Bound - by Sally Cabot Gunning (Paperback)

About the Book

Book 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.

From the Back Cover

Brought to New England and bound into servitude to pay her father's debts, Alice Cole, at fifteen, can barely remember the time when she was not a servant to John Morton. His daughter, Nabby--only three years older than Alice--begins as Alice's childhood companion, but when Nabby weds, she becomes Alice's mistress. But the marriage is not what it appears, and Alice, endangered by its storm, defies her new master and the law, and escapes to Boston. Impulsively stowing away on a ship to Satucket on Cape Cod, Alice believes that she has left her old life and her secrets behind. Yet in a time of unrest and uncertainty, as political and personal stakes rise and intertwine, she discovers that freedom, friendship, trust, and love each have a price far greater than she ever imagined.

Review Quotes

"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

"[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 era's 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

"[A] colonial page-turner...horrifying, spellbinding." -- Publishers Weekly

"A well written, thought provoking mid-eighteenth century thriller." -- Midwest Book Review

"This book, eloquently written and exhaustively researched, is a warning along the lines of The Handmaid's Tale, and just as necessary a read." -- Feminist Review on BOUND