"The Last Runaway" (Dutton), by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier's "Girl With a Pearl Earring," which brought Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer to life, has become a near-classic in contemporary historical fiction. And her latest novel, "The Last Runaway," takes on similarly fascinating and little-known subject matter — the Quakers' role in the Underground Railroad during the mid-1800s.

Heroine Honor Bright leaves England for America, settles in Ohio and becomes intimately involved in the movement — helping runaway slaves reach freedom. Sounds great, right? But despite this compelling fictional backdrop, Chevalier's storytelling just doesn't do it justice.