The Last Runaway

Slowing down over the Christmas holiday gives more time to read, so I was delighted to have the chance to read Tracy Chevalier’s book The Last Runaway . It went on my wish list after hearing the author on the Radio 4 programme Only Artists.

It was a great read - the tale of a young Quaker woman, Honor Bright, who finds herself in rural Ohio before the civil war, at a time when many Quakers (but not all) were helping escaping slaves flee north to safety in Canada.

The cover on the version of the book is shown here and gives a clue to an additional draw that the book had for me - the young woman, Honor, is a very proficient sewer and quilter, and uses those skills when she reaches Ohio.

As always Chevalier carried out deep research in preparation for writing this book, which left me left me better informed about the Quaker way of life at that time and also the about the difference between quilting in the UK and US in the 19th century.

I would certainly recommend this book as a compelling read. There is a longer review from 2013 on the Guardian. website.

The Last Runaway, a novel by Tracy Chevalier