13 h 3 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A marriage between strangers offers shelter in Jamestown—but a powerful man refuses to let the bride escape.
In Mary Johnston’s To Have and to Hold, a ship of brides reaches Virginia in the early 1620s. Ralph Percy, a soldier and planter with little money, marries Jocelyn Leigh. She is a proud young woman of rank who flees England, hoping to escape a man determined to claim her. Their hurried vows bring danger into Ralph’s home.
Lord Carnal has power at the court of King James and uses it to pursue Jocelyn and break her husband. Ralph has his word to keep and his loyal friend Jeremy Sparrow beside him. Around them, Jamestown struggles with shortages of food and law, while pirates, storms, sword fights and the threat of war make safety a fragile thing.
What you’ll discover
- A marriage of strangers Follow Ralph and Jocelyn into a love story that begins with a binding vow.
- A dangerous pursuit Meet a cunning courtier who treats refusal as something his power can overcome.
- A friend with fists Find warmth and humor in Jeremy Sparrow, a parson ready to stand beside Ralph.
- Peril on every side Enter a world of ships, forests and storms, where danger reaches beyond the sword.
- Honor at a cost Hear Ralph’s brisk, often wry voice as he holds to promises under pressure.
Who will love it
For readers who love romance with sword play, sea chases and a real historical setting, and anyone curious about early Virginia.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A ship of brides reaches Jamestown
- A wife who is not what she seems
- Lord Carnal and the danger from court
- Friends, pirates and wild country
- Honor, love and the cost of loyalty
- A swift tale told by its hero
Who’s who
- Ralph PercyA soldier and planter at Weyanoke in Virginia, plain-spoken and brave, who tells the story and wants to keep his word and his home.
- Jocelyn LeighA proud young woman of rank who flees England and marries in Virginia, hoping to escape a man who means to claim her.
- Lord CarnalA cunning nobleman at the court of King James, who uses power and favor to pursue Jocelyn and break her husband.
- Jeremy SparrowA fighting parson and Ralph's loyal friend, quick with a joke and a blow, who stands by him in trouble.
- OpechancanoughA Powhatan leader whose power and anger over the spread of the English settlers hang over the colony.
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Haben und Halten
by Mary Johnston· 1900
In Virginia, Ralph Percy marries a stranger and faces a powerful lord who means to claim her.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A ship of brides reaches Jamestown
The story opens at Jamestown, the English settlement on the James River. Ralph Percy is a plain, hard-bitten gentleman who has fought in wars abroad and now holds land in Virginia. He lives at his plantation, Weyanoke, and he is used to danger, short rations and men who settle quarrels with steel.
A ship arrives from England with young women who have come to be married to the colonists. The settlers are far from home and have few wives among them, so the colony needs families if it is to last. Each man who takes a bride must pay for her passage, and the payment is made in tobacco, the crop on which the colony depends. The scene is part comedy and part hardship, and Johnston uses it to show how strange and practical life in Virginia can be.
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What is To Have and to Hold about?
It is a historical romance set in Virginia in the early 1620s. A planter named Ralph Percy marries a mysterious young woman, and they face pirates, danger from a nobleman at court and the perils of the colony.
Is To Have and to Hold a true story?
No, it is a novel. The main characters are invented, but Johnston set them in the real colony of Jamestown and drew on history, including King James I and the Powhatan leader Opechancanough.
When was To Have and to Hold written?
Mary Johnston published it in 1900. It was among the most widely read American historical novels of its day, and it helped bring her wide attention as a writer from Virginia.
The author
Mary Johnston
1870–1936 · American novelist and suffragist
American novelist and women's rights advocate.
More by Mary Johnston
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