One of our Books of the Year 2013.
Renowned author of Girl with a Pearl Earring turns to the American slave trade for her next historical drama. A young, naïve English Quaker in 1850’s Ohio is torn between her conscience and the law. She befriends runaway slaves, helping them escape to Canada through secret routes and safe houses. Plucky, strong women dominate this very fine book. It’s a good insight into the early Quaker settlers’ lives and the dark period of American history just prior to the Civil War, beautifully written in a ponderous read.
The Lovereading view...
Set in Ohio in 1850, the stunning new novel from the bestselling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring examines belief, duty and conscience against the backdrop of slavery. Quaker Honor Bright sails to America in the hope of a new life but finds little physical comfort in the harsh lands of Ohio or spritual sanctury in the Quaker community she settles in. Hailed as her best work since Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Last Runaway is a very satisfying read.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
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| Recommendations: |
The stunning new novel from the bestselling author of Girl with a Pearl Earring. When modest Quaker Honor Bright sails from Bristol with her sister, she is fleeing heartache for a new life in America, far from home. But tragedy leaves her alone and vulnerable, torn between two worlds and dependent on the kindness of strangers. Life in 1850s Ohio is precarious and unsentimental. The sun is too hot, the thunderstorms too violent, the snow too deep. The roads are spattered with mud and spit. The woods are home to skunks and porcupines and raccoons. They also shelter slaves escaping north to freedom. Should Honor hide runaways from the ruthless men who hunt them down? The Quaker community she has joined may oppose slavery in principle, but does it have the courage to help her defy the law? As she struggles to find her place and her voice, Honor must decide what she is willing to risk for her beliefs. Set in the tangled forests and sunlit cornfields of Ohio, Tracy Chevalier's vivid novel is the story of bad men and spirited women, surprising marriages and unlikely friendships, and the remarkable power of defiance.
The Last Runaway features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Books of the Month, Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
The Last Runaway is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Last Runaway was written by Tracy Chevalier and published by Harper an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
The Last Runaway has 386 pages
£9.89
