Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing, March 14, 2023

Format: ebook

Pages: 448

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary (Goodreads):

Set against Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846, this sweeping, emotional novel brings together three courageous women battling to save everything they hold dear…

Nantucket in 1846 is an island set apart not just by its geography but by its unique circumstances. With their menfolk away at sea, often for years at a time, women here know a rare independence—and the challenges that go with it.

Eliza Macy is struggling to conceal her financial trouble as she waits for her whaling captain husband to return from a voyage. In desperation, she turns against her progressive ideals and targets Meg Wright, a pregnant free Black woman trying to relocate her store to Main Street. Meanwhile, astronomer Maria Mitchell loves running Nantucket’s Atheneum and spending her nights observing the stars, yet she fears revealing the secret wishes of her heart.

On a sweltering July night, a massive fire breaks out in town, quickly kindled by the densely packed wooden buildings. With everything they possess now threatened, these three very different women are forced to reevaluate their priorities and decide what to save, what to let go and what kind of life to rebuild from the ashes of the past.

My Review:

Read if you like: multiple perspectives, character driven novels
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Thanks his book focuses on multiple characters as they navigate life on Nantucket and their experiences during the Great Fire of 1846.
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I really liked how the multiple characters and perspectives showed the complexity of life on Nantucket. While the inhabitants prided themselves on their work on the abolition of slavery, certain prejudices popped up that made the characters grapple with who they are and what they believe.
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Overall a great story!