A review by amylee218
Bound by Sally Cabot Gunning
5.0
This book pulled me in right away. I loved the fact that the author is taking on a subject that I haven't seen much of in historical fiction-- indentured servitude. I thought the historical facts were meshed seamlessly into the novel-- it covered pre revolutionary Massachusetts, indenture laws, and even women's rights (I for one did not know that a colonial Massachusetts woman could legally end a pregnancy before quickening or about 4 months and I have lived here all my life).
Alice was a compelling character. She didn't always make the best choices and did some things that many readers don't agree with, but I found that realistic. I think she acted very much like a traumatized girl from that time period. She lost her entire family at once and although her first master was kind, she grew up without being loved. She had no agency. Any ability to make choices or decisions had been taken away from her. Then she was pulled out of the only home she knew and was abused horribly. Given all that, I think her failure to talk to the widow, her inability to trust, her misreading of Mr. Freeman all made perfect sense. Despite all that she had been through, Alice, ultimately, is a survivor.
I do agree that I wish the book had ended differently, but I do appreciate that the ending we got was open enough that I can imagine Alice's life going in many different directions from there.
I loved the Widow Berry and will have to read [b:The Widow's War|327321|The Widow's War (Satucket, #1)|Sally Gunning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392580936l/327321._SY75_.jpg|317959].
Oh, and I really admire the amount of research that Sally Gunning does, and the excerpt at the end of the book showing actual primary documents from the case that inspired Sally's story.
Alice was a compelling character. She didn't always make the best choices and did some things that many readers don't agree with, but I found that realistic. I think she acted very much like a traumatized girl from that time period. She lost her entire family at once and although her first master was kind, she grew up without being loved. She had no agency. Any ability to make choices or decisions had been taken away from her. Then she was pulled out of the only home she knew and was abused horribly. Given all that, I think her failure to talk to the widow, her inability to trust, her misreading of Mr. Freeman all made perfect sense. Despite all that she had been through, Alice, ultimately, is a survivor.
I do agree that I wish the book had ended differently, but I do appreciate that the ending we got was open enough that I can imagine Alice's life going in many different directions from there.
I loved the Widow Berry and will have to read [b:The Widow's War|327321|The Widow's War (Satucket, #1)|Sally Gunning|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392580936l/327321._SY75_.jpg|317959].
Oh, and I really admire the amount of research that Sally Gunning does, and the excerpt at the end of the book showing actual primary documents from the case that inspired Sally's story.