From the Publisher
Praise for The Mayflower:
“There is more to the Pilgrims’ story—more to American identity and character—than our Thanksgiving rituals and reveries.” —Wall Street Journal
"Engagingly written and often compelling." —The Economist
“Superbly written and enthralling...The Mayflower reads as though it were historical fiction, with a varied cast of characters and perspectives, fine details, background histories, and a holistic approach.”
—Booklist
"Epic in scope and pacing...for readers of David McCullough and Ron Chernow." —Library Journal
Library Journal
10/15/2017
Edward Winslow (1595–1655), an important yet overlooked name in early American history, fostered a relationship with the Wampanoag that saved lives during the pilgrims' first winter in New England. Fraser's (The Brontës: Charlotte Brontë & Her Family) account of the Mayflower voyage and its people walks readers through their harrowing journey in the New World, as well as the rise and fall of peaceful relations between the pilgrim community and the Wampanoag. Surviving in an unfamiliar land meant that Winslow had to juggle responsibility to his people with a loyalty and close friendship with tribal leader Massassoit. Epic in scope and pacing, this account of survival feels intimate, connecting readers to both groups in a refreshing way. Fraser's focus on the Winslow family, rather than on more common pilgrim names such as John Winthrop, rejuvenates an otherwise stale history. The author's inclusion of indigenous history along with the struggles of women pilgrims and their importance to the community's success is both appreciated and necessary. VERDICT Focusing more on storytelling and less on analysis makes this an engaging popular history. For readers of David McCullough and Ron Chernow.—Jessica Holland, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington
MARCH 2018 - AudioFile
The story of the English Nonconformists who sailed to the New World in the Mayflower and founded Plymouth is given a more personalized treatment than usual, with the Winslow family as its focus. Narrator Kate Reading uses a comfortable, homely British accent appropriate to the people and surroundings described. Her exaggerated delivery of the many Native American personal and place names, however, sounds stilted. Also, Connecticut’s Thames River is pronounced “Thayms,” not “Tems.” While a competent performance, Reading’s narration does not convey any particular passion for the material, and, with the length of the text, becomes monotonous. C.M.A. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2017-08-06
Fraser (The Story of Britain: From the Romans to the Present, 2005, etc.) personalizes the legend of the Pilgrims by focusing on Edward Winslow and family and their voyage from England to Holland to Plymouth.In the early 1600s, it was no longer peaceful in Holland. Rather than return to England, Charles I sent the Pilgrims to America to get them out of his hair and to create a bulwark against Catholic Spain. Edward was an enthusiastic, impulsive man, a leader who was influenced throughout his life by a series of significant colleagues, William Bradford especially. Arriving on the Mayflower, 41 adult men signed a compact creating the Plymouth Colony, "the first experiment in consensual government in Western history between individuals with one another, and not with a monarch." Encountering the Massasoit peoples, the pilgrims were initially afraid but then grateful, as the natives saved them in their first desperate winter. The colonists bought furs and gave strength and backing to the smallpox-depleted Wampanoag tribe. Fraser's smooth storytelling provides a revealing look into the development of the colony, the rise of the Massachusetts Bay Company, and the different outlooks on the community and the lure of land. The Massasoit relied on Edward to act as middleman as other tribes feared trading with whites. As the population grew, the inevitable troublemakers appeared, including Anne Hutchinson and Uncas, the leader of the Mohegan. Edward fought in the Pequot War, a small conflict that eventually cost the Indians' trust and led to King Philip's devastating war. Edward also traveled to England as the colony's representative and eventually served on a number of Cromwell's commissions. He was truly a founding father, dealing with every aspect of life in the colony, always showing his spirit and how he "liked fighting for a cause." The story of the Winslows is an effective way to experience the emotions and fears of the small band who dauntlessly sailed off to the New World.
