Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
It is early May 1678 when Catherwood and her one-year-old daughter, Elisabeth, get lost in the woods of the New World. Catherwood has recently immigrated from England with her husband, and they have settled near Albany, New York. Now a moment's inattention on a spring day has turned a short visit to the closest neighbors into a long sojourn in the wilderness. As summer comes, Catherwood travels through a landscape which is as harsh and unforgiving as it is majestic and lush. With the winter months quickly closing in, she searches frantically through the sparsely populated terrain for signs of human habitation as she and her child struggle to stay alive.
Is Catherwood appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
A literary survival tale set in colonial America featuring a mother and infant daughter lost in the wilderness. Contains peril and potential violence related to survival (harsh elements, dangerous animals, starvation risk) but no sexual content or strong language.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include child harm, death, and survival (see the full list above).
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
Readers who enjoy intense survival stories and historical settings will be gripped by this mother's desperate journey through the wilderness.