The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton

Narrated by Corrie James

Originally published in 1958, The Winthrop Woman is a richly detailed piece of biographical fiction based on the life of Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett, niece of John Winthrop, one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and its first Governor.

The book opens at Christmas 1618 when Elizabeth is just seven years old and she is travelling with her family to visit her well-to-do relatives, the Winthrops, at Groton in Suffolk. (Incidentally, most of the locations featured in the first part of the book are near where I live, which adds an extra layer of interest!)

Even at such a young age, it’s clear that Elizabeth is spirited and independent of mind – most certainly not qualities greatly appreciated in the women of the Puritan society in which she lives. Elizabeth grows into a beautiful young woman, and although betrothed to a worthy young man who is a friend of her cousin Jack (with whom she has been in love since she was a child), she instead marries Jack’s brother, Harry, a handsome but unreliable young man who spends a great deal of his time in London carousing with his friends.

Elizabeth and Harry have a passionate marriage, but she’s not quite content – especially when Jack returns from his travels in the Levant, and she discovers that the torch she’s been carrying for him burns as brightly as ever. Not only that, but Jack is attracted to her, too – even though he’s far too honourable a man to ever do anything about it.

Elizabeth’s uncle, John Winthrop, is an influential and respected man in the community, as well as a devout Puritan. Like many others, he is becoming increasingly disenchanted with the way England is being run. Charles I has dissolved Parliament, and the Puritans are suspicious of his Catholic queen; and when John loses his influential position as attorney of the Court of Wards and Liveries, he is persuaded to emigrate to the New World to lead a colony to be founded by the Massachusetts Bay Company.

Winthrop heads a party of around two hundred people crossing the ocean, although Harry – who has sailed on a different ship – dies on the voyage, so by the time Elizabeth embarks on her journey, she is a widow with an infant daughter, and Jack is married to her sister, Martha.

In New England, conditions are harsh, the living quarters are primitive and the scarcity of servants means that Elizabeth and the other women have to undertake a variety of menial tasks for which they are unprepared. But Elizabeth is made of stern stuff and doesn’t shrink from doing what she must. She is, however, dismayed to learn upon her arrival that her uncle has already made arrangements for her remarriage to Robert Feake, a young man she had once briefly met in London and who has never forgotten her. Relieved to find he is a rather biddable young man, Elizabeth agrees to the marriage, even though she had hoped to live a freer, more independent life away from England.

The Winthrop Woman is a real “saga” of a novel, following Elizabeth from early childhood through to her third and final (and happy) marriage in 1655. She was a woman ahead of her time in many ways, wanting to control her own life, owning property and even refusing to attend religious services. She did eventually manage to achieve her desire of living life on her own terms, but it didn’t come without a cost. Her second husband suffered bouts of insanity, she was charged with adultery and witchcraft, ignominiously stripped of her property and suffered the loss of her beloved sister and a child as well as enduring the difficult living conditions faced by the settlers, attacks by the native Indians and the ever-present – for women – risks of childbirth.

The author’s research and attention to historical detail are impeccable. Not a great deal is known of Elizabeth’s life other than the basic facts, and Ms Seton has fleshed out the bare bones to present a fully-rounded portrait of a fascinating woman. In fact all the characters – whether real or imagined – are brought strongly to life as the author vividly depicts the detail of life in rural England and in the early New England settlements across the Atlantic.

It’s been a long time since I read the book, but although I remember there being a few places where I found the pacing a little slow, I didn’t find that to be the case when listening to the audiobook. I always enjoy listening to Corrie James, and her expressively delivered narrative together with her strong character portrayals kept me engaged throughout the twenty-seven-plus hours of this audiobook. Her voice is pitched in the contralto range, and is smooth and easy to listen to, and while I spotted the odd mispronunciation or hesitation there really is nothing else to criticise about her performance here. The Winthrop Woman has a large cast, and I can imagine it quite a difficult task to find suitable voices for all of them but Ms James nonetheless differentiates very clearly between all the main recurring characters, and her portrayals are consistent throughout. Jack, for instance, comes and goes, as he travels frequently, yet he is recognisable every time he appears. Robert Feake sounds suitably frail, and Will Hallett, the younger man with whom Elizabeth eventually finds happiness sounds like the piece of beefcake he is (!) with hearty, deep tones that accurately depict his youth and strength.

The Winthrop Woman is a real treat for fans of historical fiction. In Elizabeth, Anya Seton has created a flawed, complex and compelling character and she comes vibrantly to life in Corrie James’ expert portrayal. The book is extremely well-researched and while sometimes rather slow moving in the earlier stages, Ms James’ impressive performance allows the listener to thoroughly soak up the author’s meticulous scene-setting.

Caz

Narration: A

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: You can play it out loud

Violence: Minimal

Genre: Historical Biographical Fiction

Publisher: Tantor Audio

The Winthrop Woman was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for a review.