- Paperback: 448 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Reprint edition (27 May 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140436766
- ISBN-13: 978-0140436761
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13 x 2.2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,535,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Hope Leslie
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Product Description
Product Description
Set in seventeenth-century New England, Hope Leslie (1827) is a rich, fast-paced frontier romance, complete with bloody massacres, daring prison escapes, and alliances that violate the strictures of both white and Indian societies. A counterpoint to the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, it is also a revolutionary portrait of early American life, one that challenges the conventional view of Indians, tackles interracial marriage and cross-cultural friendship, and, most strikingly, claims for women their rightful place in our nation's history.
At the center of the novel are two friends whose actions and attitudes illustrate female strengths and values. Hope Leslie, a spirited thinker in a repressive Puritan society, fights for justice for the Indians and asserts the equality of the sexes by defying the patriarchs and choosing her own husband. Magawisca, the daughter of a Pequot chief, braves her father's wrath to save a white man and risks her freedom to reunite Hope with her sister, who as a child was captured by the Pequots and has chosen to remain with them.
The American ideal of giving everyone a voice is reflected in the very form of the novel. Letters throughout the book reveal the opinions of various characters, and the nonliterate Magawisca articulates her point of view in an impassioned speech before a Puritan tribunal. Their voices address still unresolved questions about the place of women, of Native Americans, and of dissenters of all kinds, in an American utopia.
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14 reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
subtexts give women options
4 Dec 2001
Format:Paperback
Written in the early 19th century and portraying the New England Puritan lives of the late 17th century, Sedgwick creates multiple patterns for what women can be, maneuvering between what is "appropriate" behavior according to men and the church and what is the motivation of the heart. Hope Leslie, the eponymous character, is almost always motivated by her heart rather than the rules of Puritan New England, and this lands her in all kinds of trouble. Still, her heart wins almost everyone despite her breaking of rules. Catherine Maria Sedgwick offended readers from the West when this was published because they felt her representation of Indians, through her female character, was too noble. But for women reading the novel today, almost 200 years later, the inspiration of this book lies in the many female characters, all of which represent some "pattern" or model that individual women may find themselves identifying with. There is not ONE model of womanhood, femaleness, but many. Interestingly, there are two women blown up on a ship near the end of the book. One is given a funeral ceremony (although she was Catholic, not Puritan, masqueraded as a male, and lived with a male lover unmarried); the other woman is never missed by anyone. Reading to find out who and why is worth the ride. Enjoy the book!
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Excellent example of early American literature
25 Feb 2000
Format:Paperback
The book was required reading for my American Lit Before 1865 class. I had never heard of it or the author before then. I am glad I was introduced to both. The narrative is fast paced and will not lose your interest. Sedgwick used the storyline to comment upon several issues peculiar to this country. It is amazing how many of those issues are still with us nearly 170 years after the book was written and over 350 years after the story's setting.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
This novel deserves some recognition.
22 Sep 1998
Format:Paperback
I had to read this book for a college class on American Women writers, and found it especially intruiging. Sedgewick speaks with a literary voice that needs to be heard. You get so caught up in the story that you almost miss out on the intentions that the author has set out to convey through her story. The reader is captivated by the unfettered spirit of Magawisca, and feels remorse for Mrs.Fletcher and the hardships she must endure. While Hope becomes the main focus near the middle of the book, you find yourself rooting for other characters as well. Sedgewicks writing style is fresh, and you truly never know what to expect. She takes an old story and brings it to life with her own little twists and turns. You'll become absorbed, and although it is a rather long novel, you'll never want to put it down.
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