Beside the Long River
by Louella Bryant
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Pub Date 6 Jan 2022 | Archive Date 30 Jan 2022
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Description
Muskets, stinging arrows, and even slings, Beside the Long River delivers action behind every tree of early American forests.
In the early seventeenth century, Puritan teenager Sarah Lyman realizes the leaders of English settlements will destroy anything in the way of their expansion in the New World, including wolves --and Indians. Louella Bryant brings spirited Sarah to life when she discovers the rules in Massachusetts Bay Colony are even stricter than in England and joins her family in following Thomas Hooker to establish the city of Hartford.
Sarah figures in Connecticut she might be able to dress and act as she wants without fear of punishment. But Pequot Indians edging close to the town's borders must be eliminated, even though Sarah has made friends with a native girl and falls for her brother, the brave Ayaks.
Dressed as a boy, Sarah enlists with the English infantry marching to Missituck (Mystic) in hopes of stopping the massacre of the Pequot tribe and the man she loves.
Beside the Long River is based on historical people and events, including the brutal and bloody Pequot War of 1636.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“Beside the Long River is an important story for young readers. Bryant's descriptions of Puritan culture, early Boston, the colonization of Connecticut, and the demise of the Pequot Indians are riveting.” –Sally Baldwin, author of the blog, Best Dogs in the Universe
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781684338559 |
| PRICE | US$18.95 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Joan D, Reviewer
Louella Bryant’s Beside the Long River published by Black Rose Writing describes Sara Lyman’s coming of age story. Set in 17th century Connecticut, Sara transforms from an English immigrant to a thoughtful young woman who questions the Puritan’s teachings about the indigenous people and how an obedient daughter should live. Sarah admires the Native American’s mobile lifestyle and how the indigenous people harvest from the wilderness instead of subduing it. Sara angers her parents when she becomes friends with Minno, a member of the Pequot tribe. Minno teaches Sara about maple sugaring and how to harvest spring ferns to cook as greens while Sara explains to Minno how to print her name.
Bryant introduces a love interest to the narrative when Sara develops affections for Minno’s half-brother, Ayaks, whose father was a Dutch trader. As the story progresses, Sara realizes how Ayaks must choose which heritage he will choose to follow, the Pequot’s whose world is collapsing or the white man’s ways.
Within Beside the Long River, Bryant weaves metaphors from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to enrich Sara’s internal dialogue and show how universal themes run throughout literature. Bryant’s attention to historical details in both the narrative and dialogue shows extensive research. This historical novel would be excellent in a classroom as an example of the conflicts affecting early New England settlers and their responses.
to the challenges of entering a new world..
Annette B, Reviewer
Beside the Long River brings a story of a Puritan family who leaves England for Massachusetts. It is mostly the story of Sarah, at thirteen she doesn’t want to leave England and her best friend behind. In America, she becomes friends with a native girl and her brother, who are Pequot Indians. Thus, the story involves the bloody Pequot War of 1636.
The story is plot-driven and has a fast pace, but it misses the sense of place and time. At times, I wished the story slowed down and developed depth so a reader could get a sense of time and place.
Even though, the story is plot-driven, I still wished the characters were better developed as it’s hard to get attached to them when everything is so brief.
If you like plot-driven fast-paced story with brief descriptions, then it might be the right story for you.
