"A timeless and powerful novel of a daring woman who must decide if she
will risk everything to follow her passion and find her voice." --Patti
Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author
From the moment she was born, the transforming beauty of her family's
nurseries has arrested her heart. From the moment she knew love, her
heart belonged with his. Now she's at risk of losing them both.
Rye, New York, 1893. Sadie Fremd's dreams hinge on her family's
nursery, which has been the supplier of choice for respected landscape
architects on the East Coast for decades. Now her small town is in a
panic as the economy plummets into a depression, and Sadie's father is
pressuring her to secure her future by marrying a wealthy man among her
peerage--but Sadie has never been one to play it safe. Besides, her
heart is already spoken for.
Rather than seek potential suitors, Sadie pursues new business from her
father's most reliable and wealthy clients of the Gilded Age in an
attempt to bolster the floundering nursery. But the more time Sadie
spends in the secluded gardens of the elite, the more she notices the
hopelessness in the eyes of those outside the mansions. The poor, the
grieving, the weary. The people with no access to the restorative beauty
of nature.
Sadie has always wanted her father to pass his business to her instead
of to one of her brothers, but he seems oblivious to her desire and
talent--and now to her passion for providing natural beauty to those who
can't afford it. When former employee, Sam, shows up unexpectedly, Sadie
wonders if their love can be rekindled or if his presence will simply be
another reminder of a life she longs for and cannot have.
Joy Callaway illuminates the life of her great-great-grandmother in this
captivating story about a daring woman following her passion and finding
her voice, while exploring natural beauty and its effect in the lives of
those who need it most.
- Historical Gilded Age novel about an early American landscape nursery
- Stand-alone novel
- Also by Joy Callaway: The Grand Design, The Fifth Avenue Artists
Society, and Secret Sisters
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
