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Granite Hearts
Hearts of granite forged by dreams and etched with time. One family, one journey, many paths, all guided by the strength and wisdom of one amazing woman. Granite Hearts continues the tale of early Maine settlers introduced in The Spruce Gum Box fighting to not only survive, but thrive, along the developing 1800's Maine waterfront and construction of the majestic Fort Knox despite hardship, prejudice, and the growing turbulence between the states.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
350 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2012
3 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Egerton Wilder
4 books22 followersAs a senior that never gave up on her dream of finding time to write a novel, I launched 'The Spruce Gum Box' on my 72nd birthday followed by sequel 'Granite Hearts' on my 74th. The third novel of the trilogy 'Beneath Mackerel Skies' is due summer 2014. The three will be available on kindle as a package - "Maine at Heart". I have been asked if that was part of my bucket list. Hardly. That was the beginning of a new world for me, one that helped me figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Whenever an opportunity arises, I spread the word of aging with abandon where age is just a number with a positive attitude.
Throughout the process of writing historical fiction set in the 1800's - State of Maine, I drew upon stories and research of my husband's family in northern Maine along with a varied background in a number of artistic endeavors. I have a BA in Art and Education and have worked as a teacher, designer, colorist, small business owner, photographer and watercolor artist. I believe that bits and pieces of it all, combined with raising my family and an innate appreciation of nature, were all the ingredients needed to write. In process - a "sort-of" memoir named 'Tea Leaf Annie'.
A native of New England, home is now a fabulous senior community in Eastern PA with my Cal, my husband of 55 years, and our cat Smokey.
Throughout the process of writing historical fiction set in the 1800's - State of Maine, I drew upon stories and research of my husband's family in northern Maine along with a varied background in a number of artistic endeavors. I have a BA in Art and Education and have worked as a teacher, designer, colorist, small business owner, photographer and watercolor artist. I believe that bits and pieces of it all, combined with raising my family and an innate appreciation of nature, were all the ingredients needed to write. In process - a "sort-of" memoir named 'Tea Leaf Annie'.
A native of New England, home is now a fabulous senior community in Eastern PA with my Cal, my husband of 55 years, and our cat Smokey.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 17, 2013
Elizabeth Egerton Wilder's historical fiction novel Granite Hearts is the rendering of the life of a pioneering family on the outskirts of a small town, Prospect, Maine, beside the Penobscot River. Sean Ryan is the product of a Irishman and Micmac mother. Gertie, his new wife, is the child of Irish parents.
Sean lived in his entire life in the settlement of Smythville, a settlement founded by his Uncle Jacob, the patriarch of the Ryan family. Gertie's parents are Irish immigrants and none too fond of the "half-breed" community. However, money was short so Gertie was permitted to work with Sean's mother at Smythville school.
Many Micmacs were relocated to reservations. Jacob was determined this fate would not befall his extended family. It is here, in Smythville, Sean and Gertie are married according to the laws of Maine. This legality observed, the remainder of the wedding festivities are conducted in Micmac tradition. Gertie's parents do not attend the wedding. Her relationship with her father is poor, but she is saddened by the likelihood she will never see her mother again.
That evening they leave for their new home where they hope to have a fresh start. The bias against the Micmacs is strong in the area surrounding Smythville. Gertie has a job as a schoolteacher awaiting her. Sean plans to obtain work at a new fort being built as a laborer and, eventually, apprentice as a stonecutter.
With Gertie's schoolteacher position comes a tiny rustic cabin. Their elderly neighbor, Nana Hodge, soon becomes a major influence and close friend. The Ryans are able to purchase their home and 3 acres through gifts of money and monthly payments to Nana. Sean succeeds in getting seasonal work on the fort foundations, while Gertie teaches.
An early pregnancy and adoption of a toddler ends Gertie's career and Sean becomes the sole breadwinner.
Granite Hearts reads somewhat like a memoir of a family which struggles financially, a mother who contends with raising 4 boys to adulthood, isolation, discrimination, marital bliss and hardships, a husband often absent days and nights working, alcohol addiction, setbacks, personal growth, establishing a permanent home, extended family relationships and friendships and the impending civil war.
It is a pleasant read, however, much of Granite Hearts is written in passive tense and includes small details which do not add substance to the overall story. The first 3 chapters confused me as I thought the initial characters introduced in Chapter 1 were the protagonists in this novel. This is not apparent until Chapter 4 when Wilder sets the focus on Sean and Gertie Ryan.
While writing this review I discovered Granite Hearts is a sequel to The Spruce Gum Box, which might explain my original thoughts that the majority of Chapters 1 through 3 are unnecessary. The sheer number of characters introduced in these chapters made it difficult to connect the dots throughout Granite Hearts. I understand, in hindsight, Wilder might be refreshing readers' memories but, for new readers, the "information dumping" poses a problem.
I was gifted a copy of Granite Hearts by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Sean lived in his entire life in the settlement of Smythville, a settlement founded by his Uncle Jacob, the patriarch of the Ryan family. Gertie's parents are Irish immigrants and none too fond of the "half-breed" community. However, money was short so Gertie was permitted to work with Sean's mother at Smythville school.
Many Micmacs were relocated to reservations. Jacob was determined this fate would not befall his extended family. It is here, in Smythville, Sean and Gertie are married according to the laws of Maine. This legality observed, the remainder of the wedding festivities are conducted in Micmac tradition. Gertie's parents do not attend the wedding. Her relationship with her father is poor, but she is saddened by the likelihood she will never see her mother again.
That evening they leave for their new home where they hope to have a fresh start. The bias against the Micmacs is strong in the area surrounding Smythville. Gertie has a job as a schoolteacher awaiting her. Sean plans to obtain work at a new fort being built as a laborer and, eventually, apprentice as a stonecutter.
With Gertie's schoolteacher position comes a tiny rustic cabin. Their elderly neighbor, Nana Hodge, soon becomes a major influence and close friend. The Ryans are able to purchase their home and 3 acres through gifts of money and monthly payments to Nana. Sean succeeds in getting seasonal work on the fort foundations, while Gertie teaches.
An early pregnancy and adoption of a toddler ends Gertie's career and Sean becomes the sole breadwinner.
Granite Hearts reads somewhat like a memoir of a family which struggles financially, a mother who contends with raising 4 boys to adulthood, isolation, discrimination, marital bliss and hardships, a husband often absent days and nights working, alcohol addiction, setbacks, personal growth, establishing a permanent home, extended family relationships and friendships and the impending civil war.
It is a pleasant read, however, much of Granite Hearts is written in passive tense and includes small details which do not add substance to the overall story. The first 3 chapters confused me as I thought the initial characters introduced in Chapter 1 were the protagonists in this novel. This is not apparent until Chapter 4 when Wilder sets the focus on Sean and Gertie Ryan.
While writing this review I discovered Granite Hearts is a sequel to The Spruce Gum Box, which might explain my original thoughts that the majority of Chapters 1 through 3 are unnecessary. The sheer number of characters introduced in these chapters made it difficult to connect the dots throughout Granite Hearts. I understand, in hindsight, Wilder might be refreshing readers' memories but, for new readers, the "information dumping" poses a problem.
I was gifted a copy of Granite Hearts by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 1, 2012
Elizabeth Wilder’s novels trace the early nineteenth century history of several families—some Native American, some English or Irish—whose lives intersect with the settlement of the new state of Maine. Granite Hearts covers the years between 1844 and 1865, a tumultuous period in the history of the country, certainly, but also the span of a single generation of the Ryans and their MicMac relatives. The result is a multi-layered novel.
On the most personal level, the reader follows the story of a single marriage. Wilder has a talent for capturing the universal humanity of her characters, which means that her novels, while remaining true to their historical setting, manage to convince her readers that her characters are friends who live just down the road. Every wife and mother will recognize Gert’s struggles as she raises four rambunctious children while dealing with a husband who occasionally forgets that he is now a grownup. Every husband will see in Sean a reflection of his own occasional failure to balance his duties to his family with the demands of his career. The antics of the Ryan children will bring a smile to everyone who remembers playing in the mud (or cleaning up after them). Even the Maine coon cat has a personality that makes the animal lover shed a tear over his fate.
On the second level, the reader absorbs the historical setting. Fascinating details crop up on nearly every page—Gert’s delight in discovering that her new house has a pump in the kitchen rather than the yard, the books the children read in school, the recipes that are standard fare, the brand-new idea of a tree decorated at Christmas. We get to witness the innovations of the period—the construction of an underground fortress, the improvements in river navigation, the way houses are heated and meals are cooked, and, ultimately, the nature of warfare during the Civil War. The novel is also a history lesseon.
On the deepest level, the reader must face the great moral issues of the era. Underlying everything the Ryans do is the question of race. Some members of the family are full-blooded natives or full-blooded Irish, while others are the results of mixed marriages. The children have to face the taunts of bullies who use the terms savage, half-breed, squaw. Life is a constant struggle to preserve the purity of their native customs in the face of an encroaching European culture. At the same time, there are other challenging social issues—clashes between supporters of slavery and those who uses the river as part of the Underground Railroad, the demands of women for equal rights, and the looming threat of secession and Civil War.
The granite hearts of Wilder’s novel are small stones, shaped by time and the elements into symbols of love and unity, strong enough to withstand whatever threatens them. For me, they became the symbols of everything that is really important in life. They are part of the rocks that support our lives in difficult times and bind us together.
On the most personal level, the reader follows the story of a single marriage. Wilder has a talent for capturing the universal humanity of her characters, which means that her novels, while remaining true to their historical setting, manage to convince her readers that her characters are friends who live just down the road. Every wife and mother will recognize Gert’s struggles as she raises four rambunctious children while dealing with a husband who occasionally forgets that he is now a grownup. Every husband will see in Sean a reflection of his own occasional failure to balance his duties to his family with the demands of his career. The antics of the Ryan children will bring a smile to everyone who remembers playing in the mud (or cleaning up after them). Even the Maine coon cat has a personality that makes the animal lover shed a tear over his fate.
On the second level, the reader absorbs the historical setting. Fascinating details crop up on nearly every page—Gert’s delight in discovering that her new house has a pump in the kitchen rather than the yard, the books the children read in school, the recipes that are standard fare, the brand-new idea of a tree decorated at Christmas. We get to witness the innovations of the period—the construction of an underground fortress, the improvements in river navigation, the way houses are heated and meals are cooked, and, ultimately, the nature of warfare during the Civil War. The novel is also a history lesseon.
On the deepest level, the reader must face the great moral issues of the era. Underlying everything the Ryans do is the question of race. Some members of the family are full-blooded natives or full-blooded Irish, while others are the results of mixed marriages. The children have to face the taunts of bullies who use the terms savage, half-breed, squaw. Life is a constant struggle to preserve the purity of their native customs in the face of an encroaching European culture. At the same time, there are other challenging social issues—clashes between supporters of slavery and those who uses the river as part of the Underground Railroad, the demands of women for equal rights, and the looming threat of secession and Civil War.
The granite hearts of Wilder’s novel are small stones, shaped by time and the elements into symbols of love and unity, strong enough to withstand whatever threatens them. For me, they became the symbols of everything that is really important in life. They are part of the rocks that support our lives in difficult times and bind us together.
July 4, 2012
I truly enjoyed the love and adventures of this family!
Granite Hearts is a most enchanting tale of a young family set in Maine of the mid 1800’s. The central character is an intelligent and strong willed young woman. Even in the face of great adversity, this loving wife and mother tightly holds her family together with her courage and the wisdom of a great heart. All of the characters come to life with fully developed and colorful personalities. Historical events and issues are well researched and skillfully woven into the fabric of this family’s lives amidst the trials and triumphs they face in this emotionally moving story. We get a glimpse into the heartrending effects of the Underground Railroad, a plague, and the Civil War. Timeless struggles of the human spirit connect us further still to the lives within these pages as they work together through times of unemployment, injuries and illness, prejudice and war, even death. This tale is joyful, insightful, and heartbreaking, a panorama of the challenges we all face to live a life worth living. Well done Elizabeth!
Granite Hearts is a most enchanting tale of a young family set in Maine of the mid 1800’s. The central character is an intelligent and strong willed young woman. Even in the face of great adversity, this loving wife and mother tightly holds her family together with her courage and the wisdom of a great heart. All of the characters come to life with fully developed and colorful personalities. Historical events and issues are well researched and skillfully woven into the fabric of this family’s lives amidst the trials and triumphs they face in this emotionally moving story. We get a glimpse into the heartrending effects of the Underground Railroad, a plague, and the Civil War. Timeless struggles of the human spirit connect us further still to the lives within these pages as they work together through times of unemployment, injuries and illness, prejudice and war, even death. This tale is joyful, insightful, and heartbreaking, a panorama of the challenges we all face to live a life worth living. Well done Elizabeth!
Want to read
December 12, 20122nd in the series (after The Spruce Gum Box)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews