Customer Reviews

To Have and to Hold

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Clear your calendar before you start, there is no good place to put this book down. Adventure, romance, rich characters, and wry humor carry you into the forests of early colonial America, embroidered with the tragedies and intricacies of colonial/Native American relationships. The plot, at first blush simple and time-honored, is only the framework for a study in human character: the best of it, the worst of it, those in whom the base and noble are inextricably entwined. Jocelyn, the King's ward, escapes England in a bride-ship bound for the colonies and for her own reasons marries a planter who has decided--on a throw of dice--to come to Jamestown for the arrival of the brides. Their uncertain path is complicated by the arrival of the powerful suitor Jocelyn hoped to escape, by kidnapping, intrigue, arrest, shipwreck, and pirates, and the unravelling of the colony's delicate peace with the first Americans. I was captivated, not from the first page, but from the table of contents: Chapter Two "In Which I Marry in Haste," and Chapter Three "In Which I Am Like to Repent at Leisure". Read it at your leisure--you will have no reason to repent.

My parents read this story to my brother and me when we were 6 & 8. It starts out slowly but gets really good, really fast. It has Indians, pirates, swordfights, one of the best (worst) villains ever (& his evil cohort), betrayal, sacrifice, true love and ventriloquism. We LOVED the story then and, as adults, came to appreciate it on new levels. Same goes for my son, now grown up, to whom I gave the same privilege of great story-telling as a kid. There's a 1947(?) movie based on the book but the book itself, of course, can tell more of the story with the very best illustrations - those from your own imagination.

I read this book in High School. Its still in my heart, I have never forgotten it. I'm now 60 years old.

Set in the early 1600s in Virginia, hero Ralph Percy marries Jocelyn Leigh on sight (she arrives at Jamestown on a boat full of women from England, there for the purpose of finding a husband; she is escaping a despicable suitor, Lord Carnal). At first she despises Percy, but after many adventures (some among the Indians), sword fights, pirating, and the eventual death of Carnal, who had come to America to pursue Jocelyn, true love wins out. Johnston is good at forwarding the action throughout the story, but some of the incidents are pretty far-fetched. They ate this stuff up back in 1900 when it was first published: it's one of the most popular historical novels ever published in America.

I have read this book at least twice now and have enjoyed it both times! The storyline will keep you engaged and eagerly turning the pages until the very end so beware! Don't start this book if you only have a half hour to read! You won't want to put it down! Also a great, historically accurate picture of life in colonial Jamestown. Just in time for Jamestown's 400th anniversary.

To Have and To Hold is an adventure tale for all ages. My parents read it to my brother and me as a bedtime story when we were 8 and 10 (a bit exciting before sleep yet a good carrot - "settle down if you want to hear more tomorrow"). It has one of the most satisfying villains of all time (one you love to hate), comedy, adventure of all kinds, and - eventually - true romance. It has Indians, pirates, poison, swordfights, abuse of power, ventriloquism, daring escapes and, at the end of it, justice and true love triumph. A movie was made but of course they couldn't cram it all in.
Although the story has a slow start, it picks up speed in Chapter 2, when the hero discharges a gambling debt by traveling to Jamestown to pay the passage of one of 90 young women brought to the colony in 1619 by the Virginia Company of London to marry the colonists. The imported brides were supposed to encourage colonists to become husbands and found families, thereby becoming more likely to remain in Virginia and sustain the colony's growth (and consequent company profits). The book covers a very exciting period in American colonial history. The story is strong, funny, human, and interesting with unforgettable characters.

This is one of the most captivating novels I've read in a long time. Originally published in 1907 for the Jamestown tercentennial, it was republished last year for the four hundredth birthday of the Jamestown settlement. Appropriately, the setting is colonial Jamestown. Several history characters are introduced and become a part of the story. James Rolfe is the best friend of the story's hero. A good writer can bring readers to laughter and tears, and Mary Johnston does both. The story has been revised by Joshua and Sarah Wean. Whatever you may be looking for in a novel, from romance, adventure, intrigue, history, forgiveness, repentance, and the mercy of God, this book has it all.

Captain Ralph Percy is our hero, and a hero worthy of the name. He goes into Jamestown at the suggestion of a friend, who had informed him that he ought to take a wife. Many single young ladies were just arriving from England to be wives of the settlers, so the present time was an excellent opportunity. Captain Percy is a gentleman, and delivers a lovely young woman from being insulted. She accepted his marriage proposal on the spot. He is a Christian gentleman, and vows to love, cherish, and protect his wife with his life, though it's little she seems to care about it. Throughout the book, Percy battles hostile Indians, Spaniards, haughty English nobles, his wife's indifference to him, and his own natural desire for revenge, to eventually win his heart's desire. He constantly affirms and follows through with his duty, even through the many dangerous and precarious situations it brings him to. At last when he can conquer his bitterest enemy, he cannot bring himself to kill him as it would displease and dishonor God.

This book is definitely to be highly recommended for the storyline, never mind the excellent history content. Boys and girls of all ages will relish the adventure, admire a clear picture of a valiant, Godly man, and respect a woman who chooses truth, honor and love.

I read this at one sitting. It is similar in subject matter to Stanley Weyman's novels, or perhaps Rafael Sabatini. I enjoyed To Have and To Hold very much.

I knew very little about this book before I read it. I found myself very disappointed. The title sounds like this book would be a romance. It was more of an action/adventure book. It wasn't a terrible read but it wasn't very engaging either. I usually zoom through books in a day or two. With this book, however, I constantly had to remind myself to read it. It took me over a week to get through it.

The book moved at a methodical pace. I'm not a big fan of description, but I actually was yearning for the author to describe more. Oftentimes, I couldn't "see" the scenery or action. I am fascinated by Jamestown and that time period. I was sad that the author didn't delve deeper into that world.

I was frustrated by the lack of character development. The only character that I really got to know was the main character, Ralph Percy. Every other character felt distant and unexplored. Percy was annoyingly perfect and heroic. Even though he was strong, brave, and masculine, his voice to me often sounded more like a woman's voice then a man's. His thought processes at times were alarmingly feminine. The relationship between Percy and Jocelyn was almost ignored until the middle of the book when they randomly find themselves in love with each other. The author didn't take advantage of dialog and I missed having the characters talking to each other. The dialog that the author included at the end between Percy and Jocelyn was forced and stilted. I waited the whole book for that conversation and it was so fake that it was painful.

I found it interesting that this was the #1 best seller in 1900. The adventures in the book were fun and so I can see why people enjoyed it. Even though it wasn't as descriptive of the time period as I would have liked, I still had fun reading about Jamestown and the characters. I especially enjoyed the Minister and I wish that the author would have included him more in the book. I'm glad that I read this book but I'm even more glad that I'm finished!

In early 17th-century Virginia, Lady Jocelyn Leigh arrives as part of a shipload of eligible brides disguised as her maid, Patience Worth. She'd taken the opportunity presented when Patience got cold feet to escape a forced marriage to the king's favorite, Lord Carnal.

Captain Ralph Percy wasn't intending to join the throng of men meeting the ship to find a bride, but his friends persuade him he needs a wife, so he goes, but mostly just hangs back, observing.

Until Patience Worth is assaulted by an overeager suitor, and Captain Percy comes to her rescue. They're married by the quirky minister, Jeremy Sparrow, who later becomes their friend and companion in adventure, then they set off for Captain Percy's home.

In her defense, Jocelyn is honest with him. She explains her situation and tells him she married him for protection from Lord Carnal. And in true historical romance tradition (obviously I was remiss in thinking this was a modern plot device!), she declines to sleep with him, and he's too much of a gentleman to push the issue.

Eventually, Lord Carnal shows up, searching for her, and the adventure is on. Captain Percy won't give her up, whether it's because he's fallen in love with her as the book cover says, or whether it's a matter of extreme devotion to duty, which is how I read it--she's his wife, therefore he protects her, period--he faces certain death, if not outright from Lord Carnal, then from the law when he's charged with treason for thwarting the king's wishes.

Nor is Lord Carnal the only danger they face--there's also an Indian uprising to contend with.

To Have and to Hold was for me much more readable than the last old book I read. It was told in first person from Captain Percy's point of view, with amusing chapter headings. Most likely, it's my pitiful education in history which makes me surprised when a book written over 100 years ago isn't dry and completely serious. The adventure is a bit over-the-top, but it's an adventure story, and not any more unbelievable than ones written today.

The writing style is, of course, not modern, and there were even some words I didn't recognize--whether they were common 100 years ago or the result of the book's historical setting, I don't know.

Early 17th-century America is not a setting I'm at all familiar with, so that was interesting as well. I enjoyed the glimpse into that time period. What To Have and to Hold being the bestselling book of 1900 says about America of 1900, I don't know, but it gives me an interesting impression.