Overall, most of the history in this book was filled with new facts for me, so I consider that a win, but it’s definitely not a book I’d read for pleasure. 1 Plot summary edit The Winthrop Woman begins with young Elizabeth Fones and her family travelling to visit their family at their grandfather's countryside estate. A real historical figure, Elizabeth married into the family of Governor John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Elizabeth was handed over and over a really hard portion of life, but she handled it with grace that was admirable.This was a seriously long book – and I’d only recommend it if you are really interested in learning about Puritan life and the establishment of families in New England. The Winthrop Woman is Anya Seton 's 1958 historical novel about Elizabeth Fones, a settler of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a founder of Greenwich, Connecticut. First published in 1958 and set in the early 17th century, this bestselling noveland follow-up to Katherinefollows Elizabeth Winthrop, a courageous Puritan woman who finds herself at odds with her heritage and surroundings. Rules, regulations, restrictions – this was the life they led. This woman lived through the prejudices, the horrors of poor life – and I do mean poor in a sense that no one today could possibly understand.I also had been under the impression that the Puritans were unjustly persecuted – but from the portrayal of them in this book… I don’t know if I could have lived as a Puritan.

All the while, as I was reading this book, I was reminded that there was a whole lot of research done (and it’s visible in the writing) and that Elizabeth was a real person – not just a character made up and given a hard life. Seriously, poor Elizabeth cannot catch a break here.The first part of this quite hefty novel is set in England – we meet Elizabeth as a child, hopelessly infatuated with her cousin, struggling against the disapproval of her uncle, and trying to contain her strong will. This could, quite possibly, be one of the most depressing books I’ll read this year.

The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton