Synopsis

Determined to set the historical record straight, and clear her conscience, Temperance Flowerdew-the wife of Virginia’s first two governors-puts quill to paper, recounting the hardships that nearly brought the Jamestown colony to its knees, and the extraordinary sacrifice of her servant girl, Lily.

When she steps aboard the Falcon in 1609, Temperance Flowerdew is not only setting sail from England to the distant shores of America, she’s embarking upon a future of opportunity. She doesn’t yet know how she will make her mark, but in this new place she can do or be whatever she wants.

Willing as she is to brave this new world, Temperance is utterly ill-equipped to survive the wilderness; all she knows is how to live inside the pages of adventure and philosophy books. Loyally at her side, Lily helps Temperance weather pioneer life. A young woman running from lifelong accusations of witchcraft, Lily finds friendship with Temperance and an acceptance of her psychic gifts. Together, they forge paths within the community: Temperance attempts to advise the makeshift government, while Lily experiences the blossoming of first love.

But as the harsh winter approaches, Lily intuitively senses a darkness creep over the colony and the veneer of civilized life threatens to fall away-negotiations with the Indians grow increasingly hostile and provisions become scarce. Lily struggles to keep food on the table by foraging in the woods and being resourceful. Famine could mean the end of days. It’s up to Lily to save them both, but what sacrifice will be enough to survive?

A transporting and evocative story, The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew is a fiercely hopeful novel-a portrait of two intrepid women who choose to live out their dreams of a future more free than the past.

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Review

Is it weird to say that as I have gotten older that I enjoy historical fiction and learning about a time period that I am not familiar with? No? Good!

This debut novel follows one woman’s journey to the colonies, and what she endured while there. This spans about a year from 1609-1610, and at Jamestown. Jamestown was a small colony that was not doing well in surviving especially when they made the Native Americans mad who in turn made their life miserable. Over half of the inhabitants died from lack of food.

The story does focus on two women, or at least that is how I interpreted the novel. Temperance Flowerdew is a socialite and doesn’t really know how to do anything. Luckily, she has her maid, Lily, there to help her do the tasks she has never been taught. Temperance is an educated woman and has ideas, but because this is the early 1600s, she is not taken seriously by the men. Perhaps they should have.

I am sure the research information available for this novel was sparse and hard to come by, because they didn’t keep track of women and their achievements, or at least not very well. But all things considered, this is a very plausible story. I enjoyed the addition of John Smith, Pocahontas, and having an in depth look at what life was like at that time. I don’t know if I would have survived as well as some of these people.

This story could have been made longer, but I feel it was a good reflection of the harsh conditions that newcomers to this country experienced. It definitely gives one pause to consider how they would react if in their shoes.

I enjoyed this book and give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

Denise Heinze, a former literature professor and a PhD graduate of Duke University, writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is the author of a scholarly work on Toni Morrison, and the eco-thriller Sally St. Johns.  Her most recent work has appeared in Duke Magazine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.  She is the winner of the 2025 Hackney Literary Awards novel competition for her manuscript, By the Moon Unblessed.  A descendant of Louisa May Alcott, she lives in North Carolina.

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