Bound: A Novel

Written by Sally Cabot Gunning

Narrated by Marisa Calin

An indentured servant finds herself bound by law, society, and her own heart in this novel set in colonial Cape Cod from the author of acclaimed The Widow’s War.

Indentured servant Alice Cole barely remembers when she was not “bound”, first to the Morton family, then to their daughter Nabby—her companion since childhood—when she wed. But Nabby’s new marriage is not happy, and when Alice finds herself torn between her new master and her old friend, she runs away to Boston. There she meets a sympathetic widow named Lyddie Berry and her lawyer companion, Eben Freeman. Impulsively stowing away on their ship to Satucket on Cape Cod, Alice finds employment making cloth with Lyddie. Yet as Alice soon discovers, freedom—as well as gratitude, friendship, and trust—has a price far higher than she ever imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063036451

Sally Cabot Gunning

Sally Cabot Gunning lives in Brewster, Massachusetts, with her husband, Tom. A lifelong resident of New England, she is active in local historical organizations and creates tours that showcase the three-hundred-year history of her village. She is the author of three “Satucket novels” (The Widow’s War, Bound, and The Rebellion of Jane Clarke), as well as the historical novels Benjamin Franklin’s Bastard and Monticello.

Reviews for Bound

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The second in the Satucket series has as its focus Alice, a young Londoner who is bound over to indentured servitude by her father when the rest of her family dies during a disastrous transatlantic voyage. At first she is well treated and even beloved by her new family, but circumstances cause her to flee when she is only 15. Those who are so bound and escape are fugitives, and if caught, years are added to their tenure. Alice again takes to the sea and ends up in Satucket with the widow Berry (the hero of the first novel in the series, The Widow's War). The framework is pre-Revolutionary times, and the ties between Alice, the widow, and lawyer Freeman are taut and fraught. There are two trials and much insight into the immature mind of Alice, and how her troubling decisions make her life worse, in which she's not too different from a modern day teenage girl. Again, there's a very strong feminist viewpoint which was surely not prevalent in the Colonies at the time. Another substantial read, highly recommended.

[gbelik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a child, Alice boards a ship with her family to travel from London to America. Her mother and her siblings die on board ship and, upon arrival in America, her father indentures her out for 11 years. Her master is a kind man and she grows up almost as a family member, but she is passed on to his son-in-law when his daughter marries. Now her troubles begin: he abuses her and she runs away. Her story now intersects with characters from the author's earlier novel The Widow's War.The author is concerned with the condition of women in 18th century America. The previous book dealt with the situation of a widow and now a bound woman. Her women are strong enough to stand up against the roles expected of them, in spite of difficulties. There is plenty of information about 19th century America as well as great characters and a compelling story.

[northandsouth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Sally Gunning's Cape Cod series - you feel you are really there getting to know the characters and experiencing 18th century Massachusetts. This is a somewhat sequel to 'Widow's War'. Both are highly recommended!

[lizzy2x · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Depressing! Just like, the whole time. One of those books where bad stuff just keeps happening. I had little sympathy for the main character.It wasn't horrible, though. Readable, but not great.

[huntersun9 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book got off to a good start with an interesting premise (girl sold into indentured servitude by her own father in 18th C. New England) and good pacing. Unfortunately, as the story moved along, I realized I had very little sympathy for the main character and the more historical/political aspects were not detailed enough to balance this out.

[dottiehaase · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Alice Cole goes with her family from London to Philly. Mother and brothers die aboard ship and father sells her as indentured servent. Goes with new wife and husband who rapes her repeatedly. She escapes and is taken in by Widow Berry and Mr. Freeman. She has a baby by man who raped her and is on trial for smothering the baby. Mr Freeman, a lawyer defends her and she is found not guilty. Ends up leaving Mr Freeman who marries Widow Barry and living with a family with 6 children. Mr Freeman sends Alice a letter that she is no longer an indentured servant anymore, she is legally released from the contract. Alice thinks about writing the young man, Nate who has returned to Cambridge. Set against the time of 1756 and 3 years forward when the east coast Boston and others are full of rebellion against the King and the taxes on goods. Alice spins and weaves in order to make the cloth needed so that it will not need to be imported. An explanation of indentured servant mentioning the number of current indentured servants living today. Good book, in some places a little contrived, but definately a page turner. Writing has phrases of language of yore and is a nice touch.

[wolffamily · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 Not as good as first book, Widow's War

[sjmccreary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Eight-year old Alice Cole sailed from London to America with her family in 1756. It was a rough crossing and her mother and both her brothers died en route and were buried at sea. Upon landing in Boston, her father did not have enough money left to pay for the passage for the family and sold Alice into indentured servitude for 10 years - until she became 18. She left the ship with her new master, never to see her father again. Her new home was good, and Alice was well treated. She was happy until, at age 15, her master sent her to live with his daughter after her marriage. Her new master made a habit of raping Alice, and threatening and torturing her to remain silent. As an indentured servant, she had no rights and no recourse. She ran away, and spent the next year not knowing if she could really trust the people who helped her, especially when the authorities became aware of her and she was compelled to defend herself in court. I've done a poor job describing the story, but don't want to give away anything which might spoil anyone's enjoyment of the book. Alice's story is told in a compassionate but convincing manner. It is set against a backdrop of pre-revolutionary Boston, when the colonists started becoming unsettled by the actions being taken by the Parliment in London. Alice, typical of a 15-year old girl, is so wrapped up in her own troubles that she is barely aware of what is happening around her. She desperately wants to trust the people around her, but continually talks herself into believing that no one is trustworthy - even those who have been nothing but kind to her. I liked that the historical elements were presented in a matter-of-fact fashion - no flashing arrows pointing out the important events that we all learned about in school. Instead, we are shown a very practical side of the non-importation movement mounted by the colonists, as the housewives were forced to make due without the necessary items that typically were imported. I also was struck by the close-up look at the practice of indentured servitude. A note from the author at the end of the book explains it even more fully, pointing out that it is still a common practice, even in the United States. Overall, I was very impressed by the book. I think it may be one that is not easily or quickly forgotten.

[zibilee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was initially bewildering. Sally Gunning begins her book in a style that at first made me believe it was a work written for juveniles. She introduces Alice, a seven year old girl who is about to embark on a sea voyage from London to the colonies to begin a new life with her family. The tone and style of the writing brought to mind a young adult novel. Her choice of words assumed an air of being pared down for a younger reading audience, and the narrative style was constrained. After getting past the first chapter, it became clear that the previous chapter was meant to infer that it was written as if in Alice's seven year old perspective. I thought that this was hindering, and not very adeptly done. In my opinion, it would have been better to use one writing style continuously throughout the book. The ultimate effect was that it was jarring, and I had a hard time getting into the story as a result.After a wretched sea voyage, in which most of her family dies, Alice is deposited on the shores of New England only to be sold to a stranger in indentured servitude by her father, who apparently didn't have enough money for the family's voyage. Alice is whisked away to the Morton household to begin her service. The book glosses over the several years that Alice gives her service to the family, who is kind to her and treats her as if she is one of them. When the older Morton daughter, Nabby, marries, Alice's indenture contract is given to Nabby's husband, and there begins Alice's strife and struggles. When Alice sees the confusion of the new household and the devastation that settles at her feet, she runs away from her new station. In her escape, she meets the Widow Barry and a man named Eban Freeman who help her and give her refuge from her misfortune. Alice, however, is hiding a secret. This secret threatens to destroy her new found life, and puts her at odds with everyone around her. As the novel progresses, Alice's problems become multiplied and she is caught in a web of deceit and danger. Alice must face extreme adversity with only the widow and Freeman at her side.One pleasant aspect of the book was the amount of historical period detail that was given. Though it wasn't filled with minutiae, it was very informative and interesting as a whole. On the other side of the coin, I found the sub-plot involving the boycott of British products and it's political ramifications to be a dull plot contrivance. It wasn't detailed enough to be meaningful or historically informative. I believe that it detracted from other elements in the story that could have been delved into further.Another flaw in the book was the lack of growth in Alice's character. She remained suspicious and manipulative throughout the story, and used such ill judgment at times that it was frustrating to behold. Although I can understand that her circumstances and experiences led her to behave this way, she never seemed to revise her opinion that everyone around her was a secret enemy, waiting to betray her, regardless of how kindly they treated her. It was most aggravating to see her mind work out the most negative conclusions to every trial she faced, though the hope in her situations was plain to see. I felt as though she remained closed-minded and wary to the detriment of further emotional exploration within herself.The other characters in the book seemed very two-dimensional. The widow was mostly quiet and taciturn, and it was hard to gauge the love for Alice that prompted her to want help the young girl. It was obvious that she came to love Alice, but what were her motivations for that love, where had her love for the girl originated? Freeman was only slightly more understandable. It was clear that he was suspicious of Alice, as she was of him, but in time he began to see Alice from a different perspective. What was not clear was why he continued to trust and respect her as she went along betraying him time after time. Even in the conclusion of the book, Alice continues to act dishonestly and rashly, and he meekly forgives her without a word of dissent. Why?? I just didn't understand the reasoning behind his forgiveness and love.Though I had many problems with this book, I was amazed at how involving it actually was. I felt compelled to keep reading and discover what fate held in store for Alice, and what she would do with it. I think most of the problems for me came in the execution of the book, as the plot was very interesting and fluid, whereas the style and character development fell flat. I wanted to love this book. In the end I only liked it.

[cats57_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Bound" by Sally Gunning"Bound" written by Sally Gunning (The Widow's War) and published by William Morrow; is a fictional accounting of Alice Cole and her journey from England to the American colonies. Learn how Alice goes from being a free 7 year old child with a father, to that of an indentured servant,or slave. An eye opening and thoroughly absorbing story told during the pre-Revolutionary years of 1756 to 1765, from Boston to Cape Cod. Alice's father is forced, after the deaths of her Mother and brothers at sea, to put her in indentured servitude for 11 years. Her first family is a loving family that sees to her needs while she works off her service. The daughter, Nabby marries and Alice's service papers are transferred to Nabbies husband who then starts to abuse Alice. Alice manages to escape and finds herself working with/for Lyddie Berry (see THE WIDOW'S WAR) and her companion Eben Freeman. Shown kindness for the first time, Alice starts to relax into the day to dayness of it all. Until a secret Alice holds close to her heart ruins everything.History and law, in this pre-revolutionary time, comes alive under Ms Gunnings clever story weaving, as she wraps the truth of the times with the fiction of one persons "story". This tale could have been told as a maudlin tear jerker, yet, refreshingly it was not. I do hope that as third book will make it's way from Ms Gunning's pen to let us know more about Nate (an important secondary character) and how his life unfolded after Bound ended. I loved this thought provoking, eye -opening, enjoyable (albeit sad) read of the times and lives of our forefathers and if you are a fan of Historical Fiction, this is a book you will be sure to want to include in your library.

[tara35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have always been a fan of historical fiction. When I think back to my favorite books as a young girl or look through old boxes of my books, this is so clear to me though I don't think I realized it until I was an adult. I prefer books about women, am partial to books about London - throw in a prostitute and squalor and I'm in. I don't enjoy tales that are especially romantic or melodramatic. I am interested in how people lived - what life was like.This is why I was so thrilled when Harper Collins offered me a copy of Sally Gunning's latest novel, Bound. Alice Cole is seven years old when she crosses the Atlantic from London to Boston with her family. When the ship reaches Boston, only she and her father remain of their family and Alice is bound by her father into indentured servitude to the Morton family. Mr Morton is kind to Alice and apart from doing hard work her life is not unpleasant. When Mr Morton's daughter leaves to marry, Alice goes with her and her time remaining to serve becomes the property of her new master. Alice finds herself in danger in this home and runs away. She stows away on a boat to Satucket on Cape Cod and is taken in by the Widow Berry. Here Alice works hard but lives in fear of her secrets being discovered. The life that Alice builds in Satucket is jeopardized and it takes every bit of her strength and bravery to find her way again. Bound is just the sort of historical fiction I love. I thought the characters were interesting and multifaceted. There was a fascinating plot that kept me turning pages. There was a small amount of romance that did not overshadow the main storyline. What I enjoyed the most, though, was reading about life in New England in 1764 with the controversy of taxation without representation in the background. I learned not only about the politics and legal processes of the time, but also what sort of work was done in the home including how cloth was made, what sorts of food were eaten and what life was like for women.I have not yet read Sally Gunning's previous novel, The Widow's War which is the story of the Widow Berry. I certainly plan to, and look forward to seeing what Gunning writes next. While this story wrapped up nicely, I could see the possibility of Alice turning up in Gunning's future work.