The Winthrop Woman

First published in 1958, Seton's biographical fiction portrays Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, a passionate, sharp-witted beauty with enviable connections. Niece and daughter-in-law of the imperious John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts, the real "Bess" incited drama aplenty, precipitously marrying her cousin, cohabiting out of wedlock prior to her third marriage, and questioning Puritan doctrine. Revealing a deep sensibility for settings on both sides of the Atlantic, Seton's well-researched, absorbing narrative conveys the heartache and deprivations of the Winthrops' 17th-century emigration from an English manor house to an American wilderness continually manifesting new hazards. As Elizabeth contends with the elements, marital setbacks, and perilously shifting politics—both within the church and among Dutch, English, and native claimants to the land—her vexing Winthrop alliances occasionally prove to be all that separate her from calamity. This satisfying production is propelled throughout by the Governor Winthrop-Elizabeth dynamic and Corrie James's versatile narration.