The Last Runaway

Definitely worth reading - it’s a real learning experience about the daily lives of women in mid-nineteenth century America; it is a moving portrait of an individual trying to do right under difficult circumstances; it deals with racial issues, still the great American problem.

Honor Bright, an English Quaker, travels to America with her sister, who is to marry a storekeeper in Ohio. Shortly, after landing in Philadelphia, her sister becomes ill and dies. Although her sister’s fiancé offers her shelter along with his brother’s widow, she finds the arrangement

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uncomfortable and marries Jack Haymaker, a neighbor who owns a farm where his mother and sister also live. Soon she finds herself drawn into the clandestine activities of the Underground Railroad, a network helping runaway slaves to escape to freedom in mid-19th century America. The Haymakers, previously losing their farm in the South for helping a slave to escape are now afraid to become involved and forbid Honor in continuing these activities. She now finds herself caught between honoring her family wishes and following her heart for this ministry.

Always a fan of Tracy Chevalier’s historical fiction, this one does not disappoint. Most of her novels involve ordinary women interacting with historical figures such as William Blake, Vermeer, or Mary Anning. In this particular novel, which is the first to be set in America, the protagonist and novel includes no notables with the exception of all those unknowns who risked their lives and property assisting runaway slaves out of bondage. As always, the novel is well researched regarding pre-Civil War Ohio and others subjects such as the Society of Friends, Underground Railroad, and quilt making.

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A good read with a plot that moved along -- though this book was not as enjoyable as Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was mesmerizing.

Honor Bright, a Quaker from England, comes to Ohio with her sister who is engaged to a family friend from their hometown. The sister dies short of their destination, and Honor continues on to a town outside Oberlin, Ohio, to relate the bad news to her sister's fiance. Without money to return home

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to England, Honor struggles to find a way to settle into a pioneer town where she is tolerated but not welcomed. This story will be a rewarding read for those interested in the Underground Railroad, Quakers, or quilting. However, I missed the in-depth research that has been so evident in other novels by Chevalier ( e. g. Girl With a Pearl Earring, The Lady and the Unicorn, and Remarkable Creatures). The most rewarding aspect of the book for me was the conflict between tightly-held principles, family loyalty and economic considerations. I awarded the book 3 stars, not because there was any defect, but only because I have come to expect so much from Chevalier's books.

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The basics: The Last Runaway is the story of Honor Bright, a young, British Quaker woman who sets out with her engaged sister to move to Ohio in 1950.

My thoughts: When I sat down to read The Last Runaway on a flight to Portland, Oregon in October, I had to take a deep breath. I admit: I fear my

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favorite authors will disappoint me. I fear I will somehow outgrow them or their worth will outgrow me. With The Last Runaway, I was also afraid because the topic of the Underground Railroad is fascinating to me. I didn't want my high hopes to hamper my enjoyment of the novel. Looking back, I'm grateful I started this novel at a time when I had hours to read it, both because I didn't want to put it down and because it wasn't as I expected it to be.

Honor's journey begins in England. She decides to accompany her sister to Ohio, where her sister is set to marry a young man from their town. The journey is brutal for Honor's seasickness, and she realizes she will never return; she believes she could not bear another trip. This decision combines sadness and acceptance, and it's a window into Honor's worldview, which is largely shaped by her Quaker faith. From the time the ship lands until Honor reaches Ohio, Chevalier does a beautiful job expressing how foreign the land is and how utterly alone Honor is. The loneliness is palpable. The book has already taken a deeply moving physical, emotional and geographical journey, yet there is not yet mention of the Underground Railroad. There are allusions to race relations in Ohio, but I found myself caring less about what I thought this book would be about and more about taking this journey with Honor. Once my mind shifted from expectation to reality, I enjoyed that journey (and Honor) even more.

Favorite passage: "We got us a long way to go. It surely ain’t somethin’ you need to break your marriage over. That’s jes’ foolinshness. Any runaway would tell you that. All they want is the freedom to make the kind of life you got. You go and throw that away for their sake, you jes’ mockin’ their own dreams."

The verdict: The Last Runaway is classic Chevalier, and Honor Bright is a dynamic, fascinating character. While this novel will perhaps inevitably be billed as one about the Underground Railroad, it's more about Honor and her journeys: geographically, romantically and spiritually. Honor's role in the Underground Railroad is certainly compelling, but it's merely one part of her compelling journey.

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I’ve been an admirer of Tracy Chevalier’s novels, especially "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "Remarkable Creatures," so I looked forward to this novel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed; this book is not of the caliber I’ve come to expect from this author.

The novel is set in the 1850s in

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Ohio. Honor Bright, a Quaker, leaves England after being jilted and finds herself in Ohio where she struggles to adapt to a new life. She becomes involved in the Underground Railroad despite the objections of her husband and his family.

One of the weaknesses is the character of Honor Bright. She tries to be an honourable person but she is not very bright. She is rather dull and bland and judgmental. This last failing she does acknowledge: “Perhaps, Honor thought one day, it is not that Americans are so wedded to individual expression, but that we British are too judgmental” (258). She spends a great deal of time being critical of rocking chairs and American quilting but devotes very little time to getting to know the man she agrees to marry. She knows “She could not go back” (1) but makes little effort to adjust to life in America; she has to be admonished by the two women she most admires to keep “an open mind” (292).

Most of the characters are one-dimensional. Donovan, the slave hunter, has the potential to be an interesting character, but he ends up being unbelievable. A runaway refers specifically to him at one point: “’Them slave hunters got a sense makes ‘em good at guessin’ where a runaway is. Otherwise they be out of a job. He’ll turn up again tonight – I can guarantee it’” (251). Nonetheless, he is constantly outwitted by his own sister even though he knows she assists runaways and he frequently watches her home.

There is some attempt to use literary devices, but they come across as heavy-handed. For example, after her first sexual experience, which takes place in a cornfield, Honor wonders “if there were snakes nearby; nothing was moving but it was only a matter of time before one appeared” (126). Then her marriage quilt is made for her by women with varying degrees of skill so she begins her married life “under a quilt of dubious quality. It was not an auspicious start” (132). This foreshadowing of problems in the marriage is anything but subtle. One technique I did like is the use of English versus American quilting styles as parallels to Honor’s difficulties in her new country: Honor’s English quilting style is unappreciated by the women in her new community and she is dismissive of American quilting.

I looked forward to learning more about Quakers, but the information is sketchy. They are pacifists; they will not lie; they will shun members of their community who marry outside their faith; they dress modestly; they use “thee” in conversation; they believe in the equality of all humans. All of this I knew. The only new thing I learned about the Religious Society of Friends is their attitude to pre-marital sex; perhaps I shouldn’t be skeptical of the research of an author known for her historical fiction, but I intend to do some research to determine if what Chevalier suggests is true.

I did appreciate one of the major themes explored in the novel: the difference between principles/religious beliefs and the practice of those principles/beliefs: “When an abstract principle became entangled in daily life, it lost its clarity and became compromised and weakened. Honor did not understand how this could happen, and yet it had: [the family into which she marries] had demonstrated how easy it was to justify stepping back from principles and doing nothing” (227). Quakers believe in the equality of all, but in the religious community to which Honor belongs, not all practice their belief; some choose not to help the slaves fleeing north.

This may seem a minor complaint to many, but I was very annoyed with the punctuation. Commas are left out when they are needed – “The day after Comfort was born Belle had sent word to the Haymakers” and put in where not needed – “Honor got that feeling she had when she was sewing together patchwork pieces, and saw that they fit” (259). These problems indicate poor editing.

At one point Honor says, “’. . . I do not feel settled. It is as if – as if I am floating above the ground, with my feet not touching’” (290). This is the feeling I had while reading this book. I was not engaged by the characters or the plot. Interestingly, I recently read "The Purchase" by Linda Spalding, another recent book about the Quakers and slavery. It too was unsatisfactory.

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Girl with a Pearl Earring, was a bestseller for Tracy Chevalier so when I received a copy of The Last Runaway I was looking forward to read it. Set in the 1850's, this novel follows Quaker Honor Bright, accompanying her betrothed sister, on her journey from England to a new life in America. When

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tragedy strikes, Honor must continue to Ohio on her own where she struggles with an unfamiliar society, far from her family and friends.

Unfortunately I was rather underwhelmed by The Last Runaway. The larger themes examined are the difficulties of choosing between principles and practicalities, passion and duty, but the contradictions are only cursorily explored.

Honor lacked the spirit I expected from a lead character, even as a Quaker woman of her time. She makes little effort to connect with her new life and her passive demeanor is uninteresting. Her letters home reveal more of her character, but it's only a glimpse without sharing nay real insight. For me, Honor's rebellion against her husband and the Society by not speaking for six months, came across as a passive aggressive ultimatum rather than the spiritual choice Chevalier intended.

I thought most of the characters in The Last Runaway tended to be fairly one dimensional, including Honor's new husband and mother in law. I really liked Belle though, a milliner who welcomes Honor into her home during her journey and is instrumental in supporting the Underground. Belle's brother Donovan, a slave hunter, is perhaps the most complex character in the novel but he remains largely incidental to the story.

Much is made of Honor's role in the Underground Railway in the synopsis, however her actual interaction with the escaping slaves was minimal. She leaves food out under upturned crates and whispers instructions to those that occasionally pass through but it is passive assistance, even with the threat of the Slave Fugitive Act. While there are glimpses of the fear and desperation of the escaping slaves, it seems almost irrelevant somehow.

The ending was quite the surprise however, not what I was generally expecting though it was not quite enough to redeem the book either.

For me The Lost Runaway was not much more than okay. It gave a brief glimpse into life during a specific time and place but without the depth I thought the subject deserved and the author capable of.

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I eagerly await each of Tracy Chevalier's books - she is one of my favorite authors. When I started reading The Last Runaway, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. It seemed different from her other books. The sentences are simple and slightly awkward at the start. As I kept reading though, I

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decided that the simple writing matches the simplicity of the very likable heroine, Honor Bright. She is a Quaker making her way in a new country. This book has a lot in it. I feel like I need to read it again because it has some very subtle "a-ha" moments. While it takes place in the early 1850's, the themes are very relevant to headlines in the the news today - especially how people with different views have to live together in the same communities.
I highly recommend reading this book - it has everything in it: friendship, love, lust, loss, bravery, quilting, and more all set in a very believable historically relevant backdrop.
And have I mentioned how much it feels like reading Little House on the Prairie? There is much to compare and contrast between the books, but the feeling is there - how often does one get to recreate the feeling of reading a beloved book from childhood?

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I'm not good at doing plot summaries in my reviews, because I'm always afraid I'll give too much away.
That being said, I've never read this author, but had the recommendation after reading "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker."
I cannot STAND people trying to tell me what I should read to understand

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slavery, history, etc (I'll make people mad, but I'm thinking about Oprah's book recommendations). But, I often take stands on issues or say I would've taken a stand had I lived in (fill in the blank) era...but who really knows?
This book, while working within the plotline of a Quaker young woman, really gave me pause...where do you draw the line with your conscience, what would cause you to rethink that, would you risk your own family for certain causes you come to feel are important?
The characters are well written...I won't say much about that, because I feel I'll give information away...but the slave catcher, who you would think you would hate, sort of grows on you...I really wanted them together, oddly, as the book progressed.
I literally put it down so that I could prolong the ending, and this is one book on a very, very short list (and I read at least 5 books a week) that I would read again....
I'm still thinking about it, pondering the characters, and wish I knew how the rest of Honor's life turned out after I closed the novel.

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THE LAST RUNAWAY

In 1850, Honor Bright, an English Quaker, accompanied her sister, Grace, to the United States. Grace is to be married to a man from their hometown who is now living near Oberlin, Ohio. Honor was to have been married in England, but the wedding was cancelled.
When she arrives, her

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plans abruptly changed and she finds herself having to depend on strangers. The unfamiliar landscape and different lifestlyle cause her much distress, even when she finds a home in a Quaker community. While her sewing talent is valued, to a degree, she finds living on a farm demands different skills. (There is a lot of description about making quiltw and hats.)
Oberlin, a little southwest of Cleveland and Lake Erie, was a major stop on the Underground Railway and runaway slaves play a major part in the story. Even within the Quaker community, there are mixed feelings about how much, if at all, the slaves should be assisted since the law supported the right for bounty hunters to hunt them and take them back to their masters.
I was very disappointed in this book. There was some repetition: How many times do we need to read about the stone buildings in England and the wooden ones in the US or the different quilt styles in both countries. The Bethlehem Star is mentioned frequently.
My biggest complaint, though, is that I expected to learn more about slaves and the Underground Railway. They are a large part of the story, but it isn’t a major focus until almost halfway through the book.
I hope Tracy Chevalier writes more books of the GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING quality in the future.

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I read Chevalier's The Girl with the Pearl Earring years ago, but have not kept with her later work. I stumbled across this book and was intrigued by the topic. Chevalier lived up to my high hopes and expectations. I loved this book.

I listened to it, rather than read it. The narrator was the

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perfect fit. I loved her slow, quiet voice. It fits the protagonist's character who was a Quaker. I also appreciated Chevalier's writing style with her careful attention to detail. I didn't realize that "silence" could be described, and so beautifully.

The story centers around Honor Bright who is a young Quaker women accompanying her sister to America. Honor's sister is engaged to a Quaker man living in Ohio. But events quickly turn upside down and Honor finds herself alone in a strange, new country.

Woven into Honor's story is her chance meeting with a runaway slave. She is drawn into being a part of the last leg of the underground railroad. This role puts her in conflict with the gov't new law and with her community.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Runaway! I highly recommend it to those who enjoy historical novels, particularly ones about America's early years.

Now, I plan to pick up Chevalier's other books and read those as well!

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I loved this book and I know it will remain one of my favorites of the year.

Honor Bright is a Quaker who accompanies her sister to Ohio from England. This book is beautifully written in its descriptions of the Ohio landscape and wildlife, the quilts and their symbols of the era, and of the social

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issues during the 1850's. Honor gets drawn into the life of the Underground Railroad, as she becomes friends with local "conductors", including one whose brother is a slave hunter.

Wonderful book, beautifully written. I was sad when it ended because I would have kept reading much more of this book.

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Main character was unsympathetic. She was dull and seemed to feel entitled to her own wishes. Other characters were not sketched out. Mentioned hay bales (in 1850?)
I don't think the author knows much about farms.

This continues the reason I like Tracy Cevalier's books. They give me a deeper understanding of an event in history. In this case the involvement of Ohio Quakers in the Underground Railroad.

This book started very slow but the last few chapters were worth the wait. This story of the Underground Railroad will be of particular interest to those who quilt. So many of the refrences made about patterns, designs, and types of materials were lost on me, but an avid quilter would have a real

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apreciation for what those details add to the story.

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As stories regarding the Underground Railroad go, the only difference in The Last Runaway is where and when it takes place. Honor Bright has joined other Quaker families in pre-Civil War Ohio. She witnesses runaway slaves hiding in the woods near her new home and becomes involved in their escape.

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This becomes an issue with her new family the Haymakers. Her attempt to be true to herself and her faith present an interesting tale, however, having read many books regarding the Underground Railroad this story isn't too different than those. It is well written and I enjoyed the quilting frolics and quilt history as well.

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In 1850, Honor Bright, a Quaker, leaves England with her sister to begin a new life in Ohio. There is a lot to learn about surviving in her new environment. Honor also encounters the Underground Railroad in her new community and has to make choices about whether or not to help out. From a

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historical fiction perspective, it was interesting to learn about Quakers and what everyday life was like in rural Ohio in 1850. This book was on my "to read" list at my local library so I was pleased to have been given a free copy to review through the Goodreads giveaway program.

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I love Tracy Chevalier. When I read her books I get transported into the story,and this book was no exception.It is filled with warmth and local color. Honor Bright is a young British Quaker who travels with her sister to Ohio. She looses her sister to yellow fever and then must try to make her own

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way. I learned about Quakerism, heroism, farm life, quilting and all through Honor who I learned to love. I was so rooting for her and glad with a satisfactory ending.

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I find that each novel by Tracy Chevalier seems to be even better than the last one, and, let's face it, she started from a very high level. She seems to have a particular facility for weaving glorious, engaging and engrossing stories from subject matter that one might not immediately view as

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particularly exciting..

In her latest novel the protagonist is Honor Bright, a young Quaker woman from Bridport, Devon, who travels out to Ohio with her sister Grace who is engaged to be married to a former neighbour who had emigrated to set up a draper's shop. Honor is plagued with dreadful sea-sickness throughout her Atlantic crossing, and then suffers the shock of seeing her sister contract, then very soon die from, yellow fever. Distraught, and still unwell herself, Honor spends a week recovering at the house of Belle Mills, a local milliner with whom she develops a lasting friendship. It is here that we learn of Honor's considerable skills at sewing quilts, a fundamental talent for any Quaker woman.

Meanwhile Honor has sparked the interest of Donovan, Belle's half-brother. Donovan's life revolves around the sinister heart of the novel. The action all takes place in northern Ohio which in 1850 was part of the route followed by escaping slaves heading for the total freedom on offer if they can cross into Canada. Honor finds herself participating in "the Underground Railroad", an ad hoc network of people helping the escapes to evade recapture. Donovan is a bounty hunter specialising in catching them and returning them to their "owners". Honor's fellow Quakers find themselves in a quandary - they abhor the existence of slavery but they are also bound by the law and risk losing their livelihoods for open collusion.

Honor's life is far from easy, and Chevalier gives a moving picture of her struggles to become accepted in the community. We get a close insight into nineteenth century life on a farm, and also of the rituals of Quaker life (including quilts), though this is never allowed to intrude into the novel. At the end of each chapter we find a letter from Honor and addressed either to her parents or to "Biddy", her best friend from back home in England which allows Chevalier to advance the story.

The blending of the characters, the historical context, an engaging plot and Chevalier's trademark beautiful prose makes this a glorious novel. One of the finest I have read this year.

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I am trying to figure out today what made this book so unputdownable last night (I was up reading it until I finished at 3am) and the only thing I can come up with is the character of Honor Bright. She is such a sympathetic character and I wanted to know what happened to her.

The Last Runaway is the

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story of Honor Bright, a young Quaker woman who leaves England to escape an unpleasant past that is not of her own doing, and her attempt to fit into the American society in a small town in Ohio. There are a cast of interesting characters in Donovan and Belle, Jack Haymaker, Adam and Abigail, and more and decisions that need to be made by Honor that foreshadow a deeper meaning behind her name.

There were familiar aspects to this novel, anyone who has read Uncle Tom's Cabin will recognize similarities between the stories - but this is more dealing with the other side, what happens to those who disobey the Fugitive Slave Act. It's a life filled with secrets and lies in the midst of a people who refuse to lie.

So this ended up being an unputdownable book for me. It moved quickly, had heart and characters that tugged at my heartstrings, and it was a story that was above and beyond interesting. There were little bits of flavor throughout it as well that helped with the story, making it more personable. The difference between English quilting and American, recipes, culture, and more.

This is a great book for fans of historical fiction who are interested in immigration, the underground railroad, Quakers, and the early pioneer midwest.

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Honor Bright, a young Quaker girl, travels from England with her sister to begin a new life in 19th Century Ohio, where her sister is to marry her fiance. During the overland part of the journey, Honor's sister dies from yellow fever, leaving her alone in a strange new land.

Mediocre tale. The reader is never truly involved with any of the characters and certainly is never drawn into the perils of the slaves trying to escape their bondage. Even the Quaker way of life is never truly defined so that one could empathize with Honor, a name WAY too contrived. Wellington and

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Oberlin are mentioned as important to the underground, but nothing of note is ever said about the communities. There are other books on this topic far better, I'm sure.

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This book didn't captivate me as some of Chevalier's work has in the past. Interesting point of view as it is told int the voice of immigrant English Quaker, Honor Bright, however I found her a bit dull. There is so much potential for excitement and danger with this topic (The Underground Railroad)

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but it never came to fruition. I was hoping Honor would break out from her "Quakerness" and do something really daring, but she played it pretty safe. Disappointing.

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I've read two books by Tracy Chevalier, one of which (Girl With a Pearl Earring) I finished so long ago I can't remember much of it. Remarkable Creatures, which is about women paleontologists in the 19th century was absolutely excellent. Chevalier has a very cool, precise writing and while her

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characters are rarely happy, they always find contentment and solace in different ways. In The Last Runaway, Honor Bright finds that quiet place in quilting and there would be a lot to say about Chevalier's treatment of creativity and how she really shows it's a way for women to have full control over what happens. Honor's strong principles in the book were easy to understand given her religious background and I found the portrayal of Quakers in this book to be most interesting to read about, especially since I knew nothing about the religion to begin with.
The book has incredible scope and the cast of characters is varied and colourful, the story is so packed that the volume feels much bigger than it is. It's a very engrossing read and I would have given this five stars if it weren't for the ending which I thought was too cliché to really fit in. Very good read, though. Something always prevents me from really falling in love with Chevalier's books the way I would with a favourite author, I think her writing is just too cool and composed (mirroring her heroines' personalities) for me to really fall for the characters and the story (I prefer passion and great energy) but it's a really good read.

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