Calico Captive

By Elizabeth George Speare

Captured in a raid, Miriam faces a perilous journey and uncertain fate.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 6,874 ratings

288 pages· 57,137 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

In 1754, Miriam Willard's life is upended when she's captured during an Indian raid in Charlestown. Forced on a grueling march north amid the French and Indian War, she battles the elements and fears of enslavement. Her thoughts drift to Phineas, her love bound for Harvard, and her sister's newborn, Captive, born on the trail. In Montreal, a city rife with war intrigue, a chance encounter with the Du Quesne family offers Miriam a glimpse into a world she never imagined. Can she navigate this new life, or will the past's shadows claim her?

From the publisher

In the year 1754, the stillness of Charlestown, New Hampshire, is shattered by the terrifying cries of an Indian raid. Young Miriam Willard, on a day that had promised new happiness, finds herself instead a captive on a forest trail, caught up in the ebb and flow of the French and Indian War. It is a harrowing march north. Miriam can only force herself to the next stopping place, the next small portion of food, the next icy stream to be crossed. At the end of the trail waits a life of hard work and, perhaps, even a life of slavery. Mingled with her thoughts of Phineas Whitney, her sweetheart on his way to Harvard, is the crying of her sister’s baby, Captive, born on the trail. Miriam and her companions finally reach Montreal, a city of shifting loyalties filled with the intrigue of war, and here, by a sudden twist of fortune, Miriam meets the prominent Du Quesne family, who introduce her to a life she has never imagined. Based on an actual narrative diary published in 1807, Calico Captive skillfully reenacts an absorbing facet of history.

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