Somerset - Softcover

Meacham, Leila

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1455547395 ISBN 13: 9781455547395

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2014

Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Gone with the Wind meets The Help in the stunning prequel to Leila Meacham's bestselling family epic Roses.

"From birth, Jessica had eschewed the role to which she'd been born. Was it because she sensed that her father's indulgence was compensation for his disappointment in her? Jessica thought too much, questioned, challenged, rebelled. Sometimes Eunice thought her daughter should have been born a male."

Born into the wealthiest and most influential family in 1830s South Carolina, Jessica Wyndham was expected to look appealing, act with decorum, and marry a suitably prominent and respectable man. However, her outspoken opinions and unflagging sense of justice make her a difficult-and dangerous-firebrand, especially for slavery-dependent Carson Wyndham. Jessica's testing of her powerful father's love is only the beginning of the pain, passion, and triumph she will experience on a journey with the indomitable, land-obsessed Silas Toliver and headstrong Jeremy Warwick to a wild new land called Texas.

LOOK FOR LEILA MEACHAM'S WWII EPIC, DRAGONFLY, COMING JULY 2019.

PRAISE FOR LEILA MEACHAM
"Discovering Leila Meacham and her spectacular talent is akin to discovering gold. With this novel she has become a national treasure."
-Huffington Post

"Rich with American history and pitch-perfect storytelling, fans and new readers alike will find themselves absorbed in the family saga that Meacham has proven-once again-talented in telling."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About this title

About the Author

Leila Meacham is a writer and former teacher who lives in San Antonio, Texas. She is the author of the bestselling novels Roses, Somerset, and Tumbleweeds. For more information, please visit LeilaMeacham.com.

From Booklist

Meacham (Tumbleweeds, 2012) returns to her beloved Tolivers and Warwicks in this prequel to her first surprise best-seller, Roses (2010). Spanning more than six decades, Somerset takes readers back to 1835 as Silas Toliver and Jeremy Warwick, younger sons of wealthy plantation owners, prepare to leave South Carolina in search of greater fortune in Texas. In a classic Meacham twist, Silas is forced to marry Jessica Wyndham, a headstrong heiress who harbors abolitionist sentiments. Love eventually grows between them and they form the foundation upon which retired high-school English teacher Meacham built Roses. Though Meacham sets her tale against the backdrop of historical upheavals, even the Civil War takes a backseat to the Tolivers’ domestic dramas full of intrigue and tragedy. Like many multigenerational sagas, Somerset aims for breadth, not depth, and loses a bit of steam as its original characters, whom Meacham develops with great care, cede the stage to a succession of offspring lacking similar spark. To the author’s credit, Jessica is a tough act to follow. --Patty Wetli

Edition details

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1455547395
• ISBN 13: 9781455547395
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 640