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Change: Elin's Story 1
A tender historical novella set in 1860s Sweden — where a girl on the cusp of growing up must choose between home and the horizon.
Twelve-year-old Elin rises before the sun, milks the family cow, minds her little brothers, and dreams of more than thin porridge and callused hands. In a village where every path is familiar and every future already decided, change begins to a failed harvest, a baby’s fever, a carved wooden horse passed from hand to hand, and a boy named Jonas who might carry her heart across the sea.
CHANGE is the first novella in The Early Tales of Dalberg — a deeply heartfelt prequel to the beloved Dalberg small-town romance series. Set nearly two centuries earlier, this quiet, atmospheric coming-of-age story invites readers into the rhythms of 1860s rural Sweden, where love, grief, and longing settle like snow in the folds of everyday life.
If you’ve cherished The Snow Child, Anne of Green Gables, or the ache and beauty of Kristin Lavransdatter, Elin’s story will stay with you — tender as candlelight, and just as enduring.
Parts Two and Three — following Elin at 17 and 23 — are coming soon.
Twelve-year-old Elin rises before the sun, milks the family cow, minds her little brothers, and dreams of more than thin porridge and callused hands. In a village where every path is familiar and every future already decided, change begins to a failed harvest, a baby’s fever, a carved wooden horse passed from hand to hand, and a boy named Jonas who might carry her heart across the sea.
CHANGE is the first novella in The Early Tales of Dalberg — a deeply heartfelt prequel to the beloved Dalberg small-town romance series. Set nearly two centuries earlier, this quiet, atmospheric coming-of-age story invites readers into the rhythms of 1860s rural Sweden, where love, grief, and longing settle like snow in the folds of everyday life.
If you’ve cherished The Snow Child, Anne of Green Gables, or the ache and beauty of Kristin Lavransdatter, Elin’s story will stay with you — tender as candlelight, and just as enduring.
Parts Two and Three — following Elin at 17 and 23 — are coming soon.
152 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2025
About the author
Esther Warren
62 booksEsther Warren is the pen name of Andréa Warrebo — a Swedish author, former psychiatric nurse of twenty-five years, and mother of neurodivergent children, writing from the lake-filled landscapes of Dalsland, Sweden.
The place where she lives is not just a backdrop. It is the beating heart of everything she writes.
The forests, lakes, farms, and villages of Dalsland appear across all her books — in the historical emigrants who left these shores for America, in the women who stayed and endured, in the folklore creatures who still whisper at the water's edge, and in the small-town streets where modern love finds its way home. Readers who travel through multiple series will find familiar places, echoing names, and a world that grows deeper with every book — though every story stands completely alone.
Her writing moves across worlds:
The Tales of Memory — narrative history that brings the great immigrant journeys to America back to life, blending grounded historical chapters with intimate fictional vignettes. Swedish, Irish, German, and more. The #1 bestselling Swedish Migration history on Amazon.
The Early Tales of Dalberg — deeply personal historical novels and novellas rooted in the lives of women who were overlooked, misunderstood, or simply never asked to speak. Elin. Signe. Hanna Madelene. Women of quiet courage and vivid inner worlds — including Hanna Madelene, a neurodivergent woman navigating life before anyone had the words for what she was. Written by a nurse who witnessed, and a mother who understands.
The Tales of Dalberg — warm, character-rich cozy romance set in present-day Dalberg, where the past is never far away and love always finds its season.
And a fantasy trilogy — rooted in the ancient folklore of Dalsland, where the old creatures still move through the moss and shadows.
Andréa left psychiatric care to write full-time — carrying twenty-five years of witnessed resilience, unspoken stories, and deep human understanding into every page she writes.
Her books are for the heritage seekers and the history lovers. For the neurodivergent women who have never seen themselves in the past. For the mothers who understand. For the readers who want to slow down, feel something real, and come home to a place that holds them.
She writes from Dalsland. She writes about Dalsland. And if you stay long enough — it will feel like yours too.
The place where she lives is not just a backdrop. It is the beating heart of everything she writes.
The forests, lakes, farms, and villages of Dalsland appear across all her books — in the historical emigrants who left these shores for America, in the women who stayed and endured, in the folklore creatures who still whisper at the water's edge, and in the small-town streets where modern love finds its way home. Readers who travel through multiple series will find familiar places, echoing names, and a world that grows deeper with every book — though every story stands completely alone.
Her writing moves across worlds:
The Tales of Memory — narrative history that brings the great immigrant journeys to America back to life, blending grounded historical chapters with intimate fictional vignettes. Swedish, Irish, German, and more. The #1 bestselling Swedish Migration history on Amazon.
The Early Tales of Dalberg — deeply personal historical novels and novellas rooted in the lives of women who were overlooked, misunderstood, or simply never asked to speak. Elin. Signe. Hanna Madelene. Women of quiet courage and vivid inner worlds — including Hanna Madelene, a neurodivergent woman navigating life before anyone had the words for what she was. Written by a nurse who witnessed, and a mother who understands.
The Tales of Dalberg — warm, character-rich cozy romance set in present-day Dalberg, where the past is never far away and love always finds its season.
And a fantasy trilogy — rooted in the ancient folklore of Dalsland, where the old creatures still move through the moss and shadows.
Andréa left psychiatric care to write full-time — carrying twenty-five years of witnessed resilience, unspoken stories, and deep human understanding into every page she writes.
Her books are for the heritage seekers and the history lovers. For the neurodivergent women who have never seen themselves in the past. For the mothers who understand. For the readers who want to slow down, feel something real, and come home to a place that holds them.
She writes from Dalsland. She writes about Dalsland. And if you stay long enough — it will feel like yours too.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
April 24, 2025
Change: Elin's Story 1 (Early Tales of Dalberg) novella
This wonderful story helps to flesh out a part of the history of Sweden presented in the Tale of Dalsland: A Swedish Heritage Book (Tales of Dalberg). The drought and famine that affected the people of Sweden in the late 1800s caused hundreds of thousands to relocate . Most Swedes came to America. The story of Elin and Jonas was the story of many Swedes. My grandfather was one who came to America because of the famine. He was 16 years old and the oldest child. When my grandfather left it was one less mouth to feed, and he was old enough to take care of himself in his parent’s eyes. I could feel how hard it was for families to be torn apart by hunger and a cast system through this novella. It was a blessing to me to read to feel a closer bond with my father’s family.
This wonderful story helps to flesh out a part of the history of Sweden presented in the Tale of Dalsland: A Swedish Heritage Book (Tales of Dalberg). The drought and famine that affected the people of Sweden in the late 1800s caused hundreds of thousands to relocate . Most Swedes came to America. The story of Elin and Jonas was the story of many Swedes. My grandfather was one who came to America because of the famine. He was 16 years old and the oldest child. When my grandfather left it was one less mouth to feed, and he was old enough to take care of himself in his parent’s eyes. I could feel how hard it was for families to be torn apart by hunger and a cast system through this novella. It was a blessing to me to read to feel a closer bond with my father’s family.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review