The Last Runaway - Softcover

Chevalier, Tracy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007481683 ISBN 13: 9780007481682

Publisher: Harper, 2013

Synopsis

‘Addictively compelling’ The Times

‘A joy to read’ Maggie O’Farrell

Honor Bright is a sheltered Quaker who has rarely ventured out of 1850s Dorset when she impulsively emigrates to America. Opposed to the slavery that defines and divides the country, she finds her principles tested to the limit when a runaway slave appears at the farm of her new family. In this tough, unsentimental place, where whisky bottles sit alongside quilts, Honor befriends two spirited women who will teach her how to turn ideas into action.

About this title

Review:

Praise for The Last Runaway:

‘I have always admired Tracy Chevalier's un-showy brilliance, and this moving story of a young English Quaker girl trapped between duty and conscience in 1850s Ohio is the best thing she's written since Girl with a Pearl Earring’ Rose Tremain

The Last Runaway is a joy to read. Chevalier handles the intersection of two stories – those of pioneering Quakers and escaping slaves – with verve, imagination and, above all, compassion’ Maggie O’Farrell

‘A brave, warm-hearted, moving book; the characters are well-drawn and credible; the local colour meticulously detailed’ Joanne Harris

‘By far her best book since Girl With A Pearl Earring if not better’ Amanda Craig

‘Chevalier places her heroine at the heart, constructing a synergy between character and plot that makes this novel exquisitely complete... addictively compelling... Honor Bright deserves a sequel’ THE TIMES

‘Her best since Girl With a Pearl Earring... as a serious novel about a genuine moral dilemma, it is highly recommended’ THE INDEPENDENT

‘Chevalier immerses herself in period and place. Her research, as always, is meticulous and lightly worn... an entertaining read’ GUARDIAN

‘Tracy Chevalier has woven a rich tapestry here, setting her protagonist at the crosswords of a time explosive with issues surrounding slavery, rapidly changing industry, America’s pioneering spirit and its racial divide’ INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

‘Chevalier’s eye for the telling detail brings it vividly to life. As simple and plain as a Quaker bonnet, but, like a Quaker soul, it contains a hidden light’ LITERARY REVIEW

‘A gripping and potent novel which shows Chevalier at the height of her powers’ THE EXPRESS

‘Tracy Chevalier has found a subject that both fascinates and moves her and the result is this quietly powerful and gripping novel’ The MAIL

About the Author:

Tracy Chevalier is the author of six previous novels, including the international bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Virgin Blue, Falling Angels, The Lady and the Unicorn, Burning Bright and Remarkable Creatures. Born in Washington, DC, she moved to London in 1984, where she lives with her husband and son. She has a website at www.tchevalier.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0007481683
• ISBN 13: 9780007481682
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 400