The Primrose Way [Paperback]

Jackie French Koller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Great Episodes | Publication Date: April 18, 1995

Living in a rough Puritan missionary settlement that borders an Indian village, sixteen-year-old Rebekah is forced to choose between two cultures when she falls in love with a defiant Pawtucket medicine man. “Issues about separation of church and state, the scandalous idea of thinking for oneself, etc., are thoughtfully raised here and would provide provocative discussions in the social studies classroom.”--School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When the Puritans came to the New World hoping to discover a new Eden, they called themselves saints. At 16, however, Rebekah finds the primitive living conditions and ill treatment of the native peoples of Massachusetts a far cry from a godly paradise. The girl comes to question her faith and her society, and she finally resolves to run away with her Indian boyfriend, Mishannock. While Koller presents a vivid, fact-based portrait of New England in the mid-1600s, her characters lack a sense of immediacy. Rebekah emerges as a colorless heroine with an anachronistic understanding of the exploitation of the surrounding people and natural resources. Her love for Mishannock unfolds in cliches that make even the girl's happy ending seem flat. Fans of period romances might find the proceedings rather tame, but Koller's substantial bibliography and glossaries lend her book some historical value. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-- Puritan Rebekah Hall, 16, joins her father in the settlement of Agawam in the New World in 1633. There the independent girl be friends Qunnequawese, a Pawtucket girl. Re bekah develops a respect for her friend's way of life and spiritual values, falls in love with one of Qunnequawese's kinsmen, and must choose between two cultures. Koller is at her best when describing the dreary living conditions and the religious and social constraints of the Puritans, especially in relation to the glorious scenery and the simple lifestyle of the Native Americans. As in Speare's The Witch of Black bird Pond (Houghton, 1958) and Farber's Mer cy Short (Dutton, 1982; o.p.), these contrasts are made clear by the young narrator. Issues about separation of church and state, the scan dalous idea of thinking for oneself, etc., are thoughtfully raised here and would provide provocative discussions in the social studies classroom. Koller's carefully researched book incorporates authentic language in a readable text. Glossaries, a pronunciation guide, bibliog raphy, and an afterword are all helpful. The message about female freedom and the ideal ized image of Native American culture and be liefs are strikingly modern, but these are justi fied in the story. The seeds of the destruction of the Pawtucket are movingly conveyed. Readers may find the ending unrealistic, but highly satisfying. This novel, along with Speare's The Sign of the Beaver (Houghton, 1983), could be used for discussions of the his torical clash of cultures in the U. S. --Barbara Chatton, College of Education, Univ . of Wyo ming, Laramie
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; 1 edition (April 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015200372X
• ISBN-13: 978-0152003722
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feeling a strong friendship to Rebekka!, August 15, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Primrose Way (Paperback)

My father baught me this book about a year ago, but I didn¢¥t start to read it at that time, because I didn¢¥t know what to think about it. Now I read it. Of course I read it translated into German, so it won¢¥t be the same like the original, but I think everyone who ever read this book, will begin to love Mishannok, thank Seth for his warm heart, feel like Rebekka¢¥s best friend. I felt so angry, when I read about Mr, Walker and how the white treated the native Americans, that I had a discussions with my parents about the white settlers for an hour or even longer. I¢¥m thanking Mrs/Ms Koller waking up an in history interested part of my heart.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Primrose Way" by Jackie French Koller, November 19, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Primrose Way (Paperback)

I liked "The Primrose Way" because even though the story seems dull and boring in the beginning, it gets better as you learn to understand some of the Indian language, customs, and ways of life. In the beginning, you're on your way to 'the new world'. Once you get there, you're on your way to Agawam, the colony your father is at. You get there, and immediately, you're disappointed. A baren, empty, wasteland is all that seems to be there. But then, you see the Indians. Right away you know you want to meet them and talk to them, just learn to understand them a little better. So you invite one of the young Indian girls to come and live in your village, so you can learn each others languages.

To me, the best part of te book was when Rebekah realized, that she was in love. She really loved Meshannock. This let her realize, eben though something may not be looked upon too highly by the elders in the colony, it still doesn't change how she feels, and makes all the more important to follow through with. This aspect of the book makes the book whole, it ties it all together.

The two most vivid elements in "The Primrose Way" were the characters, the settings, and how they were described. Every time you observed a new setting, or met a new character, it was almost as if it was real. Everything is so well described, with every detail imaginable. It describes the color and feeling of the fabrics in their clothes, what shade of brown or tan their skin was, what the buildings looked like, and how they were made. It made it all so real, like I was back in 1633, in the shoes of Rebekah Hall.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting account, August 14, 2001

By 

Kate (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Primrose Way (Paperback)

The Primrose Way, by Jackie French Koller, was the book required for all seventh-graders to read over the summer at my school. Though I am usually drawn to books written about this time period, I had never heard about this book. The Primrose Way is the story of Rebekah, a sixteen-year-old girl coming to Massachusetts Bay Colony from England in the 1630s. Rebekah is one of those rebellious girls who doesn't really belong in the time period where women were not given much power. Once she arrived at Agawam, now known as Ipswich, Rebekah was curious to find out what the savages were all about. This story tells of Rebekah's quest to find the meaning of the savages, the meaning of her religion, and the meaning of what it means to be a person. I would reccomend this book to any young adult, particularly someone who is interested in the settling of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.