Excellent book

What made the experience of listening to The Last Runaway the most enjoyable?

I love Tracy Chevaliers book and this did not disappoint . As usual you get a great feeling of time and place as Chevalier evokes atmosphere so well.
It gives an interesting view in to the Quaker life style ,quilting ,slavery and life in a new world !
I enjoyed the book as a holiday read but found the story moving and the characters credible and as usual got a great feel for the period and the way of life
Would recommend

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2 people found this helpful

A wonderful book with so many threads

What did you like most about The Last Runaway?

Tracy Chevalier has a wonderful gift with words and her characters and landscapes are especially well drawn. She evokes an historical era excellently.

What did you like best about this story?

It was interesting from a historical point of view- many elements that I was previously unaware of both the slave trade, founding of new towns and the sailing of brides from England to the unknown. I loved the links with Dorset where I live.

Which character – as performed by Laurel Lefkow – was your favourite?

I thought they were all excellent but I was especially drawn to the hat maker!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was a book that left me feeling bereft when I finished it as I had enjoyed it so much !

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dissapointing listen.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I found the subject matter very intersting but was left not having learnt very much. I wanted more detail.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

More detailed historical background.

What does Laurel Lefkow bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

SHe brings the atmosphere alive.

Do you think The Last Runaway needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No.

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The American Way

Another good historical novel from TC with her trademark attention to detailed research. I’ve read a few books on this subject but not from the Quaker POV. A few themes which are well developed with good female protagonists. I was interested in the quilting as I did a class on it once and quickly realised not for me! Very well narrated audible.

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Superb story

10 out of 10 for this wonderfull book, this will be in my top 5 books, I loved it.
Such an interesting story with lots of twists and turns.

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2 people found this helpful

Moral conflicts in pre-abolition America

This is an amazing tale – a naive young woman from Dorset, a Quaker, who accompanies her sister emigrating to Ohio. She soon discovers that even the northern states are riven with moral conflicts around slavery. She tries hard to hold fast to her beliefs, but comes under massive pressure to compromise. A beautifully told tale, superbly read.

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Absolutely fantastic!

Would you listen to The Last Runaway again? Why?

A brilliant crafted story, told sympathetically and with elegance. I definite story to return to.

What did you like best about this story?

It was easy to empathise with all the characters in the book not just the main one, resulting in a breadth of involvment that kept you hooked from start to finish.

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Beautifully Written

This book was so beautifully written and narrated! I got to live with Honour , experience her happiness and her sadness- finishing this book was like saying goodbye to a much loved friend!

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Quaker Oats

For a relatively long audiobook, nothing much happened. A Quaker moves to the States with her sister but the sister dies of yellow fever on their arrival. She must now cope on her own, with her only asset being a gift of sewing.

The runaway of the title refers to her, as she is escaping a failed engagement and also the plight of the slaves on the underground railway. It was interesting learning how the underground railway worked and the kindness of Quakers, so it is worth a listen.

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A Must for Quilters!

Would you listen to The Last Runaway again? Why?

I probably will listen again, as it's just the sort of story to listen to while sewing or gardening. There was lots of information about the Quakers, which interests me, and also a huge amount of detail about making quilts. Did women really quilt double handed?

What other book might you compare The Last Runaway to, and why?

A recent book I have read was The Help - about the negro women working in white households in the southern states of the USA at the time of Martin Luther King. This book has stayed with me over the months, so it was good to find so much in the Last Runaway about the days of black struggle during slavery - particularly to find that the Quakers were practical supporters of freedom.

What didn’t you like about Laurel Lefkow’s performance?

Her accent was irritating at times, particularly when she tried to speak Dorset and it came out Yorkshire. Several mispronounciations of words also grated.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Goodness, no! Far too long. However it divided up neatly into chapters, and I read it over about 4 days.

Any additional comments?

Characterisation was good on the whole: Belle was particularly good, although Honour's husband very light-weight. The device of using letters as commentary was particularly effective, as in letters to Bessie.

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5 people found this helpful