Bound: A Novel

This was... gorgeous. I can't really think of another word for it. Gorgeously written, gorgeously executed, gorgeously edited. This book grabbed and pulled me in and twisted me around and then spit me back out. It's a pretty wrenching book, truth be told. The writing style is so amazingly soft and descriptive, you don't really know how you are feeling about it until it's over. I read this book for an online book club. There's no way I would have found it and picked it out on my own. I'm so glad I had to the chance to read it. It's a beautiful - nay, gorgeous - storyline and easily one of my top picks for the year. Read it.

Following on her first book about life in 18th century Brewster, Cape Cod, "The Widow's War", Ms. Gunning has produced another even more thoughtful and thought-provoking book in the same venue. This book has more historical content but most importantly, the author continues to be able to see, in what seems to be a surprisingly authentic tour de force, into the minds of her 18th century characters. She never makes the mistake of applying 20th or 21st centuray mind-sets and reactions to her population. Ms. Gunning manages to be very tough--this is not chick lit--on the other hand she can make us believe in and care for her creations.....

Historical fiction is really not my usual cup of tea. I like history and I like fiction, but usually do not care much when they are mixed together and between the same covers. This is a very popular genre though, and many, my wife included, enjoy reading this particular type of book a lot and in fact she absolutely consumes them. That, in essence, is why I read this one, i.e. my wife recommend that I do so. I do have a great interest in the study of slavery in this country and its complete history, and the indentured servant could indeed be classified as a slave by most of our standards of today. Ergo, I have done much reading regarding this institution over the years. Many of these people that found themselves caught up in this horrid situation did not have pleasant lives. Now we are talking about very young children here. In this story we have a seven year old girl caught up in a tragedy which was not all that uncommon at the time the story takes place. This is the well written story of a young girl, who, through a set of tragic circumstances, was indentured by her father to pay his debts during pre-revolutionary war America. I must say that the author has done her research as evidenced by the fact that I am surrounded by academic history books and I failed to catch her in one error throughout the entire book. Actually, I must admit I tried, but to no avail. As to the fiction part of the story; Sally Gunning is certainly a natural story teller and she had me hooked from page one. Her plot development was grand and the story I found was quite easy to follow. She developed the characters that needed to be developed to make it an interesting and fast paced story and lightened up on several of the peripheral characters that were more or less just clutter anyway. In this short of a novel, you cannot expect to get a five chapter expose on each and ever person that show up on its pages. I felt the author nailed the attitudes and feelings of the various characters perfectly, in particular that of the chief protagonist, Alice. You have to put yourself into her day and time; understand the laws of the time, religion and attitude toward the female gender. If Alice acted a bit paranoid, well...she had a right to act that way. As to the question of forgiveness, keep in mind the mindset taught by the church of the time. You are what you are raised to be and are taught. You are a product of your civilization, and your expectations out of life pretty well follow what you have seen, heard and were taught. The reader must also keep in mind the physical and mental age of Alice when reading this work. It really comes together quite well and is quite logical. Again, keep in mind, that Alice was only seven when the story begins. The author does use some odd techniques here and there and does actually change her style once or twice, which may throw some readers off course when they hit these changes. Hang in there though; it all makes sense

I picked up this book at my local (Cape Cod) library because it was about the area that I have lived in for most of my life. The librarian told me about the previous book, "The Widow's War". When I asked if I needed to read that first she said I did not. I do feel now after reading "Bound" first and then "The Widow's War" that it would be best to read them in order. They are both wonderfully written and books that I did not want to put down. I travel the same roads and locations every day that are in the books and now find myself looking for the "Widow Berry" and many of the other landmarks. Hope to meet the author at one of her local book signings.

"Bound: A Novel" written by Sally Gunning (The Widow's War) and published by William Morrow; is a fictional accounting of Alice Cole and her journey from England to the American colonies. Learn how Alice goes from being a free 7 year old child with a father, to that of an indentured servant,or slave. An eye opening and thoroughly absorbing story told during the pre-Revolutionary years of 1756 to 1765, from Boston to Cape Cod. Alice's father is forced, after the deaths of her Mother and brothers at sea, to put her in indentured servitude for 11 years. Her first family is a loving family that sees to her needs while she works off her service. The daughter, Nabby marries and Alice's service papers are transferred to Nabbies husband who then starts to abuse Alice. Alice manages to escape and finds herself working with/for Lyddie Berry (see THE WIDOW'S WAR) and her companion Eben Freeman. Shown kindness for the first time, Alice starts to relax into the day to dayness of it all. Until a secret Alice holds close to her heart ruins everything. History and law, in this pre-revolutionary time, comes alive under Ms Gunnings clever story weaving, as she wraps the truth of the times with the fiction of one persons "story". This tale could have been told as a maudlin tear jerker, yet, refreshingly it was not. I do hope that a third book will make it's way from Ms Gunning's pen to let us know more about Nate (an important secondary character) and how his life unfolded after Bound ended. I loved this thought provoking, eye -opening, enjoyable (albeit sad) read of the times and lives of our forefathers and if you are a fan of Historical Fiction, this is a book you will be sure to want to include in your library.