brave new world ( apologies to Huxley). The art of quilting is woven into the thread of the story, and I guess that is how many women would have spent the time not working on the farms or child rearing. But the quilts also tell part of the story. The US quilts varying from the UK ones; the quilts made by the black women different from those created by the white women. But all designed to be both a sign of status/wealth and of comfort. A connection to the past, useful in the present and an heirloom for the future. A really good read.
Author: JoPattern
Rating: 2
Review: Honor Bright sets off with her sister in May 1850 for America, they are Quakers and Honor has been jilted by Samual who found someone out of the faith so is travelling to Grace’s betrothed to start a new life, at the end of every chapter there is a letter to keep the reader up to date. Throughout the book is very detailed about sewing and the making of quilts. No sooner have the sisters landed than Grace dies of yellow fever, Honor continues as planned getting help, food, carriage and accommodation from fellow Quakers until she reaches Belle’s milliners where she stays a few days and get her first insight into the runaway slaves that Belle helps and her brother Donavon catches and returns. Belle gets involved with helping slaves all through the time she spends in Faithwell having more and more contact with Donavon and upsetting her new family. I found Honor a very difficult character like as her standards changed as she progressed. I believe if we were not looking 150+ years ago we would judge her differently………. She scrounges her way across America. Started as too shy to have a wee at the side of the road and ended up having sex in a corn field! She expects her sister’s fiancé not only to collect her but to accommodate her. The yellow trimmings on the hat are hidden away, too bright to wear. She considered all her sewing to be superior to everyone else she meets along the way, she dismisses their work, only her way is the any good, this is repeated over and over. She fancied Donavon even thinking about him while having sex with her husband. Old family and friends were asked for their quilts back that she had given as a gift. No sympathy with Adam Cox and Abigail who slept together before marriage, even though she did it herself, never visited them when the baby came. Her letters were full of moaning and groaning about everyone and everything especially America, and Abigail the widowed sister in law who homed her. Listed some of the things she didn’t like or agree with. The chairs aren’t sanded, should be made of oak. There were no roads Abigail was unorganised, her cooking terrible, washing up left, the floor was muddy and there were mice. The stove was smoky and there were cobwebs. Physically Abigail had a wide forehead and strange dark eyes, she had broad shoulders, thick ankles and no warmth. The meat was tough, the pastry hard. Meat was unpalatable, she was sick of corn. Her sewing was not as good, fast, neater or more intricate than Honor did readily, I was sick of hearing of every bloody stitch. She slept with a man after 3 rides in his wagon and one conversation this was in a corn field after only 2 months, banns read and married without a mention of the ceremony, clothes or any details although we were told of every church meeting in detail prior to this. She enjoyed the sex, she let him take her without hesitation. When Donavon is shot at the end she is happy to let Belle who is dying to make the sacrifice while she sets off into the sunset with her husband. She put her new family and friends in danger with her “helping” the runaway slaves. She runs away herself making her husband worry about her no thought of them at all. She stopped talking –so helpful, so childish.
