Calico Captive

Calico Captive is Elizabeth George Sprears (1908-1994) first novel. It was inspired by the diary of Susanna Willard Johnson, abducted by the Abenaki Indians in 1754 (during the French and Indian War) from her house in Fort Number 4 in Charleston, New Hampshire, published for the first time in 1796 and then 1807 (and presently available online at [...] Susanna Johnson was made captive with all her family, including a 14 year old sister, turned into the sixteen year old Miriam in the book, conducted to the Indian settlement of St. Francis and then sold to the French in Montreal, where she remained for three years before being set free after the payment of ransom. It took some years still before the whole family could be reunited.

Captivity narratives evolved into a kind of literary genre during the early years of American literature. These diaries, mostly by women, were always written at distance from the event of the abduction and share in their originality many stereotyped situations. These memories have been identified by modern critics as vehicles for a subjective rather than objective truth, as a means of political propaganda and as a form of sensational literature such as the "slave narratives". Post-modern and cultural analysis have re-evaluated them as examples of gender and culture conflicts and pointed out the principal elements of the genre: what a proper woman should do in a desperate situation and the religious message of sticking to Faith in times of adversity. Not rarely, however, the captives depict their captors as individuals and somehow opened themselves to these foreign (Indian or French) cultures. Susanna Johnson's diary is one of those in which the captors, be they Indian or French, are shown in all their humanity and this old document, even if difficult to read, retains a charm of its own.

This long introduction is to explain the importance, the originality and the enduring success of "Calico captive". This novel, more often than not classified as children or adolescent literature makes a great read also for adults. Elizabeth George Spear describing Susanna's little sister Miriam introduces into this real adventure a fictionalized and modern young girl, that with her thoughts and actions allows the reader to identify with the history, the characters and the literary genre.

Miriam is sixteen, just starting to get interested in a young Harvard bound Phineas Whitney, when she is ripped away from her home. During her march through the woods, she keeps blaming her family for their capture and she thinks with longing and rage of her new blue dress. These small things seem more important than the plight the family is withstanding. But how true, that a sixteen year old girl would think of it this way! Once in the Indian settlement she tries to get along with her masters and decides to learn sewing and embroidery and tries to make the best of her situation. But when she is brought to Montreal, the contact with the long despised French, completely upsets her beliefs and standards. The people she meets are sincere and sympathetic, all the world revolving around her is interesting and her mind opens to the acceptance of another culture (European) and another religion (Roman Catholicism). She realizes the enemy is not so different from us and she integrates so well, to be asked to be part of that world. The temptation is strong but inside her mind her steadfastness, modelled on that of her sister Susanna, consents her to take the right decision.

One of the most interesting aspects of Miriam's outlook is the acceptance of what she has to learn from her captors: the embroidery from the Indians, the fashion and gaiety from the French, and at the same time the understanding of the relations of the other members of her family (Sylvanus the little boy that loves to run wild with the Indians, the little Susanna that loves to be pampered by her adoptive French aunts, her older sister Susanna that has so many prejudices against the French).

A great deal of historical research is evident in the book's preparation and the Authors descriptive capacities consent a complete identification with the characters and the situations. Old Montreal is there before our eyes, as are the dresses of the Frenchwomen and the sparkling ballrooms, but we can also feel the cold, the hunger and the discomfort of life among the woods.

This novel has a double value. In the first place it is a beautiful story to read and enjoy and at the same time an occasion for learning what life was like during the French and Indian War, but in the second place it is a modern version of captivity narrative that allows the reader to appreciate this genre of literature so popular many years ago.

A small personal P.S.: I read this book borrowing it from the Library when I was nine years old (1966) and I enjoyed very much. After so many years, I found it a bookshop in Boston this summer and I bought it with enormous joy. I took it back to Italy, where I now live, and read it with all the enthusiasm of when I was nine. Naturally, I now understand more things than I did then and the Net helps us out in gaining more information on the topic, but the joy of reading the book I assure you was just the same! [...]

I read this book 25 years ago, and my daughter just finished it. Teenage selfishness and bravado give way to maturity, loyalty, and strong sense of self. A wonderful book.

I love this book, but at the same time, I hate it and I hate the ending. This is what happens: We have a main character, Miriam. She is painfully close-minded for a lot of the book. She can also be pretty selfish at times. She has a tendency to whine and on the whole, though she's flawed, it's in a very annoying way, not a "Scarlett o'Hara" or anything of the sort. She basically catches the hearts of 3 guys: a) a random young man from her English settlement who looks and sounds very ordinary-but not in a charming way. He is introduced in four pages and then is never heard from again-except, of course, for the fact that she somehow is obsessed with him still for the course of,oh, more than a year. b) After she gets carried off by the Indians with her family, a young Indian warrior falls for her, and asks her to marry him-in broken English phrases. She goes all prima donna and basically freaks out at the thought of marrying an Indian. 3) a fancy shmancy French courier, Pierre, really dashing, handsome, witty, rich, finds her red hair and bad temper fascinating-understandable-and frankly, it's what she wants. At this point in the plot she has spent a lot of time in the company of the rich and famous French, with their dresses, parties, elegance etc. and she likes it! With reason I suppose. And guess what? It's NO. It's back to the plodding English guy at the beginning of the book whom we barely know, I would've forgotten his name if she wasn't always thinking "Oh Phineas!Boo-hoo-hoo!" in one corner of her mind when she is cursing those "Indian savages" in the other. Phineas, my foot! So blah! So boring! So different from her now that so many things have changed her! Oh, I'm not saying she should have taken the frilly dresses and French unhealthy party life with marrying Pierre. But it would have been better! A much,much,much more satisfying ending, and frankly more realistic! I seriously don't think Phineas would've worked out so fantastic. She'll see, when she's living in a rough cabin again, wearing course wool and seeing her ordinary Englishman husband every day-oh, don't tell me her love will make it all worthwhile. She just feels guilty when she gets his letter after ages and ages of silence, saying, "Oh you're the only thing making the future worthwhile," sweet isn't it? She just feels bad, either "Pierre" or (ugh) " Actually, he's too good for her. He's faithful and lots of other things-but-it SO doesn't work! What the heck! At the end of it all I'm sorely tempted to wishing that she had married the Native American Mehkoa. He sounds solid. My God, what a finnecky main character, she really was very irritating, her sister Suzanna seemed so much more- I don't know. Kinder, wiser and more intelligent, perhaps. Oh well. It was a good book. But the ending was abysmal by any standards. I bet the author gets loads of hate mail for it.

I read this book first time in 1962 and have re-read it many times since. I've also given copies of it to many young girls as gifts. I love this book, the adventure, the romance and the survival of spirit. It also gave me my life long hobby of spinning and weaving which I, like Susanna, find such comfort and enjoyment in. Ms Spears other books are excellent but I believe this is the best. I just wonder why it was never turned into a movie.

My wife read several of the Speare books when she was young, and she says they're great (I'm doing this review on her behalf). Now she is introducing her granddaughters to them, and she is just glad that they are still available.

We learn a lot by reading historical fiction. This story draws the reader along through the viewpoint of a brave young woman during the time when the French and Indians were fighting the British colonists. It is based on a true experience handed down by the woman as a grandma. I read books that I give me grandkids. I am sure my granddaughter will enjoy it for her 13th birthday present.

This is a great historical fiction novel inspired by a true story set in the early French and Indian War. It pairs well with the classic Sign of the Beaver by the same author.

My favorite book growing up - have read it a dozen times obver the years - was able to gift it to a young lady who loves to read historical stories.
This a an engaging story - and you come to love the characters.

I really love Elizabeth George Speare. Her writing is captivating and her historical research thorough. Great book!

I read this book to my fourth grade girls as part of our homeschool curriculum. They were absolutely enchanted with it. It's not hidden that some of the information in the book was made up as "filler" to enhance the actual narrative from Susanna Johnson which Elizabeth George Spear drew on to write this book. I'm not sure how appealing this book would be to boys as it is from a teenage girl's perspective: complete with all her teenage girl emotions on relationships and love and life. I did mid-read alter a few lines and omit a couple that involved kissing and other emotionally intense situations as I saw that my girls were REALLY enraptured by the tension between Miriam and her suitors. If they were nearer 7th grade, I would have not felt obligated. It's not inappropriate at all, just too much for my 10 year old girls if you know what I mean. What I really love about this book is the emotional change that happens in Miriam: And that her perspective on war and "the enemy" begins to change. It really brings you through all the great details about the native american life she experiences and then her life as a servant in the French fort she is forced into. This book is really good about getting the reader to see both sides of the French and Indian War. And even brings the reader to ask his or herself which side they would be on: French, English or Native American Independence? There was ample opportunity for great discussions even with my fourth graders following each reading.
I would recommend either preceding or following this book with The Winter People by Joseph Bruchac. In that story the Abenaki boy that narrates tells of a woman who was captured and made to teach in their village, her name was Susanna Johnson. The book doesn't go into great detail about her, but it's really exciting to see the kids make the connection between this book and The Winter People and to also have a native american perspective on what was going on during the war. I have also reviewed that book if you're interested in reading what I thought.