13 h 3 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 3 minPaperback · 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
Readers who love historical adventures with sword fights, secret identities, dramatic ocean storms and deepening romance will enjoy this novel. It also suits readers drawn to early Virginia and those who enjoy romance alongside adventure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A promise sends Ralph toward marriage
- Trust begins with room to choose
- The marriage becomes a state affair
- Ralph turns a trap against Carnal
- Escape forces Ralph into another identity
- A disguise reaches its moral limit
- The colony lives under uneasy peace
- A soldier's voice shapes the adventure
- Loyalty gives the marriage its meaning
Who’s who
- Ralph PercyA scarred soldier and planter at Weyanoke who keeps his word, even when it binds him to a stranger and a powerful enemy.
- Jocelyn LeighA proud young ward of the King who flees England in disguise and weds Ralph to escape a forced marriage.
- Jeremy SparrowA giant minister with a stage actor's past, a gentle heart and enormous strength, who becomes Ralph's loyal friend.
- Lord CarnalThe King's handsome new favorite, who follows Jocelyn to Virginia and means to have her by any means.
- DicconRalph's rough, gambling servant, once saved from Dale's wheel, who serves his master with fierce and stubborn loyalty.
- John RolfeRalph's gentle friend, the widower of Pocahontas, who urges him to marry and stands by him in every danger.
- NantauquasA noble Indian prince, son of Powhatan, who befriends the English but must choose between them and his own people.
- NicoloLord Carnal's thin, smiling Italian physician, a poisoner whom men call the Black Death.
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To Have and to Hold
by Mary Johnston · 1900
Captain Ralph Percy dices for a bride in 1621 Virginia and weds a stranger hunted by the King's favorite.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“We drink from the same cup”
In short
What would you do if a throw of the dice decided your marriage? In midsummer 1621, Captain Ralph Percy, a scarred old soldier on a rough tobacco plantation in Virginia, plays exactly that game on the night before his thirty-sixth birthday.
To Have and to Hold at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 40 min6 h 5 min fast, 9 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 109,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1900by Mary Johnston
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A throw of the dice sends Ralph to market
Ralph Percy sits on his doorstep at Weyanoke, watching the light die on the river. He distrusts the Indians who wander among the English, above all their emperor Opechancanough. His friend John Rolfe rides in with news. A ship carrying ninety English maids has landed at Jamestown, and every bachelor is rushing to buy a wife for one hundred and twenty pounds of tobacco.
Ralph laughs, yet the cold hearth and dirty floor sting him after Rolfe leaves. That night he swears that if he throws ambs-ace, the lowest score, he will follow his friend's advice. He throws it. At dawn he sails downriver in a stained buff suit and muddy boots, for he does not make empty oaths over dice.
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Details
- First published
- 1900
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 8 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Johnston, Mary. To Have and to Hold. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/to-have-and-to-hold.
Johnston, M. (2026). To have and to hold. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/to-have-and-to-hold (Original work published 1900)
Johnston, Mary. To Have and to Hold. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/to-have-and-to-hold.
@book{johnston2026have,
author = {Johnston, Mary},
title = {To Have and to Hold},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/to-have-and-to-hold},
note = {First published 1900}
}
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What is To Have and to Hold about?
It tells of Captain Ralph Percy, a soldier in 1621 Virginia who marries a stranger from a ship of English maids. She is a runaway ward of the King, and the King's favorite follows to claim her.
Is To Have and to Hold a true story?
No, the main characters are invented, but the setting is real. Jamestown, Governor Yeardley, John Rolfe, the shipment of brides and the Indian leaders Opechancanough and Nantauquas come from early Virginia history.
Who is Jeremy Sparrow?
Jeremy Sparrow is a huge, big-hearted minister at Jamestown, once an actor in London. He becomes Ralph's closest friend, using his strength, his singing voice and his stage tricks to protect Ralph and Jocelyn.
The author
Mary Johnston
1870–1936 · American novelist and suffragist
American novelist and women's rights advocate.
“We drink from the same cup”
More by Mary Johnston
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