An Unseemly Wife

(Paperback)

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Not all journeys come to an end.... 1867.Ruth Holtz has more blessings than she can count-a loving husband, an abundant farm, beautiful children, and the warm embrace of the Amish community. Then, the English arrive, spreading incredible stories of free land in the West and inspiring her husband to dream of a new life in Idaho. Breaking the rules of their Order, Ruth's husband packs up his pregnant wife and their four children and joins a wagon train heading west. Though Ruth is determined to keep separate from the English, as stricture demands, the harrowing journey soon compels her to accept help from two unlikely allies- Hortence, the preacher's wife, and the tomboyish, teasing Sadie. But as these new friendships lead to betrayal, what started as a quest for a brighter future ends with Ruth making unthinkable sacrifices, risking faith and family, and transforming into a woman she never imagined she'd become....

Reviews

"This lilting, image-filled first novel by poet E.B. Moore, a poet and retired sculptor, shifts seamlessly among time periods, and between narrative and letters... heart-wrenching and satisfying..."Publishers Weekly

Moore writes with lyrical beauty...I fell in love with Ruth and her family, was gripped by her fortitude through dark days, and held my breath to the heart-stopping end!Juliette Fay, author of Shelter Me and Deep Down True

A breathtaking epic...A transporting, dramatic and thoughtful readjust the way I like them. Nichole Bernier, author of The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.

An Unseemly Wife is a disquieting tale of dreams and delusions, community and separation, loyalty and betrayal. Ultimately, Ruth is a survivor among survivors: a woman who, despite the seismic shifts in her world, stands tenaciously at her own center.Katheryn Leonard Czepiel, author of A Violet Season

Top-notch historical fiction...its characters will live with me always.Jenna Blum, Author of Those Who Save Us

One of those rare novels of beauty and darkness, transfixing us with a place few can imagine and a narrator as fierce as she is true.Michelle Hoover, Author of The Quickening

A harrowing and gripping novel.Randy Susan Meyers, Bestselling Author of The Murderers Daughters and The Comfort of Lies

Moores tale of hardship and survival takes up classic Western themes but adds in Amish heritage as an intriguing twist. . . full of warm, descriptive language, quaint terminology (such as littles for children), and fresh, folksy metaphors. A worthwhile literary contribution to the popular Amish-fiction subgenre.Kirkus (starred review)

Author Bio

E. B. Moore was born on a farm near New Hope, PA, andis a recent graduate of the Novel Incubator program at Grub Street, Boston's independent writing center. A retired metal sculptor, she is also a graduate of the school of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Moore's first book of poetry, New Eden- A Legacy was published by Finishing Line Press in 2009. Her work has appeared in literary journals including The Drum and Inkwell, as well as two anthologies of writing taken from the William Joiner Workshops. She has been a resident at Yaddo, and was accepted to the Vermont Studio Center residency on full fellowship. An Unseemly Wife is based on the life of her Old Order Amish great-grandmother.