Ann Bell (1) (1945–)

The first sentence of this book had me laughing since it implied that the main character's eyes detached from her head and somehow made their way to another building. The beginning of the book seemed slower and plodding. The last half of the book seemed more interesting and active.

I admire the main character for persevering to get her college degree and being willing to do anything legal in order to stay in school. She's got a level head on her shoulders and realizes that if she's to have any chance of providing a life for her daughter, she needs a degree to get a good job. She also takes charge and finds herself a job just before graduation.… (mais)

A five star read! The life of Mary Dyer is truly inspiring and captivating. Having her story told through the eyes of a fictitious sister provided me with a unique perspective of what it must have been like for her family as they watched her protest the harsh, anti-Quaker laws of the puritans. I wished The Sister of Mary Dyer: The High Price of Freedom could have ended differently, but it didn't. Reality is sometimes extremely cruel. Because Mary Dyer was willing to pay the ultimate price, our founding father included the first amendment to the constitution that established our freedom of religion and speech.… (mais)

This book is a story of the life of a young Quaker girl who lived in London in a very poor family. After the death of her father, and with her mother very ill, she goes to America as the indentured servant for a Quaker family in Philadelphia. The story includes her trip to America, her time as an indentured servant including her relationship to the family to which she is indentured, her relations to other Friends in the Quaker meeting, and her marriage. She has a difficult life; her first child dies soon after birth, another child is killed in an accident, and her husband dies suddenly.

Quaker values are shown in discussions among the characters in the story including keeping one’s word and fulfilling a contract, and not taking oaths. Quaker language is used; it is described in notes at the beginning of the book. The author appears to have obtained her knowledge of Quakerism primarily from reading the works of Margaret Hope Bacon, a prominent Quaker historian and author.… (mais)