Customer Reviews

The Winthrop Woman

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Someone gave me an old paperback copy of this book years ago, and my immediate reaction was to roll my eyes. It looked like a cheesy romance novel, the sort that feature Fabio on the cover. However, one day in a fit of boredom, I picked it up and started reading, and didn't put it down until I finished it in the wee hours of the morning. This is a fictionalized account of the life of Elizabeth Fones, who was a niece of John Winthrop (governor of the Mass. Bay Colony) and a bit of an embarrassment to the other, more respectable Winthrops. Elizabeth packed a lot of living into her rather short life -- tumultuous and often scandalous love affairs, widowhood, emigration to seventeenth-century New England, accusations of witchcraft, Indian attacks, abandonment, several marriages, births, deaths, you name it. Seton crafts some memorable turns of phrase, and Elizabeth is an engaging character. It really is a great book and I'm glad to see it back in print.

This is a dazzling work of historical fiction that I first read as a young adult. Now, over thirty years after first reading it, I find that time has not diminished the power and passion of this exquisitely written work of historical fiction. At the heart of this fine novel, is Elizabeth Fones, an Englishwoman who would marry her first cousin, Harry Winthrop, and would go on to lead a life of which few of us would dream.

As a member of the austerely Puritan Winthrop family, Elizabeth would chafe under its restrictive influences. When the family fortunes abated in England due to the religious beliefs of the family patriarch, John Winthrop, Elizabeth's uncle and father-in-law, the entire family sets off for the New World to become founding members of the Massachusetts Bay colony, a theocracy under which Elizabeth was to know much heartache.

A passionate and vibrant woman, Elizabeth would have a number of personal situations that would cause her to become notorious amongst the Puritan colonists. She would be both reviled and admired for her actions, which were singular for those times. This is an absorbing, page turner of a book that takes a look at sixteenth century England during the tumultuous time that preceded the civil war that would see an act of regicide and the rise of Puritan Oliver Cromwell. It also relates the turmoil that underlay the government of the nascent Massachusetts Bay colony with all its factionalism, restrictive practices, and bigotry.

The novel, set against a historical backdrop filled with well known personages of the time, both English and Dutch, lovingly chronicles and explores Elizabeth's passage in life as a member of the illustrious Winthrop family, her troubled marriages, her relationship with the Siwanot Indians, and the trials and tribulations that she underwent as a compassionate, independent woman in a time when to be such was to destine oneself to become a pariah within the larger community.

This is a historical novel that is epic in its telling, beautifully written, and one to be savored until the very last page is turned. Bravo!

Anya Seton has certainly done her homework in researching this story of Elizabeth Fones, a true historical figure in 17th-century Puritan New England. Despite marrying into the powerful Winthrop family of Boston, Elizabeth has difficulty conforming to expectations for a woman, nearly risking her very life in a time of suspicion, violence, religious zeal and political anxiety. Eventually, she is forced to flee from New England entirely with her tormented second husband, although this new life brings her little peace. Although her troubles are by no means over, with her third and final marriage Elizabeth finally has an opportunity to marry for love. Ms. Seton has an amazing way of bringing characters from the past to life. I highly recommend all of her works.

I first read The Winthrop Woman when I was about 13 years old. It had such an impact on me, that I re-read it several times as I was growing up, and I have thought of it so often during the years since. I have never read a historical novel (and I've read many) that has stayed with me to the same degree. For anyone who is interested in the early days of American colonial development and who has a love of history and human courage and resiliance, this book is a gift. Elizabeth Winthrop was strong and courageous in days when women had few choices and little support. She is an inspiration and a touchstone, and reminds one that although generations pass, the human heart doesn't change that much at all. I believe Seton carefully researched this book, so the essence is historically accurate, and it provides a fascinating window into life in the 1600s in New England.

This is a dazzling work of historical fiction that I first read as a young adult. Now, over thirty years after first reading it, I find that time has not diminished the power and passion of this exquisitely written work of historical fiction. At the heart of this fine novel, is Elizabeth Fones, an Englishwoman who would marry her first cousin, Harry Winthrop, and would go on to lead a life of which few of us would dream.

As a member of the austerely Puritan Winthrop family, Elizabeth would chafe under its restrictive influences. When the family fortunes abated in England due to the religious beliefs of the family patriarch, John Winthrop, Elizabeth's uncle and father-in-law, the entire family sets off for the New World to become founding members of the Massachusetts Bay colony, a theocracy under which Elizabeth was to know much heartache.

A passionate and vibrant woman, Elizabeth would have a number of personal situations that would cause her to become notorious amongst the Puritan colonists. She would be both reviled and admired for her actions, which were singular for those times. This is an absorbing, page turner of a book that takes a look at sixteenth century England during the tumultuous time that preceded the civil war that would see an act of regicide and the rise of Puritan Oliver Cromwell. It also relates the turmoil that underlay the government of the nascent Massachusetts Bay colony with all its factionalism, restrictive practices, and bigotry.

The novel, set against a historical backdrop filled with well known personages of the time, both English and Dutch, lovingly chronicles and explores Elizabeth's passage in life as a member of the illustrious Winthrop family, her troubled marriages, her relationship with the Siwanot Indians, and the trials and tribulations that she underwent as a compassionate, independent woman in a time when to be such was to destine oneself to become a pariah within the larger community.

This is a historical novel that is epic in its telling, beautifully written, and one to be savored until the very last page is turned. Bravo!

What an incredible story of an amazing woman. Elizabeth Fones, married into the Winthrop family, the leader of that being John Winthrop who took his family to New England to govern the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Elizabeth was a rare woman indeed, going on to being one of the few women of her times to be a large landholder, married three times and finally finding great happiness and love in the last one to Will Hallet.

This book has it all -- passion, madness, bigotry, ignorant superstitions and religious persecution. The author beautifully weaves her story so that you feel you are there, from terrors of sailing the Atlantic, small pox, the sights, sounds and smells of the times, everything is perfectly melded to entertain and educate you about this period. I was also sorrowed at the eventual treatment of the Native Americans, from originally friendly terms, then to end so tragically. I found out much about a period in our nation's history that I only had the briefest of recollections from those long ago history lessons in school.

Anyone who enjoys historical fiction should put this one on their list. Highly recommended.

This was the first book I've read by Anya Seton. I chose this book because of the positive feedback I've recently heard about her novels, and the plot sounded very interesting to me.

I have to admit I found this book difficult to read. Elizabeth Fones, the heroine, has a life filled with adventure, scandal, and love. In the course of her life she goes through so much that as a reader I immediately felt sympathy for her plight. However, her resilience caused my sympathy to turn to respect. The reason I found this novel hard to read is because Elizabeth lived in a time when the desires of a respectable female were often ignored. If a woman was raised by a family with any sort of wealth, she had to quickly "learn her place" in life. If she chose to do as her heart and mind told her, she was seen as a threat and outcast. Throughout the story, I found myself throwing the book down in anger at the injustices of the time. Or else, rolling my eyes in disgust as Elizabeth, once again, is forced to do something she doesn't want to do.

While this book was hard for me to get through, I do recognize that the things I didn't like were not faults of the author, but of the time. Therefore, I do recommend the novel for its captivating story, and strong well-developed heroine. Just be advised that the novel may produce feelings of anger or annoyance.

I loved this book! I read it the first time about 25-30 years ago and recently decided to reread it. I enjoyed it as much the second time around. I love all of Anya Seton's books. She really does her research and she just draws you in to the story and makes you care about the characters. I also like the fact that it is based on people who really lived.

This book is a fascinating take on the origins of colonial America. I normally do not read historical fiction set in the United States. I selected this book because of my admiration for Anya Seton's Katherine and Avalon. This heavily fact-centered novel starts out in England in the early 1600s. It centers on Elizabeth Fones, the unconventional neice of John Winthrop, Sr., the first Governor of the Massachussets Bay Colony and the author of the famous City on the Hill sermon. The novel traces the Winthrop family's decision to come to the colonies through Elizabeth's perspective and gives an honest view of the establishment of Winthrop's city on the hill.

The first thing that struck me was how extremely difficult the passage was to America and the blind faith the Puritans had in their decision to follow their leaders to the new world. Seton spends a great deal of time describing Elizabeth's voyage and it is truly horrifying how difficult and dangerous the trip was at the turn of the seventeenth century - a time when it was unknown how to prevent scurvy and when people would routinely die on the ships - not only from shipwreck.

Seton takes a critical view of the colony's repression. The Puritans sought to practice their own religion, free from the Anglican church, but it becomes clear that there was a lot of in-fighting amongst how exactly to interpret the bible. This infighting and bigotry inhibited freedom moreso than England, which they were trying to escape. This point is particularly poignant with respect to Anne Hutchinson.

Seton spends a great deal of time discussing the Native Americans. I was surprised at how sharply critical Seton was of the English and Dutch treatment of the Native Americans, given the fact that the novel was written in the early 1950s. However, after reading the novel, I find myself looking out at my surroundings in America with an extra sharp appreciation of the costs that were paid in wresting control of this territory from the Native Americans.

Because Elizabeth is forced to leave the Massachussets bay colony, Seton also spent time discussing the international politics of the era and the territorial competition between the Dutch and the English.

I highly recommend this novel to any fan of historical fiction. This novel strongly follows fact and is largely derived from the Winthrop Papers and other matters of historical record, given the main character's connection to the famed Winthrop family. If you are originally from the Boston, Connecticut, or New York area, it is particularly fascinating to attempt to imagine what used to be and what could have been, had colonialism not taken root in America.

This is a dazzling work of historical fiction that I first read as a young adult. Now, over thirty years after first reading it, I find that time has not diminished the power and passion of this exquisitely written work of historical fiction. At the heart of this fine novel, is Elizabeth Fones, an Englishwoman who would marry her first cousin, Harry Winthrop, and would go on to lead a life of which few of us would dream.

As a member of the austerely Puritan Winthrop family, Elizabeth would chafe under its restrictive influences. When the family fortunes abated in England due to the religious beliefs of the family patriarch, John Winthrop, Elizabeth's uncle and father-in-law, the entire family sets off for the New World to become founding members of the Massachusetts Bay colony, a theocracy under which Elizabeth was to know much heartache.

A passionate and vibrant woman, Elizabeth would have a number of personal situations that would cause her to become notorious amongst the Puritan colonists. She would be both reviled and admired for her actions, which were singular for those times. This is an absorbing, page turner of a book that takes a look at sixteenth century England during the tumultuous time that preceded the civil war that would see an act of regicide and the rise of Puritan Oliver Cromwell. It also relates the turmoil that underlay the government of the nascent Massachusetts Bay colony with all its factionalism, restrictive practices, and bigotry.

The novel, set against a historical backdrop filled with well known personages of the time, both English and Dutch, lovingly chronicles and explores Elizabeth's passage in life as a member of the illustrious Winthrop family, her troubled marriages, her relationship with the Siwanot Indians, and the trials and tribulations that she underwent as a compassionate, independent woman in a time when to be such was to destine oneself to become a pariah within the larger community.

This is a historical novel that is epic in its telling, beautifully written, and one to be savored until the very last page is turned. Bravo!