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The Civil War has entered its third year, and the end of the hostilities appears to be nowhere in sight. No one knows what the future holds, least of all Hester Beasley and her family, who live in Tennessee. However, when Hester receives a letter from her uncle asking her to join him in the North to aid the Union effort, she is intrigued. Hester has learned to be a healer from her mother, Easter, and working with her uncle provides an opportunity to further expand her medical knowledge.
While Easter is apprehensive about Hester undertaking a perilous journey, she refuses to impede Hester's dreams. Easter also acquiesces to her son Ethan's plan to travel north and enlist in the Union Army. Soon, Hester and Ethan are traveling towards Pennsylvania while Easter decides to embark on a trip of her own in the hopes of locating her errant husband. Their journeys will be memorable, as they encounter predatory soldiers, gentleman bandits, and war-torn lands while Hester, Ethan, and Easter seek their destiny.
This is historical fiction at its best, suffused with romance, drama, and a fair amount of action. The presence of tenacious characters such as Hester, Easter, and Awinta is just one winning aspect of a solid and dynamic narrative that is as much about characters finding their own path as it is about the war that revolves around them. The depiction of the near primitive medical conditions is both realistic and ghastly. The excellent multi-perspective narrative takes the plot through different areas of the country, where a pitched battle is being waged or where the next battle remains to be fought. This is a memorable tale about a family choosing different directions to satisfy their destinies.
A 2026 Eric Hoffer Book Award Category Finalist