****Women’s stories are often lost to history***
Susanna Jackson was just a girl from Scrooby, in north Nottinghamshire, England. Her home was located on the Great Road between London and Scotland. Susanna’s father, Richard Jackson, became involved in the Separatist Protestant movement. His faith and commitment molded Susanna’s path to Amsterdam and then, the Mayflower, and finally Plymouth, Massachusetts the new world..
Menu
Saints, Strangers and Rosehip Tea
A wonderful historical tale, rich with period detail, which shows the quiet, behind-the-scenes work and tribulations of the women who came to the New World. It’s a bittersweet story, knowing that the population was later to die out of starvation, but its strength is in the small moments–the joy of a healthy child, the heartbreak of death, the resolve to keep going, and the non-anachronistic portrayal of the role of women is enough to make one grateful for how far we’ve come.
About
Book Reviews
It is noteworthy that author, Toni Kief, is a direct descendent of Susanna Jackson White Winslow, one of the Pilgrims who made the voyage from Holland to Plymouth, Massachusetts on the Mayflower. Kief revives Susanna’s arduous journey with historical accuracy via the protagonist’s first-person narrative.
Throughout this narrative, the archaic ebb and flow of language, along with graphic sensory details, lend much authenticity to a voyage plagued by illness and death. The reader witnesses the strength, resilience, and endurance of the women who maintained their ordained position in the family, but clearly were capable of so much more.
Susanna and the few surviving women prove just how invaluable they are in establishing a community in Plymouth.
Susanna’s tireless efforts to save lives plagued by illness using herbs to making such concoctions as rosehip tea, is a corollary to those frontline workers trying to save patients afflicted with COVID-19.
I highly recommend this historical biographical fiction for its compelling voyage born from the author’s in-depth research, and her admirable portrayal of Susanna, a woman who deserves just as much recognition as the men who signed the Mayflower Compact.
Eva Pasco - Amazon Review
Are you ready to read it now?
A wonderful historical tale, rich with period detail, which shows the quiet, behind-the-scenes work and tribulations of the women who came to the New World. It’s a bittersweet story, knowing that the population was later to die out of starvation, but its strength is in the small moments–the joy of a healthy child, the heartbreak of death, the resolve to keep going, and the non-anachronistic portrayal of the role of women is enough to make one grateful for how far we’ve come.