©2006, P. & R. Publishing, 211 pages, including indices, in paperback.

A woman was the first published poet in America.  Without Anne Bradstreet’s knowledge, her brother-in-law took a number of her poems to England where they were published and admired.  Three and a half centuries later, many are unaware of her poetry and the insight it provides into the life and family of this Puritan lady.  She clearly recognized the loving, purposeful hand of a sovereign God in her daily activities.

This book sets the writer in the context of her times and, then, topically presents selections of poetry that may whet an appetite to read more.

Bradstreet and her husband, William, landed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in June  l830.  These immigrants fled English religious and political tensions only to be faced with different political and religious tensions in the new world.  Colonists endured many physical trials such as harsh winters, high infant mortality, and heavy personal sufferings.  Bradstreet expressed her griefs and comforts in her poetry. The second section of this book is devoted to an arrangement of the poems under such topics as “Bard”, “Lover”, and “Sufferer”.

Nichols uses Bradstreet’s poems to evidence her emotions, her intellect, and her poetic gifts. Her early verse reflects a love of her English roots.  She further proceeds to address England’s religious and political troubles.  A number of her later writings focuses on her love for her absentee husband, as he tended to colonial business locally and abroad.  She faced agonizing personal pain through illness, childbirth, the fiery loss of her home, and the heartbreaking loss of infant grandchildren.  Time and again she comforts herself in a wise Savior and the reunion she will have with loved ones in eternity.

These poems present a balanced picture of Puritan life.  Here was a woman who faced events with joy, tears, and a constant confidence in a sovereign God whose ways she did not always understand.  Here was a woman whose heart was devoted to her husband and who truly missed him in his absence.  Her works teach us how to face trails and uncertainty as Christians in a fallen world.

Bradstreet also wrote maxims so that her offspring could be further instructed in wise living.  These are included in a separate chapter.  Illustrations are interspersed throughout the text.  There are portraits of people mentioned as well as title pages from published works of the colonial era.  Additionally, an index of quoted works and people is included.

Nichols has provided readers with a helpful introduction to the works of this talented Puritan.  

Review ©2007 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia