Hello!
It’s time for Writer Wednesday, when I discuss another author and his or her book. Today, I’m discussing Tracy Chevalier’s, The Last Runaway. This is Ms. Chevalier’s first work set in the United States.
Following the story of Honor Price, a Quaker, who journeys from England to Ohio, the American wilderness with all of its problems and challenges is confronted. Quilts make up a big part of this story. At the heart of the story is freedom, standing up for what one believes in and following one’s heart. Just like those who followed the Big Dipper, also known as the Drinking Gourd, had to forge a way into freedom and a new life, Honor must as well. She even meets some of those who followed the drinking gourd on the Underground Railway. Caught between relying on charity of family and forming unlikely friendships, Honor is deeply changed by her new life. Even her quilting, that she’s always taken pride in, must alter in light of the new experiences.
Quilts, for American history, chronicle pieces of lives that crossed the prairie and assembled a new start, just like the patchwork pieces that are sewn together. My great-grandmother journeyed in a covered wagon at the age of six from Illinois to Oklahoma, with her family. Quilts were an important part of her life and I even have a bear made from one of the quilts that she made. Do you have quilts in your own family that tell the story of the American spirit, of love, of family and of friends? For some examples of Quaker quilts, visit here.
My best to you all,
Megan