Pauper Auction
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A gorgeous and meticulously-researched historical fiction examining a young woman’s struggle to escape unexpected poverty and find autonomy and purpose in early New England.
Mankind are always seeking after happiness in some way or another.
~ Leavitt’s Farmer’s Almanac, 1805
The fall from beloved wife of the town blacksmith to widowed pauper was swift. Margery Turner sits in the Thorneboro, New Hampshire Meetinghouse on the second Tuesday of March, 1805. She and the other indigent town residents wait their turn to be auctioned out to the lowest bidder who will accept the paupers into their homes in return for town funds. The young widow and an abandoned child named Agnes find themselves taken in by farmer and ciderist Samuell Wheeler and his elderly mother, renowned bed rug maker Hannah Wheeler. Margery swears to herself that she will not forever remain a pauper in purse or purpose.
Secrets and sorrows live on the prosperous farm. An itinerant Abenaki stonemason, Sozap Wzôkhilain, known as Joseph, joins the household and touches each of their lives in unexpected ways. The farm is the setting for danger and tragedy as well as simple joys and blossoming love. In Pauper Auction strangers become friends, confidantes, and lovers. Tragedy becomes hope, and a family of the heart help each other find their futures, together and apart.
Rich and atmospheric period description and a strong sense of New England enhance the immersive narrative. Meticulously researched details of early 19th century foodways, and the crafts of blacksmithing, traditional stone wall building, needlework, hearth cooking, and hard cider-making bring Margery’s world to life. The novel is a perfect bookclub pick with themes that transcend time. A significant Afterword and Discussion Questions are included in the book.
Customer Reviews
A Powerful Story of Seeking Autonomy and Happiness in Early New England
I grew up in New England and this book conjures up memories of the beauty of rural New England, and in particular, New Hampshire. But this book is not all picturesque stone walls, swim holes, and apple orchards. There is pride in the residents of Thorneboro for being a part of a newly independent nation. But there is also the ugliness and difficulty of everyday life in early America (the tanning trade, primitive medicine, culling farm animals, to name a few). In Pauper Auction, the reader is presented with the best and worst of human attitudes and behavior. The theme of fighting against disempowerment, whether a penniless widow, an Indigenous man, or someone with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual, is an enduring one. The need for mutual support in searching for joy and autonomy is equally current. This is a powerful story. While I learned a lot about life in early New England, I was also reminded of the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”