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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a dramatic historical novel of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students’ lives.
“An absorbing historical . . . enthralling.”—Library Journal
Bestselling author Lisa Wingate brings to life startling stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as newly freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold away.
Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous era of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Hannie, a freed slave; Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now destitute plantation; and Juneau Jane, Lavinia’s Creole half sister. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following roads rife with vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of stolen inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage west reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope.
Louisiana, 1987: For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt—until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, is suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled live oaks and run-down plantation homes lie the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Publication date : June 29, 2021
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 416 pages
ISBN-10 : 1984819909
ISBN-13 : 978-1984819901
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.18 x 0.86 x 8 inches
Customers say
Customers find this book well-written with rich language and compelling characters, particularly appreciating how the main heroines give so much of themselves. Moreover, the story is steeped in well-researched facts and brings life to lost generations of slaves, with one customer noting it provides a peak into Southern life during the Civil War era. Additionally, the book evokes emotions of compassion and features strong bonds of family and friendship throughout. However, the pacing receives mixed reviews, with some finding it well-paced while others describe it as slow-moving.
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