Synopsis
At fourteen years old, Maude became a wife. She had no idea what her wedding day would truly mean.
"In 1906, I was barely over fourteen years old, and it was my wedding day. My older sister, Helen, came to my room, took me by the hand, and sat me down on the bed. She opened her mouth to say something, but then her face flushed, and she turned her head to look out the window. After a second, she squeezed my hand and looked back in my eyes. She said, “You’ve always been a good girl, Maude, and done what I told you. Now, you’re going to be a married woman, and he will be the head of the house. When you go home tonight after your party, no matter what he wants to do to you, you have to let him do it. Do you understand?”
I didn’t understand, but I nodded my head anyway. It sounded strange to me, the way so many things did. I would do what she told me. I didn’t have a choice, any more than I had a choice in being born."
From that unforgettable moment forward, Maude’s life became a testament to the strength of a woman determined to survive in a world where choices were often made for her. Born into a time of rigid expectations and limited opportunities, she faced the realities of marriage, motherhood, hardship, loss, and a rapidly changing America with courage and perseverance.
In this deeply personal historical memoir, Donna Foley Mabry brings Maude’s extraordinary journey to life with honesty, compassion, and vivid detail. Through Maude’s own voice, readers experience the joys and struggles of a woman who endured more than most could imagine while leaving behind a legacy that would shape generations to come.
Maude is a powerful story of resilience, family, sacrifice, and the quiet strength of women whose lives may not have made headlines—but whose courage changed the course of their families forever.
Perfect for readers of historical memoirs, family sagas, women’s stories, and inspiring true accounts of perseverance, Maude reminds us that every life has a story, and every story deserves to be remembered.
About the Author
AA Michigan native who studied writing in school, Donna first came to Vegas to make costumes and soon was weaving the stories she heard in the back of the girls' dressing room into her first novel. Now she is the author of The Alexandra Merritt Mysteries, which include 'The Last Two Aces in Las Vegas', 'The Las Vegas Desert Flower', 'The Las Vegas Special', 'Rough Ride in Vegas', 'M.I.A. Las Vegas' and the recently released "The Las Vegas Sophisticate'.
Donna has written several other stand-alone thrillers, 'Desperate Ambition', about a political assassination, 'The Right Society', about a devout Christian family that moves into a religious community and finds it's easier to get in than it is to get out, and The Other Hand, about a famous athlete who leaves his family for a young, virginal girl. Shortly after they divorce, she winds up slaughtered. He is the primary suspect, but not the only one. Donna has a popular series of historical romances, The Manhattan Stories, 'Jessica', 'Pillsbury Crossing', 'The Cabin', 'Kimimela', and 'D'Arcy Curran'. A sixth and seventh in this series will be released soon.
Her light-hearted work, 'Conversations With Skip', is the story of a shelter dog adopted by a young woman having trouble sleeping after her divorce. With his unusual ability to communicate, he is soon running her life, arranging her romances, and teaching her to laugh again.
Her most popular novel, 'Maude', the story of her Grandmother, is a #1 best-seller on Amazon and has spent multiple weeks on the Wall Street Journal's Top-10 list. 'Maude' is now available as an audiobook, was recently released in Italian and is currently being translated into Russian, German and Slovak for upcoming international editions.
She has also written three screenplays, a stage play, poetry, short stories, and a children's story.
Donna stills takes occasional classes at UNLV and at writer's conferences and is an active member of the Anthem Author's in Henderson, NV.
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