THE LAST RUNAWAY

Facing a broken betrothal, Honor Bright, a young Quaker woman, leaves her home in England in 1850 and accompanies her sister to Ohio, where Grace is to be married. After an arduous journey Grace dies, and Honor arrives shaken and uncertain of her future. Kate Reading provides just the right sense of confusion and determination for Honor and, as always, perfect voices for each of the many well-drawn characters, including gruff milliner Belle; her brother, Donovan, a slave hunter; and the Quaker family of dairy farmers Honor eventually marries into. Honor is torn between loyalty to her husband and family and assisting runaway slaves. An emotionally wrenching tale of conflicting ethics, humanity, and early American pragmatism from Tracy Chevalier (GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING), superbly performed by Reading. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2013]