Synopses & Reviews
Alice Cole spent her first seven years living in two smoky, crowded rooms in London with her family. But a new home and a better life waited in the colonies, or so her father promised—a bright dream that turned to ashes when her brothers and mother took ill and died during the arduous voyage. Arriving in New England unable to meet the added expenses incurred by their misfortunes at sea, her father bound Alice into servitude to pay his debts.
By the age of fifteen, Alice can barely remember the time when she was not a servant to John Morton and his daughter, Nabby. Though work fills her days, life with the Mortons is pleasant; Mr. Morton calls Alice his "sweet, good girl," and Nabby, only three years older, is her friend, companion, and now newly married, her mistress.
But Nabby's marriage is not happy, and soon Alice is caught up in its storm; seeing nothing ahead but her own destruction, she defies her new master and the law and runs away to Boston. There she meets a sympathetic widow named Lyddie Berry and her lawyer companion, Eben Freeman. Frightened and alone, Alice impulsively stows away on their ship to Satucket on Cape Cod, where the Widow Berry offers Alice a bed and a job making cloth in support of the new boycott of British wool and linen.
At Widow Berry's, Alice believes her old secret is safe, until it becomes threatened by a new one. As the days pass, the political and the personal stakes rise and intertwine, ultimately setting off a chain of events that will force Alice to question all she thought she knew. Bound by law, society, and her own heart, Alice soon discovers that freedom—as well as gratitude, friendship, trust, and love—has a price far higher than any she ever imagined.
Library Journal hailed Sally Gunning's previous novel, The Widow's War, as "historical fiction at its best." With Bound, this wonderfully talented writer returns to pre-Revolutionary New England and evokes a long-ago time filled with uncertainty, hardship, and promise.
Review
“[A] colonial page-turner...horrifying, spellbinding.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“A well written, thought provoking mid-eighteenth century thriller.” Midwest Book Review
Review
“Historical fiction at its very best…Impeccably researched, this story is spellbinding, giving a realistic view of life in 18th-century coastal New England.” Boston Globe, Pick of the Week, on BOUND
Review
“[A] suspenseful and engaging look at the New England colonies in the decades immediately preceding the American Revolution. Richly detailed and impeccably researched, the novel . . . grapple[s] with what it means to pursue personal freedom, [and] the eras sexual politics and religious and political fervor come alive. The result is moving, compelling, and beautifully wrought; highly recommended for historical fiction collections.” Library Journal
Review
“This book, eloquently written and exhaustively researched, is a warning along the lines of The Handmaids Tale, and just as necessary a read.” Feminist Review on BOUND
Synopsis
An indentured servant finds herself bound by law, society, and her own heart in this novel set in colonial Cape Cod from the author of acclaimed The Widow's War.
Indentured servant Alice Cole barely remembers when she was not "bound", first to the Morton family, then to their daughter Nabby--her companion since childhood--when she wed. But Nabby's new marriage is not happy, and when Alice finds herself torn between her new master and her old friend, she runs away to Boston. There she meets a sympathetic widow named Lyddie Berry and her lawyer companion, Eben Freeman. Impulsively stowing away on their ship to Satucket on Cape Cod, Alice finds employment making cloth with Lyddie. Yet as Alice soon discovers, freedom--as well as gratitude, friendship, and trust--has a price far higher than she ever imagined.
About the Author
Sally Gunning lives on Cape Cod with her husband.