To Have and to Hold

To Have and To Hold by Mary Johnson was a bestseller when it was published in 1900. And although the writing is rather dated, it is a story that I loved. I first discovered this book when I was in my teens and although I had forgotten most of it, I remembered enough to know it was a story set in the Virginia colony of Jamestown. This is a story rich in history and the author made good use of Jamestown’s colorful past, making references to both Pocahontas as well as the “Starving Times” of 1609 - 1610 when 80% of the colonists died. This story is set in the 1620’s and includes the March 22nd, 1622 Indian uprising that killed over 300 white settlers in outlying communities. Luckily Jamestown itself was warned in time to be ready show more for the attack.

First and foremost To Have and To Hold is the love story of Ralph Percy, a gentleman planter of Virginia and Lady Jocelyn Leigh, a ward of King James. When faced with being married to a man she hated, she disguised herself as a servant and sailed to the colony with a group of young women who were sent to Jamestown to be brides. Jocelyn and Ralph were married, but she told him her story and their marriage was in name only. Of course, they fall in love but in the meantime, Lord Carnal, her spurned suitor arrives and as he is a favorite of King James, he has the power to drag the couple back to England with Ralph in chains, to face the wrath of the King.

There are many adventures to read of here, from capture by Indians, to a short spell as pirates and swords are drawn more than a few times as Ralph, a truly decent man, fights to support his wife and their marriage. The one aspect of the book that I found a little lacking was that the character of Jocelyn remains undeveloped, we hear of her beauty, her bravery, her compassion, but she mostly appears in the background. She is the prize, the treasure that these two men are fighting for, but this does serve as a reminder of how women were viewed as chattels in these times.

To Have and To Hold was a captivating story written in rather flowery descriptive writing that took a little time to get used to, but was totally worth the effort. show less

The very definition of a plot driven book with pretty stickers for characters - Captain Ralph Percy, cadet of a cadet branch of a noble family a soldier come to Virginia, Lady Jocelyn Leigh who comes to Virginia disguised as a servant prospective bride fleeing Lord Carnal murderous favorite of King James I to whom she was promised. Escapes, duels, pirate adventures, captivity among the savage Indians, war with the Indians.
Our lovely Captain Ralph is an unapologetic slave owner and always refers to the rightful inhabitants of the land as savages - even the one he likes and respects and believes beating his dependents, always excepting his lady wife, is good for them.

"To Have and to Hold" is great historical fiction. There's a reason it was the best seller of 1900 and made into two films by 1922. This review, however, is for the 2006 Vision Forum version by Josh and Sarah Wean...that is, the business plan of taking a successful book from a long dead author and "editing" a few supposedly Christian themes into the storyline. Taking an old work and adding a twist is nothing new, but this Vision Forum edition is often marketed with little warning of the modifications, and it's listed with the original title and same author. From what I know about Mary Johnston, she would not be pleased with what they've done to her work. Here's another Christian theme: Thou shalt not steal.

Touted as "the first romance novel to go #1 on an official bestseller list." Actually a very good story for a "romance novel." Definitely not a bodice-ripper, it was written in 1900 and set in 1621 in the new American colonies. Captain Ralph Percy loses a bet and goes to town to find a wife from the latest shipment of women to arrive from England. The woman he chooses is not what she appears to be, There is a section towards the latter part of the book that could have been cut, but other than that, it was good fun to read.

Mary Johnston's To Have and To Hold, the best-selling novel of 1900 and one of the first historical romances to be published by the new digital imprint Legacy Romance, is a delightful novel sure to appeal to readers of both historical fiction and the historical romance sub-genre.

Set in the Jamestown colony in the early 17th century, only a few years after its establishment, the novel centres around British Army Captain Ralph Percy, a veteran of many battles trying to establish a new life for himself in the colony, a life that doesn't include a wife. Despite his commitment to bachelorhood, the arrival of an English ship full of eligible young women each looking for a husband results in Ralph breaking his vow to stay single when he takes show more one of these young women, Jocelyn Leigh, as his wife. There is more to Jocelyn, however, than meets the eye. To ensure passage of the ship bound for Jamestown, Jocelyn assumes the identify of one of her maids. Her true identify is revealed when her former fiance, Lord Carnal, a close confident of King James I, arrives in Jamestown looking for his intended. It turns out that Jocelyn is a ward of the King. Upon learning this news Ralph is faced with a choice. He can either renounce his marriage and let Lord Carnal return to England with Jocelyn, enabling him to continue on with his life, or he can reaffirm his commitment to his marriage. If he chooses the latter option Ralph would be arrested and sent back to England to await trial for marrying a King's ward without permission. Despite the consequences, Ralph decides to stay married to Jocelyn, the choice preferred by Jocelyn herself. In their efforts to thwart Lord Carnal's continued efforts to win Jocelyn, Ralph and Jocelyn embark upon an adventure that takes them through the wilderness around Jamestown and even out onto the high seas. Will Ralph and Jocelyn outfox Lord Carnal or will the wily nobleman win out in the end? Will their escapades result in the blossoming of real love or will they end up despising one another?

The greatest strength of To Have and To Hold rests with the characters. As a couple, Ralph and Jocelyn are easy to root for. By choosing to stand by Jocelyn's side in the face or Lord Carnal's demands that she return to England, Ralph easily endears himself to readers. He certainly endeared himself to me. As for Jocelyn, she proves time and again that she is more than just a pretty face by refusing to give in to Lord Carnal's demands, and by toughing it out in the unknown wilderness and on board ship without complaint. The novel's secondary characters are also solid, particularly Ralph's servant Diccon and his friend Jeremy Sparrow, both of whom are the source of many memorable moments in the story. As the novel's principal antagonist, Lord Carnal proves himself a worthy adversary and is easy to dislike. The story itself moves along quickly and smoothly, and there is never a dull moment. I started each chapter in eager anticipation of what it would hold for the hero and heroine. Given over 100 years have past since To Have and To Hold was originally published in 1900, Johnston's prose does take some getting used to, especially for those used to reading modern historical fiction. While I often made use of the novel's glossary and my Kindle's dictionary to discover the meaning of some of the more archaic words and expressions littered throughout the story, overall I felt the dated nature of the prose gives the story an authentic feel. While the romantic element of this book is very tame by the standards of most of today's historical romance novels, I thought the love story between Ralph and Jocelyn to be sweet and reminiscent of some of the romances featured in my favourite works of classical literature.

Note: A copy of this novel was provided to me by Legacy Romance in return for an impartial and honest review. show less

This was the bestselling novel in the U.S. in 1900.

In early 17th-century Virginia, Lady Jocelyn Leigh arrives as part of a shipload of eligible brides disguised as her maid, Patience Worth. She'd taken the opportunity presented when Patience got cold feet to escape a forced marriage to the king's favorite, Lord Carnal.

Captain Ralph Percy wasn't intending to join the throng of men meeting the ship to find a bride, but his friends persuade him he needs a wife, so he goes, but mostly just hangs back, observing.

Until Patience Worth is assaulted by an overeager suitor, and Captain Percy comes to her rescue. They're married by the quirky minister, Jeremy Sparrow, who later becomes their friend and companion in adventure, then they set off show more for Captain Percy's home.

In her defense, Jocelyn is honest with him. She explains her situation and tells him she married him for protection from Lord Carnal. And in true historical romance tradition (obviously I was remiss in thinking this was a modern plot device!), she declines to sleep with him, and he's too much of a gentleman to push the issue.

Eventually, Lord Carnal shows up, searching for her, and the adventure is on. Captain Percy won't give her up, whether it's because he's fallen in love with her as the book cover says, or whether it's a matter of extreme devotion to duty, which is how I read it--she's his wife, therefore he protects her, period--he faces certain death, if not outright from Lord Carnal, then from the law when he's charged with treason for thwarting the king's wishes.

Nor is Lord Carnal the only danger they face--there's also an Indian uprising to contend with.

To Have and to Hold was for me much more readable than the last old book I read. It was told in first person from Captain Percy's point of view, with amusing chapter headings. Most likely, it's my pitiful education in history which makes me surprised when a book written over 100 years ago isn't dry and completely serious. The adventure is a bit over-the-top, but it's an adventure story, and not any more unbelievable than ones written today.

The writing style is, of course, not modern, and there were even some words I didn't recognize--whether they were common 100 years ago or the result of the book's historical setting, I don't know.

Early 17th-century America is not a setting I'm at all familiar with, so that was interesting as well. I enjoyed the glimpse into that time period. What To Have and to Hold being the bestselling book of 1900 says about America of 1900, I don't know, but it gives me an interesting impression. show less

This book was required reading for me my senior year in high school. My teacher loved it. I wasn't as thrilled.

The story is okay. I definitely wasn't one for any romance at that time in my life. The Jamestown setting was interesting.

'Od's blood! It was not my cup of tea.