Set during the brutal “starving time” in 1610, Lauren Groff’s novel follows an unnamed, resourceful teenage servant girl who escapes the disease-ridden Jamestown colony. Fleeing into the unforgiving winter wilderness, she must rely entirely on her wits to survive, navigate her harsh new environment, and find inner freedom. The narrative opens with the protagonist slipping […]
In The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano, Margaret “Maggie” Jones and her husband, Thomas, flee London for the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1646 to escape prior witchcraft accusations. Struggling against rigid Puritan expectations, Maggie’s bold nature and healing talents ultimately make her the first woman executed for witchcraft in colonial Boston. Set in
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Flight of the Sparrow, by Amy Belding Brown, is a historical novel set in colonial New England during the violent conflict known as King Philip’s War. Written in 1914, the novel is inspired by the true story of Mary Rowlandson, the novel follows a Puritan minister’s wife whose life is transformed after she is captured
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An Act of Oblivion, written in 2022 by Robert Harris, is a historical thriller set during the turbulent years following the English Civil War and the execution of King Charles I. The novel explores themes of justice, revenge, loyalty, and survival through the intertwined lives of men hunted across continents after one of the most
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Set in the mid-1600s on Martha’s Vineyard (known then as Noepe) Geraldine Brooks’s Caleb’s Crossing is a work of historical fiction inspired by the true story of Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. The novel is narrated by Bethia Mayfield, a curious and spirited Puritan girl who defies the rigid
Technically this is a play, not a novel. But it very much can be read and enjoyed like a book. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, written in 1953, is a powerful dramatic work set against the backdrop of the Salem witch trials of 1692. It was written as a direct allegory for the anti-communist “Red Scare”
Kathleen Kent’s The Heretic’s Daughter is an interesting take on the Salem witch trials. It is told through the eyes of a young girl caught in the storm of fear, suspicion, and betrayal that unfolded during that time period, which lasted from February 1692 through May 1693 in colonial Massachusetts. Written in 2008, the novel
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Ariel Lawhon’s The Frozen River is an intense and eye-opening piece of historical fiction set in the brutal winter of 1789, in the town of Hallowell, Maine. It’s a suspenseful mystery based on the real-life diary of Martha Ballard—a well-known and respected midwife, healer, and self-appointed community investigator. We appreciate novels that are meticulously researched
This one is a true classic. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 work, The Scarlet Letter, is considered by many to be a masterpiece of its time. The book remains a popular assignment in high school and college, and is a cornerstone of American literature, providing a haunting look into the heart of 17th-century Puritan Boston. Often cited
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The Winthrop Woman was quite a popular book when it appeared in 1958, but it’s one of those books that is forgotten by many, except for some die-hard fans. It’s worth a look because it’s a meticulously researched historical novel detailing the life of Elizabeth Fones, a startlingly independent woman defying the rigid, dogmatic Puritan
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