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Paul Christopher #6
The Bride of the Wilderness
In early 18th-century America, London-born Fanny and the French soldier Philippe (ancestors of McCarrys famous recurring spy Paul Christopher) brave savage Indians and other adventures.
544 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 1988
73 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
Charles McCarry
30 books319 followersMcCarry served in the United States Army, where he was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, was a small-town newspaperman, and was a speechwriter in the Eisenhower administration. From 1958 to 1967 he worked for the CIA, under deep cover in Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, his cover was not as a writer or journalist.
McCarry was editor-at-large for National Geographic and contributed pieces to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other national publications.
McCarry was best known for a series of books concerning the life of super spy Paul Christopher. Born in Germany before WWII to a German mother and an American father, Christopher joins the CIA after the war and becomes one of its most effective spies. After launching an unauthorized investigation of the Kennedy assassination, Christopher becomes a pariah to the agency and a hunted man. Eventually, he spends ten years in a Chinese prison before being released and embarking on a solution to the mystery that has haunted him his entire life: the fate of his mother, who disappeared at the beginning of WWII. The books are notable for their historical detail and depiction of spycraft, as well as their careful and extensive examination of Christopher's relationship with his family, friends, wives, and lovers.
McCarry was editor-at-large for National Geographic and contributed pieces to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other national publications.
McCarry was best known for a series of books concerning the life of super spy Paul Christopher. Born in Germany before WWII to a German mother and an American father, Christopher joins the CIA after the war and becomes one of its most effective spies. After launching an unauthorized investigation of the Kennedy assassination, Christopher becomes a pariah to the agency and a hunted man. Eventually, he spends ten years in a Chinese prison before being released and embarking on a solution to the mystery that has haunted him his entire life: the fate of his mother, who disappeared at the beginning of WWII. The books are notable for their historical detail and depiction of spycraft, as well as their careful and extensive examination of Christopher's relationship with his family, friends, wives, and lovers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 24, 2010
McCarry is best known for his political novels and for a series of espionage novels focusing on the Christopher family.
One day he decided to sit down and write a historical novel about the founding of that family, set in the early eighteenth century in London, Canada, and the wilderness that would one day be Connecticut. The title is silly, but in fact there is an incredible love story ('incredible' just doesn't do it, and I would insert a lot more adjectives here but I'm holding back) at the heart of this novel, but its scope is broad. It is, simply put, one of my all time favorite historical novels.
The story (set in late 17th century English, Connecticut, and Canada) centers around a young woman, Fanny, half French, half English. After her father dies, she accompanies her godfather, Oliver Barebones, when he goes to colonies to claim an inheritance of property in Connecticut.
At this time there was a lot of hostility and violence between French and British forces, each allied with different tribes. Philippe de Saint-Christophe is a French officer closely allied with the Abenacki. Fanny and Philippe cross paths more than once in traumatic circumstances, and when she ends up in Canada the connection deepens.
There are multiple secondary characters who are so well drawn that each of them deserves a stand-alone novel, most especially Oliver Barebones's wife: young, beautiful, self absorbed in an unusual way.
Noted: McCarry doesn't pull punches and there is some graphic violence.
One day he decided to sit down and write a historical novel about the founding of that family, set in the early eighteenth century in London, Canada, and the wilderness that would one day be Connecticut. The title is silly, but in fact there is an incredible love story ('incredible' just doesn't do it, and I would insert a lot more adjectives here but I'm holding back) at the heart of this novel, but its scope is broad. It is, simply put, one of my all time favorite historical novels.
The story (set in late 17th century English, Connecticut, and Canada) centers around a young woman, Fanny, half French, half English. After her father dies, she accompanies her godfather, Oliver Barebones, when he goes to colonies to claim an inheritance of property in Connecticut.
At this time there was a lot of hostility and violence between French and British forces, each allied with different tribes. Philippe de Saint-Christophe is a French officer closely allied with the Abenacki. Fanny and Philippe cross paths more than once in traumatic circumstances, and when she ends up in Canada the connection deepens.
There are multiple secondary characters who are so well drawn that each of them deserves a stand-alone novel, most especially Oliver Barebones's wife: young, beautiful, self absorbed in an unusual way.
Noted: McCarry doesn't pull punches and there is some graphic violence.
August 2, 2013
I couldn't decide if this was a 3 or 4 as it definitely fell somewhere between there, but I was feeling generous, so I went with a 4.
First of all, I should say that the blurb for this book is very misleading.
In early 18th-century America, London-born Fanny and the French soldier Philippe (ancestors of McCarrys famous recurring spy Paul Christopher) brave savage Indians and other adventures.
This description suggests this book is more of a romance about Fanny and Philippe. In reality the two of them dont' even become the major characters until the last 100 pages or so. Up until then the book is more in the nature of an epic, in that it follows a large cast of characters whose lives and paths alternatingly diverge and come together again and again.
The story starts with Fanny's father and best friend, Oliver, as kids, then Fanny's childhood and upbringing and finally leading to Oliver's wedding to Rose. Rose and Oliver are two of the major players throughout the book, and later Ash, his wife, Hawkes, Thoughtful, Two Suns, Used to be Bears and many others. Its a large scale family story, ultimately ending with Fanny and Philippe beginning their life together, and thereby starting the line of Christophers that ends with the hero of McCarry's contemporary thrillers. Unfortunately, this focus on Fanny and Philippe at the end, was to the exclusion of McCarry finishing off many of the other plot lines that he had started. The end result is a book that is historical fiction for the first 80% and historical "romance" for the last 20%.
The writing is very strong though as McCarry successfully conveyed his sense of time and place in both England and colonial America. I could see and feel the squalor of London that could breed the conditions of a plague-ravaged country and see the forests of beech trees that made up the beautiful, untamed and untouched wilderness of 18th century America.
The histories of many of the characters of this book were interesting, fully developed and engaging. I surprisingly liked learning about Henry and Oliver's childhood friendship, Thoughtful's adoption by the Algonquins, Marie-Dominique and Philippe's game of Spy and more. It was not the story that I was expecting, but it was well-written all the same.
First of all, I should say that the blurb for this book is very misleading.
In early 18th-century America, London-born Fanny and the French soldier Philippe (ancestors of McCarrys famous recurring spy Paul Christopher) brave savage Indians and other adventures.
This description suggests this book is more of a romance about Fanny and Philippe. In reality the two of them dont' even become the major characters until the last 100 pages or so. Up until then the book is more in the nature of an epic, in that it follows a large cast of characters whose lives and paths alternatingly diverge and come together again and again.
The story starts with Fanny's father and best friend, Oliver, as kids, then Fanny's childhood and upbringing and finally leading to Oliver's wedding to Rose. Rose and Oliver are two of the major players throughout the book, and later Ash, his wife, Hawkes, Thoughtful, Two Suns, Used to be Bears and many others. Its a large scale family story, ultimately ending with Fanny and Philippe beginning their life together, and thereby starting the line of Christophers that ends with the hero of McCarry's contemporary thrillers. Unfortunately, this focus on Fanny and Philippe at the end, was to the exclusion of McCarry finishing off many of the other plot lines that he had started. The end result is a book that is historical fiction for the first 80% and historical "romance" for the last 20%.
The writing is very strong though as McCarry successfully conveyed his sense of time and place in both England and colonial America. I could see and feel the squalor of London that could breed the conditions of a plague-ravaged country and see the forests of beech trees that made up the beautiful, untamed and untouched wilderness of 18th century America.
The histories of many of the characters of this book were interesting, fully developed and engaging. I surprisingly liked learning about Henry and Oliver's childhood friendship, Thoughtful's adoption by the Algonquins, Marie-Dominique and Philippe's game of Spy and more. It was not the story that I was expecting, but it was well-written all the same.
November 12, 2021
This is indeed a remarkable novel in that acclaimed espionage author Charles McCarry (who also wrote one quite decent sci-fi novel) has written here a long novel set in the last l5 years of the 17th century and has accomplished this genre-changing feat superbly. I have read all of McCarry's books over the years, Others herein will deal with the plot, I as usual, won't. This is a long novel and for me was a slow read but that is NOT a criticism...the book is so solid, the narrative so interesting, that a few pages constituted a large literary "portion." The first quarter of the book is set in England; the remainder in British colonial America with a part in French colonial America ("New France.) Some will say this novel is a "romance" - while a romance certainly is a major part of the story it is only a part. Rather this is an epic...almost Dickensian, which brings to life vividly the characters and what it was like to live then. In addition to its superb literary qualities I was struck by the stupendous amount of research McCarry did on the time period...you'll learn exactly how middle and lower class people lived, what they ate, wore, thought, worshiped, the appalling state of medicine, the entrenched class consciousness, the unbelievably harsh conditions attached to living in rural New England, and of great interest, the still pervasive utter religious hatred between Protestants and Catholics...almost 150 years after the Reformation first occurred. McCarry does not sugarcoat the primitive brutality of the American Indians who were, as you will read, NOT the now sugar-coated poor, suffering "indigenous people" devoid of all failings but rather exactly as Thomas Jefferson no less 80 years later described them in the Declaration of Independence, "merciless savages." (This is not to gainsay the later wrongs white Americans did perpetrate on Indians; it is however to face historical facts in the face as McCarry does) This is a wonderful book I heartily recommend..it will stick with you.
March 28, 2014
I had a problem with this book that could have been a deal breaker - the main character, who is too perfect for words. Not once did I find myself caring about her or what happened to her. And her love interest? The same thing - in fact I could see no reason why she should love him at all, and I never once found myself rooting for them to get together.
With that being said, I still enjoyed the book. The story itself was interesting, but what really saved it were the side characters. Rose especially, who is delightfully crazy - if there even is such a thing? All the side characters were interesting in their own way though, so much so that I found myself hurrying through the Fanny parts to get back to Rose and Oliver and Thoughtful and Ash and all the rest.
A good read if you like historical fiction, if you are looking for a good romance, eh, not so much.
With that being said, I still enjoyed the book. The story itself was interesting, but what really saved it were the side characters. Rose especially, who is delightfully crazy - if there even is such a thing? All the side characters were interesting in their own way though, so much so that I found myself hurrying through the Fanny parts to get back to Rose and Oliver and Thoughtful and Ash and all the rest.
A good read if you like historical fiction, if you are looking for a good romance, eh, not so much.
July 3, 2023
Charles McCarry, better known for his spy novels (featuring Paul Christopher as an American George Smiley), spins a yarn of Colonial America to tell the tale of Paul Christopher's ancestors.
Fast paced, literate, and compelling, The Bride of the Wilderness deserves to be better known. In the tradition of Last of the Mohicans, Drums Along the Mohawk, and Northwest Passage, this is one of the best Colonial Westerns ever written
Fast paced, literate, and compelling, The Bride of the Wilderness deserves to be better known. In the tradition of Last of the Mohicans, Drums Along the Mohawk, and Northwest Passage, this is one of the best Colonial Westerns ever written
November 9, 2019
Fascinating and spellbinding epic that tells the roots of the Christopher family, 200 years before the rest of the series. Having read one of the later, contemporary volumes, this came as a complete surprise. The early settlement of America, the Indian culture, and the French-English conflicts are brought vividly to life. An exceptionally fine read.
May 27, 2014
I loved this book. It has everything: drama, action, romance, and a seemingly authentic historical representation of life in early America without ridiculous politically-correct anachronisms all too common in historical fiction (and non-fiction, actually).
July 7, 2020
I am a huge McCarry fan having discovered him while reading his obit in the LA Times. I read a couple of his books and resolved to read them all. I have enjoyed them very much with a couple exceptions. This book, The Bride of the Wilderness, is one of those exceptions. It details the ancestry of Paul Christopher who is the central character in the spy series. This is book 6 in the series. Seems odd that the story of Paul's ancestry falls in the middle of the series. The story is set in the 1600s in England and moves to a young America. Fanny is the daughter of the patriarch Henry Harding and his best Friend, Oliver. Henry dies early and Oliver vows to look after his god daughter, Fanny. The plot drifts and several new characters enter the story causing some confusion. In America, they interface with several Indian tribes. Fanny ultimately meets Philippe and they court and marry. McCarry paints a vivid picture of the landscape in New England in those frontier days, some of it nasty and graphic. My favorite character is a man of the woods named Hawkes. He is huge and is at home in the wilderness with his three wolf dogs. Fanny and Philippe are Paul Christopher's ancestors and have strong personalities and DNA, which they passed down the generations to Paul. McCarry's writing is lyrical and his attention to research is obvious. Since his books on spy tradecraft hooked me, I was disappointed to read this ancestral piece in the middle of the contemporary world of espionage.
March 28, 2018
I'm reading the last few published works of Charles McCarry. I truly loved the espionage works involving the Christopher family, and this book is set 200 years earlier when the ancestors of Paul Christopher arrived in the New World. I feel like McCarry must have done a ton of research on tribes of New England and the North. Rich with Native-American culture, and you get sucked in to realize just what it took to stay alive in such an edenic wilderness. I only hope he is still writing, because I am out of things to read by him.
July 22, 2018
This was a pretty good story about a small group of 17th century Londoners who are struggling with life on the east side of the pond and hurriedly take the opportunity to sail to American for a new start. The author appears to have written it without the aid of a complete story outline as the storyline wanders significantly. It is also excessively detailed and much too graphic, in my opinion. It was a struggle for me to finish.
October 18, 2024
An unexpected insight into our history
An unusual and great story from a great and unique author. An insight into our early history that only someone of McCarry’s brilliance and tell. Thanks for the story of our founding fathers and their trials, tribulations and unimaginable courage. I can’t wait for the series.
An unusual and great story from a great and unique author. An insight into our early history that only someone of McCarry’s brilliance and tell. Thanks for the story of our founding fathers and their trials, tribulations and unimaginable courage. I can’t wait for the series.
September 5, 2017
This is a long but interesting book if one wants to examine the people, culture, and superstitions of the 17th century in America.
The work probably tells the story the way things were during that time period, very cruel and unforgiving.
The work probably tells the story the way things were during that time period, very cruel and unforgiving.
August 26, 2020
The only reason I gave it a 2 was because I found reason to finish but this was a slog. The beginning was interesting enough but once they left for America I lost all interest in the characters and what happened to them. It was just too meandering-the circumstances too weird. Not worth the time.
January 6, 2022
Very long.
January 4, 2023
Love Charles McCarry but I didn't much care for this book. Layed the backstory for his series but ultimately didn't reel me in.
July 9, 2024
It was such a long book and often was a slow pace. But I was committed.
September 14, 2016
This book was so strange. At no point ever did I know where it was going and then it ended very weird. Yet I couldn't stop reading it. Odd, that's all I can say.
August 2, 2016
I had mixed feelings about this book. This book starts off really strong with engaging characters (excluding the supposed heroine, Fanny) and then it starts to taper off. Opposition dwindles midway when the characters voyage to America to begin a new life. As soon as they get on the boat, things start going downhill. The ending is anticlimactic and riddled with unresolved threads. The introduction of new characters in full detail at the end of the story is unnecessary and distracting, particularly because they are important for a spell and then no longer make a debut. Some parts of the story just felt weird and out of place. Nothing bothers me more than when a specific event is foreshadowed, and then nothing comes of it.
So, it is only due to the first half of this book that I grant it three stars. The rest is hardly worthy of one.
So, it is only due to the first half of this book that I grant it three stars. The rest is hardly worthy of one.
November 25, 2023
I'm not sure why this is billed as Christopher #6; until the end it's more of a massive prologue to the Christopher series. The style is the same, however: meticulously researched, brutal at times, with fascinating and unique characters in unusual settings and puts his characters through the emotional and physical wringer. I'm not into hints or spoilers so...if you want a mesmerizing read about life in the 1600s and 1700s, this could be perfect. It's a big read. Fanny and Rose, two unprotected young women in an age when unprotected young women usually wound up whoring on the street, go to the New World with the uncouth husband of one of them. Ostensibly, they are taking possession of a plot of land inherited by Fanny. Practically, it's far in an untamed wilderness dominated by "savages". I hope you enjoy it. McCarry is a great, bold writer, very under-rated in my view.
March 19, 2013
One of the best historical novels I've read in years. In scope and tone reminded me of the early westerns of Allan Eckart, but the characterizations are far more nuanced and expansive. There's a romantic element that never feels labored. The women in McCarry's novels can sometimes be a bit problematic--either over idealized as saints or sinners, but Fanny is a heroine for the ages and Rose is a marvelous sociopath. I can not believe I only discovered McCarry recently. His spy novels are aces, too and really transcend the genre.
September 13, 2021
A reader of Charles McCarry's The Bride of the Wilderness could enjoy a search for the antecedents of Paul Christopher and Hubert Hubbard that are tucked into this peculiar novel. Peculiar because almost all McCarry's novels deal with Christopher and Hubbard, their family, and their adventures as agents of the U.S. foreign intelligence community.
Or one could just enjoy The Bride of the Wilderness for the wonderful, engrossing romance that it is, filled with fascinating characters, vivid settings, thrilling action and a complex and interesting plot.
Or one could just enjoy The Bride of the Wilderness for the wonderful, engrossing romance that it is, filled with fascinating characters, vivid settings, thrilling action and a complex and interesting plot.
April 18, 2012
Very good older book on 17th Century England, France and the Colonies with Quebec thrown in. In sight into the native Americans in the area and how the English and French used them to fight a war mainly focussing on religion after Henry VIII separated from the Catholic religion. How relationships were made and broken and endured many hardships.
July 6, 2012
Sometimes I rate this book as my favorite book ever, and this is from a SF fan who normally despises historical novels! It has everything: adventure, characters with character, a compelling love story, historical setting with no trace of anachronism (especially of social attitudes), technical detail. I read one of his modern spy stories later, but it didn't do it for me.
October 15, 2014
This is an engaging historical fiction novel set in England and the new world (both Canada and the US). There is lots of gruesome description of torture, so beware. The audiobook is read by Pam Ward. She did an excellent job with the voices for so many different characters with so many different accents.
September 1, 2016
Read this one a long time ago, enjoyed the storyline. I have not read any other book in the series, and honestly did not realise it was part of a series. I read it as a stand alone book when I was in high school.
September 20, 2015
Robust detail & character development are strengths of this novel. Hence, the plot evolves well past the first third of the story. Once the plot embraces the story of Fannie & Phillip, the tale is engaging but end too abruptly.
January 31, 2019
Excellent Historical Fiction. Starts in England, visits France, then Colonial New England, French Canada, and ends in the New World wilderness. Well described variety of people, places and ways of the time period. I haven't read a good colonial era book in a long time.
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September 11, 2008F McC
July 10, 2011
Good writing. Compelling. Some sex scenes a little too much.
January 25, 2013
Plods at times, but worth it. Will be looking to read the other christopher novels.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews