Honor Bright is a sheltered Quaker who has rarely ventured out of 1850s Dorset when she impulsively emigrates to America. Opposed to the slavery that defines and divides the country, she finds her principles tested to the limit when a runaway slave appears at the farm of her new family. In this tough, unsentimental place, where whisky bottles sit alongside quilts, Honor befriends two spirited women who will teach her how to turn ideas into actions.
About the Author
Tracy Chevalier grew up in Washington, DC. She moved to England in 1984, and graduated in 1994 from the MA course in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.
Her first novel, The Virgin Blue, was chosen by WH Smith for its Fresh Talent promotion in 1997. In 2000, HarperCollins published Girl with a Pearl Earring, which has gone on to sell over two million copies worldwide. Falling Angels was published to much critical acclaim in 2002. Tracy Chevalier's new book, The Lady and the Unicorn, has just been published in hardback.
The film of Girl with a Pearl Earring, starring Colin Firth as Vermeer, is due to be released in the UK in January.
Tracy Chevalier lives in North London with her husband and son.
Industry Reviews
Praise for The Last Runaway: 'I have always admired Tracy Chevalier's un-showy brilliance, and this moving story of a young English Quaker girl trapped between duty and conscience in 1850s Ohio is the best thing she's written since Girl with a Pearl - Earring' Rose Tremain
The Last Runaway is a joy to read. Chevalier handles the intersection of two stories - those of pioneering Quakers and escaping slaves - with verve, imagination and, above all, compassion' - Maggie O'Farrell
'A brave, warm-hearted, moving book; the characters are well-drawn and credible; the local colour meticulously detailed' Joanne Harris 'By far her best book since Girl With A Pearl Earring if not better' - Amanda Craig
'Chevalier places her heroine at the heart, constructing a synergy between character and plot that makes this novel exquisitely complete... addictively compelling... Honor Bright deserves a sequel' - THE TIMES
'Her best since Girl With a Pearl Earring... as a serious novel about a genuine moral dilemma, it is highly recommended' - THE INDEPENDENT
'Chevalier immerses herself in period and place. Her research, as always, is meticulous and lightly worn... an entertaining read' -THE GUARDIAN
'Chevalier's eye for the telling detail brings it vividly to life. As simple and plain as a Quaker bonnet, but, like a Quaker soul, it contains a hidden light' - LITERARY REVIEW
'A gripping and potent novel which shows Chevalier at the height of her powers' - THE EXPRESS
'Tracy Chevalier has found a subject that both fascinates and moves her and the result is this quietly powerful and gripping novel' - THE MAIL
'An accomplished historical novelist, and she successfully evokes the texture of life in the antebellum Midwest' - INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
