Synopses & Reviews
In a small Cape Cod village in 1761, one woman is about to engage in the struggle of her life, defying her family, friends, and neighbors in a fight for her freedom that resonates even today. . . .
When was it that the sense of trouble grew to fear, the fear to certainty? When she sat down to another solitary supper of bread and beer and pickled cucumber? When she heard the second sounding of the geese? Or had she known that morning when she stepped outside and felt the wind? Might as well say she knew it when Edward took his first whaling trip to the Canada River. . . .
Lyddie has long been the wife of Edward Berry, a well-liked and successful whaler in Satucket Village, Massachusetts. Married for twenty years, Lyddie is used to the trials of being a whaling wife -- her husband's sudden departures, when whales are sighted in the bay; his long absences at sea, when she must run the house herself; the constant fear that one day Edward will simply not come home. But when the unthinkable does happen and Edward is lost at sea, Lyddie finds that she must bear not only the grief of losing her husband but also the insult of losing her autonomy. As a widow, she finds herself cast into society's cellar, her property and rights now at the whim of her nearest male relative, who happens to be her daughter's husband.
With her son-in-law -- who was never Lyddie's first choice for her daughter -- implacable and hostile, Lyddie realizes she cannot live under his roof and under his decrees. Refusing to bow to both her guardian and the societal and legal pressures brought to bear upon her, Lyddie finds that defying one rule emboldens her to defy another . . . and another. Asshe moves back into the house she shared with Edward -- the house she is entitled to use only one-third of now -- and begins to figure out how she'll make a living on her own, she finds that her defiance earns her nothing but the abuse of friends and neighbors and puts her home and her family at risk. Ultimately, Lyddie must decide how much she values her personal freedom and how willing she is to become estranged from those she loves.
While conjuring the hearths and salt air of eighteenth-century colonial America, The Widow's War captures a timeless human longing. With rich, realistic characters, Sally Gunning weaves a tale of a woman's journey to understand herself and her world, and her place in that world. Honest and moving, The Widow's War is a stunning work of literary magic, a spellbinding tale from an assured and gifted writer.
Review
“Merging historical fact with riveting fiction . . . This is historical fiction at its best; highly recommended.” Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“Readers will be swiftly turning the pages, eagerly cheering for the strong-willed widow.” Booklist
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“Gripping, romantic, historically sound, and completely satisfying...Ill be surprised if I read a better historical novel this year.” Historical Novels Review (The Historical Novel Society); "Editor's Choice"
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“Provocative . . . Gunning infuses the story with suspense and intrigue [and] resists easy generalizations and stereotypes.” Publishers Weekly
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“Heartrending ... Gunnings vibrant portrayal of Lyddies journey shows that the pursuit of happiness is not for the faint of heart.” Boston Globe
Synopsis
When Lyddie Berry's husband is lost in a whaling disaster, she becomes the dependent of her nearest male relative, her ruthless son-in-law, who tries to take everything she and her husband had worked for, but as Lyddie's social and legal defiance separate her from friends and family she discovers a deeper sense of self and a potential new love. Readers' Guide available. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.
Synopsis
The Red Tent meets The Scarlett Letter in this haunting historical novel set in a colonial New England whaling village.
"When was it that the sense of trouble grew to fear, the fear to certainty? When she sat down to another solitary supper of bread and beer and picked cucumber? When she heard the second sounding of the geese? Or had she known that morning when she stepped outside and felt the wind? Might as well say she knew it when Edward took his first whaling trip to the Canada River, or when they married, or when, as a young girl, she stood on the beach and watched Edward bring about his father's boat in the Point of Rock Channel. Whatever its begetting, when Edward's cousin Shubael Hopkins and his wife Betsey came through the door, they brought her no new grief, but an old acquaintance."
When Lyddie Berry's husband is lost in a storm at sea, she finds that her status as a widow is vastly changed from that of respectable married woman. Now she is the "dependent" of her nearest male relative--her son-in-law. Refusing to bow to societal pressure that demands she cede everything that she and her husband worked for, Lyddie becomes an outcast from family, friends, and neighbors--yet ultimately discovers a deeper sense of self and, unexpectedly, love.
Evocative and stunningly assured, The Widow's War is an unforgettable work of literary magic, a spellbinding tale from a gifted talent.
Synopsis
Married for twenty years to Edward Berry, Lyddie is used to the trials of being a whaler's wife in the Cape Cod village of Satucket, Massachusetts—running their house herself during her husband's long absences at sea, living with the daily uncertainty that Edward will simply not return. And when her worst fear is realized, she finds herself doubly cursed. She is overwhelmed by grief, and her property and rights are now legally in the hands of her nearest male relative: her daughter's overbearing husband, whom Lyddie cannot abide. Lyddie decides to challenge both law and custom for control of her destiny, but she soon discovers the price of her bold "war" for personal freedom to be heartbreakingly dear.
Includes the fascinating "story behind the story" of The Widow's War, a map of colonial Brewster, and a driving tour of the village of Satucket.
About the Author
Sally Gunning, a history buff specializing in the eighteenth century, lives with her husband in Brewster, Massachusetts, in an old cottage not far from Cape Cod Bay.