Poetry, romance, and murder combine in this historical novel based on the life of Celia Thaxter (1835-1894). A group of islands off the New Hampshire coast is the backdrop for Thaxter's stormy separation from her husband and her granite determination to provide for their backward son by writing. Soon her essays appear alongside Longfellow's in The Atlantic Monthly and her stories are published with Louisa May Alcott's. The famous British author Charles...

Celia Thaxter grew up on a desolate island off the coast of Maine, where her father worked as lighthouse keeper. Amid the white and gray of the sea, the rocks, and even the birds, young Celia found color where she could: green mosses and purple starfish and pink morning glories by the shore. And she planted her first garden, tucking bright marigolds between rocky ledges. When she was twelve, Celia's family moved to nearby Appledore Island, where her...

Profiles of 25 influential Maine women. Includes bibliographies for additional research.