Out Front the Following Sea

Ruth Miner, shunned by her town for alleged witchcraft, lives alone with her grandmother, relying on a childhood friend to survive. When her grandmother dies one cruel winter, however, she finds herself all but alone in the world. From there, her life becomes a struggle to survive and find a place for herself. From a ship to a new town to married life, Ruth finds there is no real place she can fit in, unless she finds her own.

Out Front the Following Sea was beautifully researched, and it shows on every page. It was beautifully written, too, and I loved the rich descriptions, which brought life to colonial New England in all its hardship and wonder. The descriptions fall short when it comes to action, though, bogging down the pace in the richness of the words and making those passages harder to read. Overall, I felt as though the book had too much in it, trying to capture as much excitement as possible. I enjoyed it a great deal, but I still felt there could have been improvements.