Professor Mary Johnston

To Have and to Hold Professor Mary Johnston

This book was an unexpected delight. Besides the fascinating historicity of 17th century life in the early Virginia settlement (Jamestown), there is a love story, a good meaty villain, and a winsome cast of characters. The place sketches (land, water, geography, topography) is so well drawn by the author that you can feel the wilderness about you while reading. The heroine is the weak spot in the book. She is a stereotypical frail beauty, retiring, shy, and breathtaking. She does manage to make a small claim upon the heart by the ending chapters, but the story is told through the eyes of the hero, so her weak characterization doesn't ruin the book. The chapters where Indians are prevalent are really eye-opening. We get to see how treacherous life was back then, and appreciate the cunning and subtlety of the native enemies. Great history, fun story, go for it.