Pauper Auction

Kronenwetter’s impressive debut follows the uncompromising lives of a destitute widow, a disabled child, and a Native American stonemason. In 1805 in the fictional town of Thorneboro, N.H., the local blacksmith’s widow, 27-year-old Margery Turner, waits to be auctioned to the lowest bidder in exchange for subsidized labor. As the town’s moderator explains, “It is our civic and Christian responsibility to provide for the care of our town’s unfortunates.” Charitable farmer Samuell Wheeler is the winner, at one dollar a week. Samuell also takes in 10-year-old club-footed Agnes, who was abandoned by her widowed father. Margery works on the farm, aids Agnes and Samuell’s rheumatoid-stricken mother Hannah, and learns how to make Hannah’s elaborate bed rugs. When Joseph, an Abenaki stonemason, joins them, he brings friendship and wisdom, especially after tragedy strikes. With portentous forecasts from the Farmer’s Almanac in the chapter headings (“uncertain,” “settled,” “foul”), Kronenwetter’s domestic narrative paints a convincing day-to-day picture of early America, immersing readers into the stark realities of farm life and meeting halls. Fans of historical fiction ought to take a look. (Self-published)