nightwater32's review
4.0
I can't recall how this ended up on my to-read list, and in the end, I wavered between 3 and 4 stars, but I gave it 4 on the weight of the simple style, the well-crafted narration that put me in the time and place, and the historical relevance. I appreciated the way the narrator's actions and even his own awareness vacillated between the idea of sin and the idea of saved. It was a different time, and while my modern-day self did not like Charles and his way of thinking, I could reflect on many modern-day parallels where we act in one way and then do the opposite as well, living both ways - whether you want to call it "good and bad", "sinfully and piously", or something else. We are never always in one way. For Charles, however, it always has that lens of religion to look through, although he and his fellow travelers fail to see that much of what they do is less than pious, and their dream of a perfect society leaves them always feeling bereft of their idea of God. The ending was satisfying, demonstrating a fully rational and even somewhat modern way of interpreting life and these vacillations of spirit.
celestemarin's review
3.0
The book had a promising start, but I got a bit tired of it by the end. It was a different perspective of the pilgrims than you usually get (or I got in 6th grade history, which was about the last time I learned anything about them). It certainly put the Tea Party and their like into context as part of the United States' long history of religious extremists.
rubyduby's review
1.0
100 pages in and filled with religious persecution and angst, death penalties for minor infractions, a child dies from a whipping from a teacher, and the main character has not even left England for the colonies to become The Pilgrim. Not for me.
megnews's review
1.0
I've never rated a book one star. That speaks for itself. I hate to not finish a book so I kept reading. The writing was so simple, it could be a children's novel. I never really cared what happened to the characters. I wish I could find something nice to say about this book.
abookishaffair's review
3.0
It took me a little while to get into this book but after the slow start, I really liked it. This is the first fiction book that I can remember reading that covers the Puritans before they leave England for religious freedom in the New World. I guess what took me a little bit to get into the book is that Charles Wentworth, Puritan and the narrator, is sort of a bland character. Also, I didn't really like reading about Wentworth's life in England as not too much goes on besides the loss of his betrothed.
What makes the book interesting is more the things that go on around him, especially when he gets to the Plymouth Colony. The book covers a lot about the relationships between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. I guess I didn't realize how contentious their relationship was so it was kind of interesting from that perspective. The story of the Native Americans and the Pilgrims that we usually hear is that of the whole Thanksgiving thing so it was kind of neat to hear another facet of the story. It was also interesting to see the reasons that Charles decided to stay in the Plymouth Colony when so many things were going wrong or badly.
If you are a patient reader (which sometimes I am not), this book could be a really wonderful read with Thanksgiving on your mind.
What makes the book interesting is more the things that go on around him, especially when he gets to the Plymouth Colony. The book covers a lot about the relationships between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. I guess I didn't realize how contentious their relationship was so it was kind of interesting from that perspective. The story of the Native Americans and the Pilgrims that we usually hear is that of the whole Thanksgiving thing so it was kind of neat to hear another facet of the story. It was also interesting to see the reasons that Charles decided to stay in the Plymouth Colony when so many things were going wrong or badly.
If you are a patient reader (which sometimes I am not), this book could be a really wonderful read with Thanksgiving on your mind.
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