The Refugees Family Threads Book One – 1630 to 1846
About the Book
“A sweeping historical novel following early Puritan settlers across continents and generations as they struggle with faith, survival, identity, and belonging in a harsh New World”.—Cam Torrens, bestselling author of the Tyler Zahn mystery/suspense series
Two centuries. One family. The price of survival in America.
When sixteen-year-old Mary Johnson arrives in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, she dreams of freedom and a new life. But when a desperate act of violence forces her into exile, she must choose between family loyalty and forbidden love, setting in motion a legacy that will haunt her descendants for generations.
A century later, the family is thrust into the upheaval of the Revolutionary War, a time fraught with danger and hardship. While one brother fights as a minuteman, the other is accused of treason, and the hopes of economic and political freedom from their sacrifice dim.
By the 1820s, three siblings abandon their failing Massachusetts farm for the promise of Georgia gold. Their treacherous journey through the antebellum South exposes them to the brutal realities of slavery, the tragedy of Indian removal, and moral choices that will tear their family apart. In their struggles, they discover survival often demands a price too terrible to pay.
Based on the author’s ancestors, The Refugees weaves together the stories of ordinary people caught in the sweep of history, bound by blood, faith, and the precious objects that carry their memories forward.
Please follow and like us:
The Refugees is a story that stretches across places and generations beginning with the arrival of the first Puritans through the period just before the Civil War. Watts follows the stories of her own ancestors in this exhaustively researched work of historical fiction. The scope and detail alone would be impressive, but the stories are brought to vivid life by Wattsu2019 fertile imagination and compelling storytelling. Fans of Ken Burns and historical fiction will love this brilliant novel.
Inspired by the authoru2019s ancestors, Marie Watts brings us early American history through the daily lives of her characters, generation after generation, in a much more enjoyable fashion than we had in high school history class. With her meticulous research, from Puritans to the Revolutionary War, to the early 1800s and the degradation against the Cherokee nation, weu2019re treated to an engaging story making history come alive.
Marie Watts crafts an extraordinary look into the past, written with rich detail and fascinating insights. A must-read for lovers of immersive historical fiction!
This remarkable and detailed story is a must-read for historical fiction lovers.
Although the story is a work of fiction, this two-part saga is loaded with historical accuracy. Starting with the introduction of the Johnson and Weldu2019s family tree the chapters unfold capturing different family members chapter to chapter enhancing character development. From the ship excursion to the new world where settlers could practice their Puritanical lives, free from King Charles who they deemed an evildoer, to incursions with Indians and drunk, foul smelling settlers the story moves through family conflict, murder, confinement, religious divisions and persecution, fires and devastation, there is much richness as the story moves from Part 1 centers on religious tyranny and new world settlement, the founding of Massachusetts Bay Colony. As they work to get rid of Native Americans and heretics the story moves to Part 2 with the Revolutionary War on the horizon. Replete with historical events the author tackles hostilities against the Cherokee Nation, a gold rush, love and loss. Without retelling more of the story suffice it to say it is evident the amount of time the author put in tending to detail cultivating a captivating storyline that gives the reader a strong sense of what life might have been like in the seventeenth century in the new world, America. I especially appreciated the strong character developments and interrelationships like the conflict between strong-willed Mary and her step-mother Margery, and the adherence to religious ideology that moved a group of people across an ocean to a new land and new life to avoid religious persecution, a strong bedrock of the American way of life. With its solid historical grounding and meticulous research, this novel set in the colonial and early industrial periods is a worthwhile read.
A riveting historical fiction narrative!
A sweeping historical novel following early Puritan settlers across continents and generations as they struggle with faith, survival, identity, and belonging in a harsh New World.
Book Club Resources
Order Now
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Recent Comments