Honor Bright is a
sheltered Quaker who has rarely ventured out of 1850s Dorset when she
impulsively emigrates to America. Opposed to the slavery that defines and
divides the country, she finds her principles tested to the limit when a
runaway slave appears at the farm of her new family.
In this tough,
unsentimental place, where whisky bottles sit alongside quilts, Honor befriends
two spirited women who will teach her how to turn ideas into actions.
Tracy Chevalier has been
one of my favourite authors for years. I initially read Girl With a Pearl
Earring when it was first published in 1999 and with one or two exceptions I
have read my way through her entire canon.
All of her books are set within
an historical context and it certainly appears that Ms Chevalier does her
research thoroughly. This book is set in America during the middle of the 19th
century and we follow Honor’s journey from a quiet town in Dorset to Ohio; a
vast enterprise for the time.
Honor Bright was a
delightful character to read about and I learned much about the lives of
Quakers at the time. I felt real empathy for Honor as she tried to make a way
for herself in this strange land amongst unfamiliar people.
Ms Chevalier also has the
ability to bring the minor characters to life. Belle, the milliner, who first
befriends Honor is a wonderful character who is full of life and colour and
which is echoed in the hats that she makes.
As a needle woman myself I
adored all the descriptions of quilting and millinery and this really enhanced
the story for me and added a completely different dimension to the book.
However, the main theme of
this excellent story is slavery and the equality of all people and this was
handled sensitively whilst not shying away from the harsh realities faced by
slaves and those who wished to help them towards freedom and eventual
emancipation.
Overall, a good read and I think anyone who enjoys historical fiction will like it.
ISBN: 978-0007350353
Publisher: Harper
Price (based on today’s
price at Amazon.co.uk): £4.98
About the Author:
Tracy Chevalier was born
in Washington, DC but has lived in England all her adult life and now has dual
citizenship. She has a BA in English from Oberlin College, Ohio, and an MA in
creative writing from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. She lives
in London with her English husband and son. Before turning to writing full-time
she was a reference book editor for several years. She has written 7 novels. Her
second novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring, won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award, sold 4
million copies worldwide, and was made into a film starring Colin Firth and
Scarlett Johansson.
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