I remember reading this book as a teenager. I don't often re-read books because there are just so many out new stories out there. But it's not often you read a book that stays with you for more than 35 years. It was nice to see it was as good as I remember. ( )

Interesting book. Sarah Wells was living with her family in New Hampshire in the 1750's. Her brother Josh had just joined the militia unit to fight in the French and Indian war and Sarah's mother, father and grandfather leave the farm to go see him march off. This leaves Sarah, her younger brother Benjamin, the indentured servant Peleg and the Indian slaves on the farm. Peleg and Sarah engage in some illicit sex in the barn loft and are thus surprised when Abnaki natives attack the farm. Peleg and Sarah are captured by the Abnakis and forced to march back to their village on Lake Champlain, Mississquoi. En route Peleg escapes after killing one of their captors but Sarah could not get away. At the village, Sarah is taken as a slave by the mother of the warrior who was killed. There is another white woman slave in the camp, Hawk. Sarah and Hawk manage to exchange a few words every day while they are gathering wood. Hawk is the slave of a French soldier who lives in the village. He is brutal to Hawk but Sarah's owners treat her quite well, especially the young son, Taliwan. In fact, Sarah and Taliwan start making love in the nighttime when the mother is asleep.

Life in the village is not too bad for Sarah but she is revolted by the cruelty the Abnaki display to some captives. When Taliwan tells her he will be leaving his mother's shelter to become a warrior and that warriors abstain from sex, Sarah decides to try to get back to her home. She and Hawk form a plan and manage to slip away in the early spring.

That's not the end of the book but I would have to reveal spoilers if I say more. Suffice it to say there is more tragedy for Sarah but also love.

Houston appears to have been a sort of Renaissance Man who combined a talent for visual art with a love of aboriginal culture and a facility for writing. He designed the central sculpture of Calgary's Art Museum and worked as a designer for Steuben Glass. He was influential in bringing the art of the Eastern Arctic to the attention of the wider world. Until I read this book I had never heard of him. I have another of his books on my Mount TBR and I will be keeping my eyes open for others. ( )

A somewhat disappointing read. A fictional tale of a white New Hampshire girl's captivity in the Indian villages around the great lakes during the 1750's. The author vividly describes the worst in every one, the Natives, the British and the French as well as the New Hampshire settlers. The characters are poorly developed and the ending of the tale is also very disappointing. ( )

Good story, and more or less historic. There was no one calling themselves Vermonter's during this time frame. I'm sure there are other small detales like this, but it is still a very good story. ( )