What do you think?
Rate this book
Follow the River
Mary Ingles was twenty-three, happily married, and pregnant with her third child when Shawnee Indians invaded her peaceful Virginia settlement in 1755 and kidnapped her, leaving behind a bloody massacre. For months they held her captive. But nothing could imprison her spirit.
With the rushing Ohio River as her guide, Mary Ingles walked one thousand miles through an untamed wilderness no white woman had ever seen. Her story lives on—extraordinary testimony to the indomitable strength of one pioneer woman who risked her life to return to her own people.
With the rushing Ohio River as her guide, Mary Ingles walked one thousand miles through an untamed wilderness no white woman had ever seen. Her story lives on—extraordinary testimony to the indomitable strength of one pioneer woman who risked her life to return to her own people.
406 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 14, 1980
1018 people are currently reading
17409 people want to read
About the author
James Alexander Thom
25 books406 followersJames Alexander Thom (born 1933) is an American author, most famous for his works in the Western genre. Born in Gosport, Indiana, he graduated from Butler University and served in the United States Marine Corps. He is a former professor of journalism at Indiana University, and a contributor to the The Saturday Evening Post. His fifth wife, Dark Rain Thom was a member of the Shawnee United Remnant Band until its dissolution; the Thoms presently live in the "Indiana hill country" near Bloomington.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,784 reviews
November 24, 2020
A brilliant and breathtaking adventure, harrowing at times but a book that I will certainly remember many years from now.
Mary Ingles was 23, married and pregnant when Shawnee Indians invaded her peaceful Virginia settlement, killed the men and women, then took her and her sons captive. For months she lived with them unbroken, until she made her escape, and followed a thousand mile trail to freedom.
You cant help but be captivated and amazed by the spirit of Mary Ingles and her arduous trek to freedom in 1750s frontier America.
I had a copy of this book on my bookshelf for years however I just couldn’t read it as it was a tiny hardback edition with Microscopic print that I just couldn’t bring myself to read. When I happened upon the Audio version and teamed up with Kindle well I just had to give it a go.
Certainly not for the faint hearted as there are some harrowing scenes throughout the story but its extremely well written and one couldn't help admire James Alexander Throm’s research and vivid imagination that went into writing this novel. While he had access to historical records for people and places and some of the story, he still manages to create a believable personality for his characters and I loved how he imagined Mary and her strong but witty personality. After all she has endured at the young age of 24 the will to survive really was quite remarkable. You spend the book, willing and urging Mary along her journey and its almost like your holding your breath until the very end. The description of the wilderness, the river and the land is beautifully detailed and written.
I however did find I got a little wary 3/4 ways through the story as it was quite repetitive and long but I just had to read it by the comfort of my fireside while Poor mary braved the elements.
There is a detailed and very informative author’s note at the end and this explains what is historically accurate, where his research was done and what happened to the characters afterwards. and I very much enjoyed and appreciated this note.
I really enjoyed listening and reading this book. I think readers who have enjoyed books such as Deliverance or Lonesome Dove may well love this one too.
May 21, 2012
This book needed a lot of editing. It was repetitious and monotonous. Her voice did not seem very genuine. It's kind of hard to explain, but sometimes it just didn't seem like a woman's point of view. For example, she rarely/never? talked about the emotional relationship with her husband. Instead, even when she was starving and fighting exposure and exhaustion in the extreme, every time she thought of her husband, it was sexual. The way she immediately started fantasizing about Chief Wildcat was very Harlequinesque. Also, in some parts the way she thought about her children didn't seem natural--forced or too theatrical. On the other hand, I really identified with her experience of childbirth. Her reasoning for escaping was very believable and the story of her survival is compelling, but to read every single detail of her ordeal was not enjoyable. This book ended up being more of a page-skipper (I wanted to know how it ended, but didn't want to read to it) rather than a page-turner.
August 25, 2022
I read this book based on a recommendation by 2 river raft guides. I signed up for a river raft trip down the New River in West Virginia. No one else signed up and there were just the 2 women and myself. They did all the rowing through the rapids, of which there were only a few. I enjoyed this book and recommend it. It is the story of a woman kidnapped by native Americans in the colonial period in Us history. The blurb indicates that is based on a true story.
August 18, 2019
This story was a real page-turner! It kept me in suspense throughout! Highly recommend!
November 4, 2020
This is very good historical fiction. We are given a true story that captures our interest from page one. What happens is exciting and the story is hard to put down. Dialogs enliven events and capture temperaments of the people involved. These dialogs may be fictional, but they conform to what source material tells us about the respective characters' personalities. The book is both adventure story and character study.
What made this book so special for me is that I felt what Mary felt. When she froze, I had to pull a blanket over myself. When she was starving, all I could think about was food. You think I am exaggerating, but I am not! Not only were Mary Draper Ingles’ physical deprivations felt by me but also her emotions. I felt her anger, her need to fight for her dignity, her sense of total aloneness, her despair and how crushing was the realization that her travel companion could .
In this novel we look at friendship and betrayal. This was for me the most important component of the whole book. We look at the bond between mother and child and between mother and spouse. A choice must be made. Ultimately the book is about inner strength.
The journeys, first when Mary was captured and taken to the Shawnee camp and then her journey of escape, beg to be discovered. What exactly happened on these journeys? What happened when she lived with the Shawnee? What did she see and feel and experience? What did she learn of their customs and beliefs? Mary was captured in July 1755. She was 23, a mother of two and heavily pregnant with a third child. In December of the same year she had returned home - emaciated, bruised, broken, naked and white haired. This is her story.
The book concludes with an afterword that cites source material and discusses how opposing material has been handled. The research is impressive and I agree with the choices made in evaluating versions that do not coincide. We are told what happened to family members later in their lives. The author has himself traveled Mary’s journey of 1755 in order to better grasp the immensity of her accomplishment and the nature of the land traversed. He had a sleeping bag and he had food! She had no food and she could not swim. She had nothing but a blanket, a spear and a tomahawk.......and a companion that was irascible, unpredictable and treacherous, more often foe than friend. Their relationship can be summed up with this line taken from the novel:
There are no two souls closer than predator and prey.
Their relationship is of central importance to my appreciation of the book.
The audiobook is narrated by David Drummond. It is easy to follow. I liked the Irish brogue spoken by some of the elderly characters. I didn't like his intonations used when women spoke, too shrill and too squeaky. I gave the narration three stars.
What made this book so special for me is that I felt what Mary felt. When she froze, I had to pull a blanket over myself. When she was starving, all I could think about was food. You think I am exaggerating, but I am not! Not only were Mary Draper Ingles’ physical deprivations felt by me but also her emotions. I felt her anger, her need to fight for her dignity, her sense of total aloneness, her despair and how crushing was the realization that her travel companion could .
In this novel we look at friendship and betrayal. This was for me the most important component of the whole book. We look at the bond between mother and child and between mother and spouse. A choice must be made. Ultimately the book is about inner strength.
The journeys, first when Mary was captured and taken to the Shawnee camp and then her journey of escape, beg to be discovered. What exactly happened on these journeys? What happened when she lived with the Shawnee? What did she see and feel and experience? What did she learn of their customs and beliefs? Mary was captured in July 1755. She was 23, a mother of two and heavily pregnant with a third child. In December of the same year she had returned home - emaciated, bruised, broken, naked and white haired. This is her story.
The book concludes with an afterword that cites source material and discusses how opposing material has been handled. The research is impressive and I agree with the choices made in evaluating versions that do not coincide. We are told what happened to family members later in their lives. The author has himself traveled Mary’s journey of 1755 in order to better grasp the immensity of her accomplishment and the nature of the land traversed. He had a sleeping bag and he had food! She had no food and she could not swim. She had nothing but a blanket, a spear and a tomahawk.......and a companion that was irascible, unpredictable and treacherous, more often foe than friend. Their relationship can be summed up with this line taken from the novel:
There are no two souls closer than predator and prey.
Their relationship is of central importance to my appreciation of the book.
The audiobook is narrated by David Drummond. It is easy to follow. I liked the Irish brogue spoken by some of the elderly characters. I didn't like his intonations used when women spoke, too shrill and too squeaky. I gave the narration three stars.
February 6, 2008
I found this book incredibly interesting. The amount of research author Jim Thom put into this novel almost reveals an obsession he must have had with the harrowing experience of Mary Draper Ingles.
I was educated at a very young age by my archaeologist father about the early settlements of this region, as well as the life of period Indian tribes. Being a true Kentucky blue-blood, I was also educated on the clash between the two, the eternal struggle, and God-willing, those few who were able to live peacefully side by side. Though this novel falls short from expressing the hardships and horrors the settlers (and more so the soldiers from all campaigning countries) placed on the Indians, you have to keep in mind that it is written from the settlers' perspective. If you take it a step further and do the research on who these early settlers of this yet wild, untamed, and dangerous part of the country were, you'll develop a respect for their plight and for the bravery in which they chose to set out and have a legitimate life of their own.
The life of Mary Draper Ingles falls under much scrutiny for some of the decisions she was forced to make. Believing her husband still to be alive and having had her two young boys taken from her while in captivity, Mary Ingles came to the momentous decision to leave her own baby girl with the "savages", in an attempt to escape and make the long, long journey home. Such abandonment isn't viewed lightly, especially in today's society. But I believe, especially on closer review of the facts and dire situation she and her child were facing, that Mary Ingles made a wise decision. Obviously, had she taken the baby with her, it would not have survived. Mary barely survived the arduous task and she realized such would be the case. Had she simply stayed and accepted the life that had been forced upon her, she and the baby would have likely lived a life being treated as property. Mary would have had to live among the people that had slaughtered her own mother, destroyed her settlement, and crushed out all semblance of the life she and her husband had created. She would have had to live with the people that had taken away her two sons and she would have had to become the wife of the dispicable French trader who had obviously purchased her. Had she brought up her daughter in this environment, she likely would have been viewed as property, too, as she was the daughter of the white woman and in the white woman's care, being taught the white woman's customs. Having left her with a squaw who had all but adopted her already, Mary Ingles believed the child had a chance to be reared as one of their own, and though she would lead a life Mary did not agree with, she would be spared the hardships that Mary had herself endured. And as history proved, Mary Ingles was most likely correct. (At this point it's almost ridiculous to note that there is no record of Mary Ingles having been pregnant at the time of her abduction and that many historians dispute that there ever was any such child in the first place.)
What this woman did, the respect she inspired from the Indians who captured her, the decisions she made to steel herself for the journey she planned to make, the journey she did indeed make--this is a novel that truly inspired me. Even if you dislike the woman and disagree with the decisions she made, you simply cannot deny the magnitude of what she accomplished. As a woman, I personally admire her.
I was educated at a very young age by my archaeologist father about the early settlements of this region, as well as the life of period Indian tribes. Being a true Kentucky blue-blood, I was also educated on the clash between the two, the eternal struggle, and God-willing, those few who were able to live peacefully side by side. Though this novel falls short from expressing the hardships and horrors the settlers (and more so the soldiers from all campaigning countries) placed on the Indians, you have to keep in mind that it is written from the settlers' perspective. If you take it a step further and do the research on who these early settlers of this yet wild, untamed, and dangerous part of the country were, you'll develop a respect for their plight and for the bravery in which they chose to set out and have a legitimate life of their own.
The life of Mary Draper Ingles falls under much scrutiny for some of the decisions she was forced to make. Believing her husband still to be alive and having had her two young boys taken from her while in captivity, Mary Ingles came to the momentous decision to leave her own baby girl with the "savages", in an attempt to escape and make the long, long journey home. Such abandonment isn't viewed lightly, especially in today's society. But I believe, especially on closer review of the facts and dire situation she and her child were facing, that Mary Ingles made a wise decision. Obviously, had she taken the baby with her, it would not have survived. Mary barely survived the arduous task and she realized such would be the case. Had she simply stayed and accepted the life that had been forced upon her, she and the baby would have likely lived a life being treated as property. Mary would have had to live among the people that had slaughtered her own mother, destroyed her settlement, and crushed out all semblance of the life she and her husband had created. She would have had to live with the people that had taken away her two sons and she would have had to become the wife of the dispicable French trader who had obviously purchased her. Had she brought up her daughter in this environment, she likely would have been viewed as property, too, as she was the daughter of the white woman and in the white woman's care, being taught the white woman's customs. Having left her with a squaw who had all but adopted her already, Mary Ingles believed the child had a chance to be reared as one of their own, and though she would lead a life Mary did not agree with, she would be spared the hardships that Mary had herself endured. And as history proved, Mary Ingles was most likely correct. (At this point it's almost ridiculous to note that there is no record of Mary Ingles having been pregnant at the time of her abduction and that many historians dispute that there ever was any such child in the first place.)
What this woman did, the respect she inspired from the Indians who captured her, the decisions she made to steel herself for the journey she planned to make, the journey she did indeed make--this is a novel that truly inspired me. Even if you dislike the woman and disagree with the decisions she made, you simply cannot deny the magnitude of what she accomplished. As a woman, I personally admire her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2013
I chose to read "Follow the River" by James Alexander Thom not so much to be entertained and inspired by the story of Mary Ingles’s escape in 1755 from Indian captivity and her torturous return from the Ohio River to her family’s frontier settlement west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I had read about her ordeal, it being a true story, years ago. I wanted to see how Thom dealt with what I anticipated would be two major difficulties: description of her surroundings and portrayal of her thoughts and emotions. Being that Mary was isolated so much and that she was forced to trek through wild, diverse terrain, I recognized that surmounting these difficulties would be a substantial achievement.
Thom explains at the end of the book that he traveled Mary Ingles’s route home as part of his research. Not surprisingly, his description of her surroundings is genuine, readily believable. Included in much of his description is sharp sensory imagery, derived, I am certain, from close personal observation.
"Thunder grumbled, lightning flickered on the horizon, and as the clouds climbed, a blast of damp air shivered the surface of the river and turned the leaves of the forest white side up. Soon the thunderheads dominated the whole sky above the river; they came gliding across, their undersides lowering and dragging gray veils of rain under them. Birds and insects fell silent."
Equally impressive is Thom’s ability to describe Mary’s physical suffering, so necessary to evoke reader identification and empathy. In this passage near the end of the novel Mary is scaling a steep incline between two immense, vertical pillars of rock.
"She hung there for a moment, saw a leafless dogwood sapling two feet above her head. She got her numb left hand up to it and around it, forced the fingers to close, and pulled herself, panting and squinting, a little further up, her naked abdomen and thighs scraping over snow and rock and frozen soil, her cold-petrified toes trying awkwardly to gain traction."
Thom’s ability to narrate Mary’s thoughts and emotions is equally vital to the success of the novel. One aspect of her thought processes is her wavering allegiance to God. How could a benevolent, omnipresent Lord countenance the horrors she had witnessed and the miseries she daily endured? I appreciated especially these thoughts, which follow her successful ascent of the steep incline partially described above.
"She lay with her face against the frozen dirt and had her say with God.
Lord, I’ll thank’ee never to give me another day like this if I grow to be eighty.
No one deserves a day like this.
This is the most terrible day I’ve had in a hell of terrible days and I’m no’ grateful for it.
Now give me the strength to make my way across and down this devil’s scarp. Do that and then maybe I can make peace with’ee."
The detail of Mary’s ordeal makes the novel fascinating. Adding considerably to the tension of Mary’s situation is the presence of her companion, an unstable, middle-aged Dutch woman who becomes homicidal. Each chapter presents a specific conflict that is a component of Mary’s overall battle to survive and reach her destination. The story never loses momentum.
At appropriate places Thom’s narration touches the reader’s emotions. I was especially moved by Mary’s leaving-taking of her infant child, born during Mary’s early captivity.
"Her hot tears were dropping on the baby’s forehead and would awaken it; little frowns were disturbing its face and its little beak of an upper lip sucked in the soft red lower lip. Mary couldn’t stop herself. She kissed the little mouth and then, with anguish that would surely kill her, she rose to her feet and stumbled, tearblinded, to the edge of the camp, her lungs quaking for release, her throat clamped to hold down the awful wail of despair that was trying to erupt."
"Follow the River" deserves high praise.
Thom explains at the end of the book that he traveled Mary Ingles’s route home as part of his research. Not surprisingly, his description of her surroundings is genuine, readily believable. Included in much of his description is sharp sensory imagery, derived, I am certain, from close personal observation.
"Thunder grumbled, lightning flickered on the horizon, and as the clouds climbed, a blast of damp air shivered the surface of the river and turned the leaves of the forest white side up. Soon the thunderheads dominated the whole sky above the river; they came gliding across, their undersides lowering and dragging gray veils of rain under them. Birds and insects fell silent."
Equally impressive is Thom’s ability to describe Mary’s physical suffering, so necessary to evoke reader identification and empathy. In this passage near the end of the novel Mary is scaling a steep incline between two immense, vertical pillars of rock.
"She hung there for a moment, saw a leafless dogwood sapling two feet above her head. She got her numb left hand up to it and around it, forced the fingers to close, and pulled herself, panting and squinting, a little further up, her naked abdomen and thighs scraping over snow and rock and frozen soil, her cold-petrified toes trying awkwardly to gain traction."
Thom’s ability to narrate Mary’s thoughts and emotions is equally vital to the success of the novel. One aspect of her thought processes is her wavering allegiance to God. How could a benevolent, omnipresent Lord countenance the horrors she had witnessed and the miseries she daily endured? I appreciated especially these thoughts, which follow her successful ascent of the steep incline partially described above.
"She lay with her face against the frozen dirt and had her say with God.
Lord, I’ll thank’ee never to give me another day like this if I grow to be eighty.
No one deserves a day like this.
This is the most terrible day I’ve had in a hell of terrible days and I’m no’ grateful for it.
Now give me the strength to make my way across and down this devil’s scarp. Do that and then maybe I can make peace with’ee."
The detail of Mary’s ordeal makes the novel fascinating. Adding considerably to the tension of Mary’s situation is the presence of her companion, an unstable, middle-aged Dutch woman who becomes homicidal. Each chapter presents a specific conflict that is a component of Mary’s overall battle to survive and reach her destination. The story never loses momentum.
At appropriate places Thom’s narration touches the reader’s emotions. I was especially moved by Mary’s leaving-taking of her infant child, born during Mary’s early captivity.
"Her hot tears were dropping on the baby’s forehead and would awaken it; little frowns were disturbing its face and its little beak of an upper lip sucked in the soft red lower lip. Mary couldn’t stop herself. She kissed the little mouth and then, with anguish that would surely kill her, she rose to her feet and stumbled, tearblinded, to the edge of the camp, her lungs quaking for release, her throat clamped to hold down the awful wail of despair that was trying to erupt."
"Follow the River" deserves high praise.
December 12, 2017
I absolutely loved the first 40% or so. It was full of action, suspense, drama and had me glued to the book. But then it plateaued hard. Like really hard. And stayed that way until the end. It was such an abrupt change I had a difficult time keeping my full attention on the story. So it started as a strong 5 star book then slowly dropped to a 4 and when the journey home made the book feel like it was 1,000 pages long I finally ended with 3 strong stars.
January 18, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 1755, Draper's Meadow, Virginia. The Shawnee Indians launch a surprise attack on the settlement, killing most, but taking some prisoners, including a very pregnant Mary Draper Ingles and her two young sons. The captives are taken on a long journey to Shawnee Town, where they are somewhat assimilated into the community, Mary is sold as a slave and her sons are *adopted* by one of the Indian chiefs. Mary rebels at being another man's slave and yearns to escape and return home to her husband, and she and Dutch woman Ghetel finally get their chance to leave - but there's a terrible cost involved - winter is coming on and it is a long long way back to Draper's Meadow.
"On the eleventh day of their freedom they had to walk five miles upstream and then five miles downstream to get around another creek that had barred their progress up the bank of the O-y-o."
One thousand miles, and only the clothes on their backs (already in rags) and what food they are able to gather along the way. Mary had memorized the landscape on the journey to Shawnee Town and she's sure she can find her way back by following the river - but there's still the matter of food which becomes scarcer and scarcer as winter begins, and it's a bit gruesome what some folks will do for food,
"There were not even any worms now. There was no soil at the river’s edge, only rock. And up the slopes; the ground had hardened with cold; if there were earthworms in it, they had burrowed deep."
Mary Ingels and her story is a true one and you can read more about her on the internet if you care to spoil yourself. I enjoyed this book, and found Mary's story fascinating, but take fair warning - this is not the book for everyone. Mary faces some very difficult decisions before setting out, decisions that might not sit well with some readers. The conditions on the return trip and what Mary and Ghetel are forced to endure and things they are forced to eat are not pretty, and the author doesn't pull any punches sugar-coating it. 4/5 stars.
FTC, Kindle edition obtained via library loan.
"On the eleventh day of their freedom they had to walk five miles upstream and then five miles downstream to get around another creek that had barred their progress up the bank of the O-y-o."
One thousand miles, and only the clothes on their backs (already in rags) and what food they are able to gather along the way. Mary had memorized the landscape on the journey to Shawnee Town and she's sure she can find her way back by following the river - but there's still the matter of food which becomes scarcer and scarcer as winter begins, and it's a bit gruesome what some folks will do for food,
"There were not even any worms now. There was no soil at the river’s edge, only rock. And up the slopes; the ground had hardened with cold; if there were earthworms in it, they had burrowed deep."
Mary Ingels and her story is a true one and you can read more about her on the internet if you care to spoil yourself. I enjoyed this book, and found Mary's story fascinating, but take fair warning - this is not the book for everyone. Mary faces some very difficult decisions before setting out, decisions that might not sit well with some readers. The conditions on the return trip and what Mary and Ghetel are forced to endure and things they are forced to eat are not pretty, and the author doesn't pull any punches sugar-coating it. 4/5 stars.
FTC, Kindle edition obtained via library loan.
April 1, 2008
This is one of the best books I've ever read. I read it once when I was a young teen, and again last year as an adult. The book stayed with me all these years. It's a true story about a young woman during the French and Indian War who witnesses much of her family and village massacred and then is taken by Indians. Her husband, who is working in the fields, witnesses everything but is unable to stop it. With her two young sons, who were spared, and a baby due any day, she travels hundreds of miles on horseback and foot to the Indian camp, then has to make a heart-wrenching decision - stay and marry an Indian, even as her two sons are taken away to another Indian camp, or leave her baby in the care of another Indian woman and travel on foot with nothing but a tomahawk and the clothes on her back back to her home and husband. Her journey is amazing, especially knowing it actually happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2009
3 1/2 stars, really
The most amazing thing about this story is that it really happened. In 1755, Mary Ingles was captured by the Shawnee and taken to Ohio or thereabouts. After a couple of months, she escaped along with an old Dutch woman. With winter coming on and virtually no food/clothing/shoes, they made their way over very difficult terrain back to Virginia, where Mary was reunited with her husband. They traveled about 1,000 miles.
The only thing I couldn't figure out was how she managed this trip without dying of hypothermia.
This author is a meticulous researcher. His historical fiction is impressive. In preparation for writing the book, he actually spent several weeks following the terrain Mary Ingles traveled, so the details of the ordeal felt very real.
The majority of this book was worthy of four stars. However, there was one long chunk of the book that really got old after awhile. I know he was showing how long and arduous and debilitating the journey was, but reading about the dailiness got on my nerves sometimes. (Same reason I don't care for books about long sea voyages.)
The most amazing thing about this story is that it really happened. In 1755, Mary Ingles was captured by the Shawnee and taken to Ohio or thereabouts. After a couple of months, she escaped along with an old Dutch woman. With winter coming on and virtually no food/clothing/shoes, they made their way over very difficult terrain back to Virginia, where Mary was reunited with her husband. They traveled about 1,000 miles.
The only thing I couldn't figure out was how she managed this trip without dying of hypothermia.
This author is a meticulous researcher. His historical fiction is impressive. In preparation for writing the book, he actually spent several weeks following the terrain Mary Ingles traveled, so the details of the ordeal felt very real.
The majority of this book was worthy of four stars. However, there was one long chunk of the book that really got old after awhile. I know he was showing how long and arduous and debilitating the journey was, but reading about the dailiness got on my nerves sometimes. (Same reason I don't care for books about long sea voyages.)
July 26, 2012
I listened to “Follow the River” by James Alexander Thom with my husband. We were both fascinated by this fictitious account of the kidnapping of Mary Draper Ingles by Shawnee Indians in 1755. Living in Draper’s Meadow, Virginia, Mary, possibly pregnant at the time, her two sons, Thomas (4) and George (2), and her sister-in-law Betty, and a male neighbor were ambushed and taken captive. Mary gave birth to a daughter as the Shawnees traveled with the captives along the Ohio River finally coming to their village. Here, Mary and her sons were separated. Mary eventually is brought to Big Bone Lick, Kentucky and it is here that she decides she must escape and find her way back home to Virginia and her husband, Will. Along with another captive woman known as “old Dutch woman”, Mary begins the journey home, over 500 miles of wooded terrain with little food or supplies. If this doesn’t attest to the human spirit I don’t know what does?
We both loved the story and if we had any complaint is that it was a bit too long, the author explaining the happenings of each of the over 40 days Mary and Getel were on their journey. Perhaps this was his intent, as this was no small feat and no easy trip, and our wanting to get to the end could be nothing to compare with Mary’s want for the same.
The narrator, David Drummond, does a nice job in capturing the mood and the characters. There are author notes included on the last disc outlining what is known about the fate of all, the real Mary Draper Ingels, and why he chose to write his novel the way he did. I think he gives fair representation to the Shawnee and their point of view. His decisions in the narration offer many discussion points and I found myself debating some of these with my husband. We chalked some up to male/female differences on how we see motherhood, home and family.
This is another book that makes you want to do research, not only about Mary but the others that were taken captive during the French & Indian War and other Indian raids. You want to cheer for the survivors though they often feel guilt for that survival, and mourn for those who perish.
We both loved the story and if we had any complaint is that it was a bit too long, the author explaining the happenings of each of the over 40 days Mary and Getel were on their journey. Perhaps this was his intent, as this was no small feat and no easy trip, and our wanting to get to the end could be nothing to compare with Mary’s want for the same.
The narrator, David Drummond, does a nice job in capturing the mood and the characters. There are author notes included on the last disc outlining what is known about the fate of all, the real Mary Draper Ingels, and why he chose to write his novel the way he did. I think he gives fair representation to the Shawnee and their point of view. His decisions in the narration offer many discussion points and I found myself debating some of these with my husband. We chalked some up to male/female differences on how we see motherhood, home and family.
This is another book that makes you want to do research, not only about Mary but the others that were taken captive during the French & Indian War and other Indian raids. You want to cheer for the survivors though they often feel guilt for that survival, and mourn for those who perish.
February 6, 2008
I happened upon this book through the band in which I play. One of the songs we perform (written by one of my bandmates) was inspired by this book, which tells of the story of Mary Ingles (no relation to Laura Ingalls Wilder), who was kidnapped, along with her children, in a Shawnee indian raid on her village in Virginia in the late 1700's. She was taken to an area of Kentucky near Cincinatti, and, along with a Dutch woman named Gretel, escaped the Indian encampment (leaving her son and newly born daughter) and followed the river, along the Ohio and myriad other rivers, through the Allegheny mountains, back to her home in Virginia. That feat is amazing in itself, but Ingles and Gretel made the 1000 mile trek on foot with only a tomahawk and the clothes on their backs.
Thom's book begins quietly enough, but once the raid begins, the tale is epic and near overwhelming in scope. His description of settler and Indian culture, and especially the landscape along Mary and Gretel's trek is detailed and evocative.
I had the good fortune of meeting James Thom last October in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, as well as his wife, Dark Rain Thom. James Thom told me that his wife was instrumental in getting a fair telling of the tale, as from the Ingles side of the tale, the indians were heathen savages, but with the indian side of the tale told, these raids and kidnappings were part of a retaliation toward the white settlers for similar attacks on their people. The Author's notes at the end of the book are equally as moving in Thom's dedication to telling the story so well (Thom hiked many of the places that Mary Ingles travelled in his research for the book, as well as took accounts from Ingles' descendants to flesh out the story).
Mary Ingels' story of extraordinary strength is gripping, moving and a highly recommended read.
Thom's book begins quietly enough, but once the raid begins, the tale is epic and near overwhelming in scope. His description of settler and Indian culture, and especially the landscape along Mary and Gretel's trek is detailed and evocative.
I had the good fortune of meeting James Thom last October in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, as well as his wife, Dark Rain Thom. James Thom told me that his wife was instrumental in getting a fair telling of the tale, as from the Ingles side of the tale, the indians were heathen savages, but with the indian side of the tale told, these raids and kidnappings were part of a retaliation toward the white settlers for similar attacks on their people. The Author's notes at the end of the book are equally as moving in Thom's dedication to telling the story so well (Thom hiked many of the places that Mary Ingles travelled in his research for the book, as well as took accounts from Ingles' descendants to flesh out the story).
Mary Ingels' story of extraordinary strength is gripping, moving and a highly recommended read.
September 23, 2024
This historical fiction novel takes place in western Virginia during the French and Indian War. A Shawnee war party attacks and massacres a group of Irish settlers and kidnaps some - including the hero, Mary Ingles. The outline of this story is true and the author fills in the blanks very well. I admire that he did not ignore the dark questions readers might have about uncomfortable scenes. For example, why did Mary Ingles abandon her baby when she escaped her captors? And the husband's thoughts about not being able to accept her back if she had been raped by Indians.
The slow agony of her trek home was too prolonged for this reader. After multiple descriptions about being blocked by natural barriers in the rivers, I became impatient. Two or three incidents would have been sufficient to describe this frequent occurrence. I kept peeking ahead (something I rarely do) to see when I could expect this journey to FINALLY end and the aftermath of her ordeal.
The slow agony of her trek home was too prolonged for this reader. After multiple descriptions about being blocked by natural barriers in the rivers, I became impatient. Two or three incidents would have been sufficient to describe this frequent occurrence. I kept peeking ahead (something I rarely do) to see when I could expect this journey to FINALLY end and the aftermath of her ordeal.
November 30, 2008
It's gruesome at times, but such a powerful, realistic retelling of an incredible, true story. It really moved me and I'm sure I will read it again. Mary Ingles is one of my heroes now!
July 5, 2016
This was a book, along with others by Thom, that I read decades ago, but I did remember parts of it and wanted to read it again. Happening very early, before the USA formed as a separate country- and with the protagonist, a woman- it was and is "different" to the more common period pieces.
It's brutal as life was. And it's fiction, but based on a real life woman's history of being kidnapped and then returning to her own people eventually by a long on foot trip down a 1000 mile river. This time I did not read slowly, but skimmed parts. I was surprised by the length of pages for the return trip and the starvation lengths of the tale- I had forgotten how severe and stark that was. Quite apart from the terrible losses she suffered.
He really portrayed a feeling for that place and time and person. Quite well. In the sensibilities too, survival demands you "forget" about the amounts of emotive energy expelled that are not productive. M. Ingles was a true survivor. His tales are epic and he registers history and events as they occur with detail- Thom does not interpret the history to blame or causes. Or to some theory of progressions for a fit. Sometimes the tale is as crude or stark as it can be filled with natural bounty description.
It's brutal as life was. And it's fiction, but based on a real life woman's history of being kidnapped and then returning to her own people eventually by a long on foot trip down a 1000 mile river. This time I did not read slowly, but skimmed parts. I was surprised by the length of pages for the return trip and the starvation lengths of the tale- I had forgotten how severe and stark that was. Quite apart from the terrible losses she suffered.
He really portrayed a feeling for that place and time and person. Quite well. In the sensibilities too, survival demands you "forget" about the amounts of emotive energy expelled that are not productive. M. Ingles was a true survivor. His tales are epic and he registers history and events as they occur with detail- Thom does not interpret the history to blame or causes. Or to some theory of progressions for a fit. Sometimes the tale is as crude or stark as it can be filled with natural bounty description.
November 4, 2024
I should preface this by saying that I love westerns. I have read and own almost every Louis L'amour book published*, and I find myself lingering in the (sadly dwindling) western section of bookstores. That said, it is rather rare to find a really well-written western novel nowadays; even more rare to find one with a strong female protagonist. It is all the more exciting when you come across one that is as suspenseful and moving as "Follow the River" by James Alexander Thom, especially when you realize that it is a novel based loosely on a true story: Mary Ingles, a pioneer woman kidnapped by Shawnee after a horrific attack on her small settlement, managed to escape and traverse hundreds of miles down the Ohio River back to civilization. This is a great read, one that I found difficult to put down.
*Not even close to a true statement...
*Not even close to a true statement...
May 12, 2022
WALKS FAR WOMAN
After my disappointment with the book, “She Walks These Hills,” which book I read because I wished to learn about Katie Wyler, I found this book. Katie had escaped from the Indians in the 1700s and had walked around 1000 miles through the wilderness to get to her home. Mary Ingalls, of this book, had done the same, even the date and the milage were the same. Same woman? Also, both had left their babies, but how this came about was different. Mary had a travel companion. The story of Katie was very brief with few details; the story of Mary was long and hard going.
To think that I almost gave up on this book because of the violence. It was just too graphic for me. Then I began skimming. Next, I learned that this story was based on the true story of Mary Ingalls and was written by her son, which book is still available. My interest was renewed.
Spoilers***When Mary was being carried off by the Shawnee Indians, she took note of the trail and its scenery. When she escaped, she left her young son and her baby. All she thought about was getting home to her husband who she loved dearly. Yet, leaving her children wasn’t easy. I thought about this action: Shouldn’t a woman stay with her children? Would I have left my own? I don’t know because I never had children. I could only see myself walking 1000 miles to be with my own husband. Also, her children were being well cared for, and her son was adapting to the Indian way of life.
When Mary left, she took another woman with her, an elderly woman. They only had a blanket each and an axe. Summer was almost over, and I thought of the winter ahead, the cold. I thought of the wild beasts that would wish to kill me for food, and I thought of the long nights on the hard ground. Also, food. I sometimes wondered if they would have been better off staying with the Indians, but then I felt that her husband should have come to find her.
After my disappointment with the book, “She Walks These Hills,” which book I read because I wished to learn about Katie Wyler, I found this book. Katie had escaped from the Indians in the 1700s and had walked around 1000 miles through the wilderness to get to her home. Mary Ingalls, of this book, had done the same, even the date and the milage were the same. Same woman? Also, both had left their babies, but how this came about was different. Mary had a travel companion. The story of Katie was very brief with few details; the story of Mary was long and hard going.
To think that I almost gave up on this book because of the violence. It was just too graphic for me. Then I began skimming. Next, I learned that this story was based on the true story of Mary Ingalls and was written by her son, which book is still available. My interest was renewed.
Spoilers***When Mary was being carried off by the Shawnee Indians, she took note of the trail and its scenery. When she escaped, she left her young son and her baby. All she thought about was getting home to her husband who she loved dearly. Yet, leaving her children wasn’t easy. I thought about this action: Shouldn’t a woman stay with her children? Would I have left my own? I don’t know because I never had children. I could only see myself walking 1000 miles to be with my own husband. Also, her children were being well cared for, and her son was adapting to the Indian way of life.
When Mary left, she took another woman with her, an elderly woman. They only had a blanket each and an axe. Summer was almost over, and I thought of the winter ahead, the cold. I thought of the wild beasts that would wish to kill me for food, and I thought of the long nights on the hard ground. Also, food. I sometimes wondered if they would have been better off staying with the Indians, but then I felt that her husband should have come to find her.
January 11, 2010
Maybe one star is a bit harsh. But I would not read this book again, unless I was abducted by Indians and they were threatening to burn me at the stake. Mary Ingles' story is compelling - knowing that it was based on a true story made it hard to put down, but I kept hoping Mary would get a moment of peace somewhere along the way. She didn't. It was suffering, suffering, and yet more gruesome suffering. I think I need three or four straight happy novels to get over it. It does have a happy ending. Mary survives all in order to get home to her love (and he is waiting for her) . . . but before that there are 400 looooong pages of suffering.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2024
An absolutely riveting book! Some of the characters in it were actually related to my husband's family so after I read it it was passed on to many others all of whom raved about it!
100 times better than the movie of the same title!
100 times better than the movie of the same title!
August 11, 2013
This book frustrated me- Although it is based on a true story, it is clearly written by a man. ..... There was and extreme lack of womanly/motherly emotion described in events that would more than evoke such feelings from the main character, and it left her(in my eyes) less realistic and relateable(despite the fact this really did happen)........My mother made me read this one, and although it got off to a decent start, I lost interest and desire to continue reading by about page 175, and felt at that point in the story, it lacked motive to continue for another 250+ pages. I was curious though about this woman's survival story in history, so I finished it, but was not altogether pleased with my spent time! It was also a tad too violent for me- It contained some very dreary and descriptive parts of things that occured during some of the indian raids on American settlers-I'm obviously a baby, because I found my self skipping a couple paragraphs every now and then to avoid these disturbing details of violence. I just can't handle it when it's happening to children-So sad.
So I guess this book was "okay" but it's not a book I would tell a friend to read if they were to ask! ;)
So I guess this book was "okay" but it's not a book I would tell a friend to read if they were to ask! ;)
July 12, 2015
This was FANTASTC!! I stayed up to 3:30 am to finish it last night. Could not stop reading. I have a thing for this time period so I really liked it. What made it even better for me was that it was a true story. Unbelievable what the heroine went through.
July 22, 2008
I read this for book club. I never would have picked it up on my own. The writing is not great, but the story (based on fact) is gripping and I'm still thinking about it a year after reading it.
December 4, 2022
I can hardly imagine the stamina, sheer will and determination one needs to possess to live through an Indian raid and massacre, to watch family be slaughtered, and to walk 43 days and thousands of miles through wilderness, mountains and repeated crossings of the Ohio River and tributaries to get back to remaining family. I had not previously heard of the true story of Mary Draper Ingles before reading this book. I love reading books about strong characters and indomitable perseverance. Armed at the start of her journey with a few implements and on the last day with nothing, imagining what she had to eat (when there was something to eat) and the role her courage and faith played in her arduous journey, I am in awe.
I’m really looking forward to our book club discussion about the hard choices Mary needed to make to survive. In my opinion, while impossible to judge unless you were in such a harrowing situation, it will definitely be a lively debate.
I’m really looking forward to our book club discussion about the hard choices Mary needed to make to survive. In my opinion, while impossible to judge unless you were in such a harrowing situation, it will definitely be a lively debate.
September 20, 2010
This novel is based on the true story of Mary Ingles, a young frontier woman living in western Virginia in the 1750s at the onset of the French and Indian War. Their settlement was at the far fringes of colonial development and vulnerable to attack from the Shawnee Indians. Many in her settlement were massacred, but Mary, very pregnant and about to give birth, her sister-in-law, her two young sons and another man from the community were kidnapped and taken deep into Shawnee territory well beyond any place that English settlers had ever ventured.
This is the story about what happens when she is living with the Shawnees and how she escapes and finds her way back to her beloved husband where she then renews her life living well into old age. She endures far beyond what would be thought to be survivable during those six weeks of walking home. Her strength, fortitude and determination are both inspiring and heartbreaking. As a reader you share her triumphs, her sorrows, her pain and suffering and her dreams to ultimately find her way home against absolutely insurmountable odds. Wow, what a story. I just do not think that many men or women today would have that kind of frontier spirit.
I would highly recommend this book. It is great historical fiction and I will definitely read more books by this author.
This is the story about what happens when she is living with the Shawnees and how she escapes and finds her way back to her beloved husband where she then renews her life living well into old age. She endures far beyond what would be thought to be survivable during those six weeks of walking home. Her strength, fortitude and determination are both inspiring and heartbreaking. As a reader you share her triumphs, her sorrows, her pain and suffering and her dreams to ultimately find her way home against absolutely insurmountable odds. Wow, what a story. I just do not think that many men or women today would have that kind of frontier spirit.
I would highly recommend this book. It is great historical fiction and I will definitely read more books by this author.
March 19, 2015
Even though this is listed as historical fiction, it is actually based on a true survival story of a woman named Mary Ingles (no, not Little House on the Prairie) who was captured by Indians in the 1700's. I read this for book club, plus, I have always wanted to read it.
Some stories take a while to set up, but not this one. From the first page I was pulled in. It started off perfectly and I wondered why I hadn't read it before now. The characters were easy to like, even Gretel. I was really captured by Mary's story. She was a young mother and just the thought that she had to endure the kidnapping, her new life and her escape was hard enough, but the fact that so did her children really tugged on the heart strings. She had no power to protect them.
There were some parts during her escape, that I started thinking, "Okay already....Enough. Let's move on." I felt there was enough info given to get the picture, but it seemed to go on and on about certain aspects. So, the repetition was a little irksome.
However, overall, I enjoyed this story.
Some stories take a while to set up, but not this one. From the first page I was pulled in. It started off perfectly and I wondered why I hadn't read it before now. The characters were easy to like, even Gretel. I was really captured by Mary's story. She was a young mother and just the thought that she had to endure the kidnapping, her new life and her escape was hard enough, but the fact that so did her children really tugged on the heart strings. She had no power to protect them.
There were some parts during her escape, that I started thinking, "Okay already....Enough. Let's move on." I felt there was enough info given to get the picture, but it seemed to go on and on about certain aspects. So, the repetition was a little irksome.
However, overall, I enjoyed this story.
January 16, 2022
This is quite a story! Seriously do not read directly before during or after dining. Heads, actual heads, roll.
Okay, now we can talk.
The story is VERY violent during the capture of Mary’s family and her captivity. In fact terrifying.
What follows in the choices Mary must make are heartbreaking.
However the real spirit of the story is Mary’s 1000 mile trek back to William.
I will never forget how both William and Mary humbled themselves to strengthen their marriage.
This is a read between the lines to find your own story in the pages. It’s one I won’t soon forget.
5 stars = This is a lifetime favorite of this I’m certain. There is much to be learned by every reader and that will be different for each reader.
Okay, now we can talk.
The story is VERY violent during the capture of Mary’s family and her captivity. In fact terrifying.
What follows in the choices Mary must make are heartbreaking.
However the real spirit of the story is Mary’s 1000 mile trek back to William.
I will never forget how both William and Mary humbled themselves to strengthen their marriage.
This is a read between the lines to find your own story in the pages. It’s one I won’t soon forget.
5 stars = This is a lifetime favorite of this I’m certain. There is much to be learned by every reader and that will be different for each reader.
February 6, 2009
I read this book from a recommendation of a book club and friend. Mary is a mother and is kidnapped
by Native Americans when whites were settling the West. It is a true story of a woman that truly survived what no human should ever have to survive. I wish I would have passed on this book because it seriously gave me nightmares. It was an amazing story of survival, I am pretty sure I would have died if put in that situation. I still get scary feelings (those of you have read it will understand), because I hear this voice (in a German accent of course) in my head from the book "Mary, Where are you?"(creepy).
by Native Americans when whites were settling the West. It is a true story of a woman that truly survived what no human should ever have to survive. I wish I would have passed on this book because it seriously gave me nightmares. It was an amazing story of survival, I am pretty sure I would have died if put in that situation. I still get scary feelings (those of you have read it will understand), because I hear this voice (in a German accent of course) in my head from the book "Mary, Where are you?"(creepy).
February 8, 2022
A gripping tale based on the true account of Mary Ingles, a young mother kidnapped by raiding Shawnee warriors. Her journey is truly miraculous. Extremely well written. Highly recommend!
August 29, 2022
2.5
The story is more exciting in the beginning, with the interplay between Mary and the Shawnee, but infinitely more tolerable once Mary and Ghetel (Gretel) escape to make their way through the wilderness. When Mary is alone with her companion, her grit and determination shine through. Whenever she interacts with the Shawnee, or during the brief chapters that focus on her husband, the reader is plunged back into caricature and stereotype. The Natives are brutal or drunk, and any achievements or comforts are described as shocking in light of their savagery. The white men can’t conceive of not wanting to rape a woman themselves, and while they *might* be able to resist temptation, certainly the godless heathens would give in to their carnal appetites.
If I had encountered this as a teen in the late ‘90s, there’s no doubt in my mind I would have loved it. Florid descriptions, vivid and gory reality, an intrepid young woman living by wits and persistence alone, all of it would have appealed. But as a forty-year-old reader who appreciates the one-sidedness of U.S. history in the face of actual complexities, there was a lot of cringe mixed in with this survival story. While the author admits that captivity narratives functioned as both entertainment and propaganda during the 18th century, and there are some brief nods to the fact that the Native Americans had been unceremoniously shunted off their land, the main themes lean into traditional white-focused U.S. history. This includes a decent helping of George Washington hero-worship and commentary on his divine favor.
Other pieces of the story that had me giving the side eye: Mary’s early decision that being “dignified” would impress her captors. This brought to mind the “dignity” montage from Singing in the Rain (definitely jarring me out of the story). I also can’t help but question the author’s grasp on childbirth and newborns as well. Mary stops bleeding only a few days after giving birth, and then refers to shaking the poop out of her baby’s swaddling cloth. I’m all for acknowledging that not everyone’s experience is the same, but bleeding frequently continues for 4-6 weeks postpartum, and breastfed baby’s bowel movements couldn’t be shook out of anything. The use of “red” to describe the Shawnee would not have been in use for about another decade. And the prevalence of scalping (here portrayed as a trademark of the Shawnee) was catalyzed by the white European use of bounties and the proliferation of weapons that could be used for that purpose.
I did appreciate the lengthy author’s note at the end, that gave brief updates on the way everyone’s lives turned out. It’s clear he did a massive amount of research, and the bones of the story align with what other facts I could find. But even in the note, he talks about Mary’s son being “re-educated” into white ways (heavily implying the uplifting knowledge of white society). So in the end I found Mary’s story both interesting and deeply engaging, but I found myself wishing for a well-done narrative biography instead of the ‘80s fiction treatment.
The story is more exciting in the beginning, with the interplay between Mary and the Shawnee, but infinitely more tolerable once Mary and Ghetel (Gretel) escape to make their way through the wilderness. When Mary is alone with her companion, her grit and determination shine through. Whenever she interacts with the Shawnee, or during the brief chapters that focus on her husband, the reader is plunged back into caricature and stereotype. The Natives are brutal or drunk, and any achievements or comforts are described as shocking in light of their savagery. The white men can’t conceive of not wanting to rape a woman themselves, and while they *might* be able to resist temptation, certainly the godless heathens would give in to their carnal appetites.
If I had encountered this as a teen in the late ‘90s, there’s no doubt in my mind I would have loved it. Florid descriptions, vivid and gory reality, an intrepid young woman living by wits and persistence alone, all of it would have appealed. But as a forty-year-old reader who appreciates the one-sidedness of U.S. history in the face of actual complexities, there was a lot of cringe mixed in with this survival story. While the author admits that captivity narratives functioned as both entertainment and propaganda during the 18th century, and there are some brief nods to the fact that the Native Americans had been unceremoniously shunted off their land, the main themes lean into traditional white-focused U.S. history. This includes a decent helping of George Washington hero-worship and commentary on his divine favor.
Other pieces of the story that had me giving the side eye: Mary’s early decision that being “dignified” would impress her captors. This brought to mind the “dignity” montage from Singing in the Rain (definitely jarring me out of the story). I also can’t help but question the author’s grasp on childbirth and newborns as well. Mary stops bleeding only a few days after giving birth, and then refers to shaking the poop out of her baby’s swaddling cloth. I’m all for acknowledging that not everyone’s experience is the same, but bleeding frequently continues for 4-6 weeks postpartum, and breastfed baby’s bowel movements couldn’t be shook out of anything. The use of “red” to describe the Shawnee would not have been in use for about another decade. And the prevalence of scalping (here portrayed as a trademark of the Shawnee) was catalyzed by the white European use of bounties and the proliferation of weapons that could be used for that purpose.
I did appreciate the lengthy author’s note at the end, that gave brief updates on the way everyone’s lives turned out. It’s clear he did a massive amount of research, and the bones of the story align with what other facts I could find. But even in the note, he talks about Mary’s son being “re-educated” into white ways (heavily implying the uplifting knowledge of white society). So in the end I found Mary’s story both interesting and deeply engaging, but I found myself wishing for a well-done narrative biography instead of the ‘80s fiction treatment.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,784 reviews