Hope Leslie

Hope Leslie is a riveting story of familial conflict set in the frontier society of colonial-era Massachusetts in the mid-17th century.

A tale of high drama and romance amid a deeply conservative and traditionalist society, Hope Leslie was the product of the author's extensive researches into the era. Writing in the mid-19th century, Catharine Sedgwick was able to infuse her own views without compromising the realism of the period narration. Notably the book contains strong feminist overtones, together with sympathy and support of the marginalized Native American peoples. 

The story begins in England with William Fletcher, whose love toward a girl named Alice is forbidden on account of his religious leanings. The pair contrive to move to North America together, but are prevented from doing so by Alice's protective father. Unhappy and frustrated, William leaves for America alone; meeting and marrying a woman named Martha soon thereafter. William secretly still harbors love for Alice, who weds Charles Leslie, a man her father approves of.  

In time however there is word that both Alice and Charles have died, and their children - Faith and Hope - are in need of care. William, devoted to the memory of Alice, offers to take the Leslie children in. 

The Native American populace become prominent in the novel when two children are taken on as servants in the Fletcher household. These children are however the offspring of the fearsome chieftain Mononotto, whose tribe was displaced by white settlers some years prior. These circumstances set in motion a chain of events that shock and bewilder the locals. 

Although at its core a romantic drama, Hope Leslie explores seriously the role of women in the fledgling colonies, and the contrast of cultures between the European settlers and the Native American inhabitants. Acts of heroism and noble deeds are committed by female characters, while the deeply-held traditions and mores of the native tribes are also explored.