One amazing year in a remarkable woman¹s life journey becomes the
inspiration for generations when she takes a huge risk, follows her
heart, embraces forbidden love, and unwittingly becomes the champion of
a winged world that is on the brink of extinction. It's 1903, the world
is poised for drastic change, and Julia Briton is a naive, beautiful
Boston socialite who suffers a series of devastating losses and
discovers that her beloved husband is involved in the plume trade--the
massive slaughter of birds for use in the fashion industry. When Julia
is secretly ushered into the early 20th century by a group of brazen
female activists, she boldly risks everything and embarks on a perilous
journey to the wilds of untamed Florida, a place of great danger where
men will stop at nothing to get what they want and where one man, and a
faithful friend, force her to make yet more life-changing decisions.
Years later, when Julia's great-granddaughter, Kelly, discovers some
hidden tape recordings in her famous great-grandmother¹s dresser and
learns the real truth about Julia's year, a year that changed the course
of history, she must decide what to do with her grandmother¹s incredible
legacy. Will she keep the real "secret of the year", or will she be
brave enough to follow her own heart?
USA Best Book Awards: Fiction: Historical, Finalist