“Mary of the Mayflower” by Diane Stevenson Stone tells the story of the pilgrims’ journey across the Atlantic Ocean from the viewpoint of the author’s ancestor, Mary Chilton, an English pilgrim girl. This book is historical fiction and based on documents and oral history.  This book is full of friendship, sorrow and adversity and Mary keeps up a good attitude through the rough journey at sea. Her true friend Constance stays right beside Mary helping Mary in any way she can. Mary and Constance have many adventures in their small cramped quarters on a ship called the Mayflower.

 Mary is the main character in the book. She is shy and barely stands up for herself when she is in trouble. She wears a lot of skirts and a coat on the ship. Her hair is matted and she smells horrible because they could not bathe nor did she have a brush. Constance is a minor character but is always right by Mary’s side helping her or crying with her when Mary is sad. Johnny is a minor character but plays a good role in the book by being there for Mary when she is in deep trouble. He is kind to Mary and if she is weeping will hug her until she is feeling better. Goodwife Chilton is Mary’s mom. She is kind hearted and when Mary is feeling doubtful she reassures Mary to just trust God. Sometimes she gives Mary some of her rations when Mary is starving. All of the characters on the ship pray and sing for hope that they might land in the new world.

In the beginning Mary was sad to leave her little room in the windmill in Holland and to think that she might never see her beloved sisters or her furry little friend Master Albert again. She was also sad to leave her Dutch friends and broke out into tears when she found out that none of them were coming on the Mayflower. Towards the middle of the book Mary still has a good attitude when she meets a girl her age named Constance and they become friends, but soon after her father dies from illness.  In the end I think Mary is disappointed about landing on Cape Cod because they decide to keep sailing because they could not build houses on the land.  Then shortly after they landed on Plymouth where they could build and she was excited and Captain Jones allowed her to go on the land.  Mary was the first woman to step foot in the new colony but shortly after she got back to the ship her mother died of illness and left Mary a 12 year old girl with no parents and a few friends.

I learned some cool facts in this book.  Once the pilgrims landed in Plymouth they did not move off the ship for 2 months because the houses had to be built first.  The Mayflower sailed for 66 days and the pilgrims only had pork fat, cheese, onions, and porridge to eat.  Also Mary was the first woman to step foot on Plymouth Rock.

I loved “Mary of the Mayflower” and it kind of made me want to go and sail on a ship like Mary but just for a few weeks. Overall I give this book a 10 out of 10 because it had adventure and sorrow but most of all braveness and love.  My favorite quote in the book is “ Sweet are the uses of adversity.”