The Winthrop Woman

Elizabeth Winthrop is a Puritan woman in the early 17th century who does not fit the world she has married into. She is a real historical figure, and she joins the family of John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The colony lives with hardship, famine and attacks. Many of its settlers hold that survival depends on the firm, theocratic rule Governor Winthrop favors, and that rule leaves little room for disagreement. Elizabeth disagrees anyway, and her convictions set her against both the government and her own family.

She befriends the heretic Anne Hutchinson, stands up to an army captain, and follows her heart in love. Her life includes three marriages, and the book follows her through each of them, along with the clashes her strong beliefs bring.

This is historical fiction built around a real woman, first published in 1958 and following on from Katherine. Expect a story of defiance and public humiliation, with Elizabeth's endurance at its center.