An indentured servant finds herself bound by law, society, and her own heart in this novel set in colonial Cape Cod from the author of acclaimed The Widow’s War. Indentured servant Alice Cole barely remembers when she was not “bound”, first to the Morton family, then to their daughter Nabby—her companion since childhood—when she wed. But Nabby’s new marriage is not happy, and when Alice finds … not happy, and when Alice finds herself torn between her new master and her old friend, she runs away to Boston. There she meets a sympathetic widow named Lyddie Berry and her lawyer companion, Eben Freeman. Impulsively stowing away on their ship to Satucket on Cape Cod, Alice finds employment making cloth with Lyddie. Yet as Alice soon discovers, freedom—as well as gratitude, friendship, and trust—has a price far higher than she ever imagined.
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Enjoyed this book and some history of our early beginings
If you are a New Englander or are interested in Pre-revolutionary times this is a nice read.
Interesting. Historically accurate. Not deep, but informative.
You will enjoy learned by about the customs of the day. A very good book for historical fiction fans.
Very well written and informative piece of history. Tragic events that we often over look but actually happened.
Informative regarding the period but with a maddeningly obtuse main character. Lots of excellent historical detail. Did not always make emotional sense.
Loved this book, very hard to put down! On vacation and stayed up all night reading it!
Great character development causing me totally become involved. I knew very little about the indentured service in this country, so it was a great history lesson as well as a wonderful novel.
Interesting and human coverage of a period in our history in which indentured servants were little more than slaves with a time limit.
I enjoyed the characters and the historical information. A well-written novel that kept me interested, wondering what would happen next.
The journey of a young girl left on her own in a foreign county in indentured servitude gave me fresh insite as to what it nust have been like for many nineteenth century immigrants. A historcal novel with a different view of those times. Worth reading.
This sequel to THE WIDOW’S WAR continues the story of the same characters with the addition of Alice, a girl running away from abuse. Thw 18th century setting is detailed enough to give the reader a feel for the time as well as the people in the story. The reader is privy to the tangle of thoughts and the frustrations she experiences. It does have a good ending. Jane Austen fans will like both books as they are written in similar style.
Interesting time period and interesting characters.
insight into the world of indentured servants and their lack of rights
While most people know about the ravages of slavery, many don’t realize that indentured servants lived under the same conditions and were at the mercy of their “masters” during their term of indenture. The author’s endnotes dramatically remind the reader that we still live in a world of a ndenture where individuals’ lives are not their own.
While some characters might be stereotypical, the story of one young woman’s struggle for survival is a compelling tale.
I would have enjoyed knowing the final placement in life of the main character. Was sort’a left hanging.
I enjoyed learning about indentured servants. I was caught up in various characters lives. The intertwining of historical events is another plus as I read these pages.
Good plot. At first a bit predictable. Then it improved.
Interesting time in history, but too much talk about politics.
This is the second of a three book series about three strong women living in the patriarchal society of 18th century Cape Cod. Very enjoyable