The Heart's Highway

Name: The Heart's Highway
Author: Mary E. Wilkins

The Heart's Highway follows a convict tutor in 1682 Virginia as he navigates the complexities of love and loyalty while tutoring the beautiful Mary Cavendish, all amidst the brewing tensions of a plot against the king that threaten their lives and the stability of the colony. As unrest stirs among the colonists, the stakes rise, challenging their relationship and their futures.

By Mary E. Wilkins · First published 1900 · Genre: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance · 23 chapters · 86,196 words

First lines

In 1682, when I was thirty years of age and Mistress Mary Cavendish just turned of eighteen, she and I together one Sabbath morning in the month of April were riding to meeting in Jamestown. We were all alone except for the troop of black slaves straggling in the rear, blurring the road curiously with their black faces. It seldom happened that we rode in such wise, for Mistress Catherine Cavendish, the elder sister of Mistress Mary, and Madam Cavendish, her grandmother, usually rode with us -- Madam Judith Cavendish, though more than seventy, sitting a horse as well as her granddaughters, and looking, when viewed from the back, as young as they, and being in that respect, as well as others, a wonder to the countryside. But it happened to-day that Madam Cavendish had a touch of the rheumatics, that being an ailment to which the swampy estate of the country rendered those of advanced years somewhat liable, and had remained at home on her plantation of Drake Hill (so named in honour of the great Sir Francis Drake, though he was long past the value of all such earthly honours). Catherine, who was a most devoted granddaughter, had remained with her -- although, I suspected, with some hesitation at allowing her young sister to go alone, except for me, the slaves being accounted no more company than our shadows. Mistress Catherine Cavendish had looked at me after a fashion which I was at no loss to understand when I had stood aside to allow Mistress Mary to precede me in passing the door, but she had no cause for the look, nor for the apprehension which gave rise to it. By reason of bearing always my burthen upon my own back, I was even more mindful of it than others were who had only the sight of it, whereas I had the sore weight and the evil aspect in my inmost soul.

What this Textopian page supports

The Heart's Highway is listed on Textopian as a novel by Mary E. Wilkins, dated 1900 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: Mary E. Wilkins
Date: 1900 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Drama
Length: 86,196 words
Structure: 23 chapters, 890 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

Work identity for The Heart's Highway by Mary E. Wilkins
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering The Heart's Highway?
How does this novel by Mary E. Wilkins fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Fiction first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Fiction — The book explores human experiences and emotions through a narrative that is primarily fictional.
Literary Fiction — The writing style emphasizes character development and thematic depth, typical of literary fiction.
Romance — Themes of love and relationships are central to the plot, aligning it with the romance genre.
Historical Fiction — The setting and context may reflect historical elements, providing a backdrop for the narrative.