Unruly Human Hearts
A Novel
Barbara Southard
- A
- tale
- of
- faith,
- passion,
- idealism,
- and
- betrayal,
- perfect
- for
- book
- clubs,
- fans
- of
- Sue
- Monk
- Kidd’s
- The
- Invention
- of
- Wings,
- and
- those
- fascinated
- by
- love
- triangles,
- contradictions
- between
- public
- images
- and
- private
- lives,
- and
- the
- limitations
- faced
- by
- women
- in
- the
- nineteenth
- century.Elizabeth
- Tilton,
- a
- devout
- housewife,
- shares
- liberal
- ideals
- with
- her
- husband,
- Theodore
- Tilton,
- and
- their
- pastor
- and
- close
- friend
- Reverend
- Henry
- Ward
- Beecher,
- both
- influential
- reformers
- of
- the
- Reconstruction
- Era
- who
- promote
- suffrage
- for
- women
- and
- former
- slaves
- and
- advocate
- for
- the
- spiritual
- power
- of
- love
- rather
- than
- Calvinistic
- retribution.Elizabeth
- is
- torn
- between
- admiration
- for
- her
- husband’s
- stand
- on
- women’s
- rights
- and
- resentment
- of
- his
- dominating
- ways
- at
- home.
- When
- Theodore
- justifies
- his
- extramarital
- affairs
- in
- terms
- of
- the
- free
- love
- doctrine
- that
- marriage
- should
- not
- restrict
- other
- genuine
- loves,
- she
- becomes
- closer
- to
- Henry,
- who
- admires
- her
- spiritual
- gifts—and
- eventually
- falls
- passionately
- in
- love
- with
- him.Once
- passion
- for
- her
- pastor
- undermines
- the
- moral
- certainties
- of
- her
- generation,
- Elizabeth
- enters
- into
- uncharted
- emotional
- and
- ethical
- territory.
- Under
- what
- circumstances
- should
- she
- tell
- the
- truth?
- If
- she
- does,
- will
- she
- lose
- her
- children
- and
- her
- marriage?
- Will
- she
- destroy
- her
- own
- reputation
- and
- the
- career
- of
- the
- reverend
- who
- has
- done
- much
- good?
- Can
- a
- woman
- accustomed
- to
- following
- the
- leadership
- of
- men
- find
- her
- own
- path
- and
- define
- her
- own truth?
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