🌟 Thrilled to share that ‘A Profitable Wife‘ has received a glowing editorial review from the Coffee Pot Book Club! 📚

“A masterful tale of intrigue and survival on the American frontier. This novel is a standout in historical fiction!”

“All was quiet. It was likely the last time anyone there would see this place, at least for a very long time. The night before, as the moon rose above them, Elijah had danced alongside his new blood-brothers around a blazing bonfire. When everyone had exhausted their dancing, the Elders told ancient stories about how the world was formed and how the people came into being…”

A Profitable Wife is a fascinating, at times hard-hitting tale of early 19th-century pioneers who explored the west – leading a life of hard work, in often hostile territory, and experiencing unexpected events, both man-made and natural. These early settlers – men and women – had to be tough, used to tiring physical labour, and possess knowledge of how to defend themselves.

This novel follows the trails of several settlers who made their way west for a new life. The plot is fictional, but based on a real ancestor of the author. 

It also follows the political situation of the times, with powerful men of various backgrounds – army, exploration, investment – seeking the highest post in the land: the presidency. All the while, ordinary people were encouraged to follow the Manifest Destiny of the new United States, heading westward into unknown territory, to escape the depression and over-population of the eastern cities.

Esther ‘Easter’ Hackley was a young girl, when she began to stay with her Native mother at her uncle’s house in the Mohawk Valley, New York. Philo Hackley had taken mother and child in after his brother’s injuries had cost him his life. Easter grew up as part of a white Christian family, but she never forgot her native tongue her mother had secretly taught her.

As she grew into her teenage years, her sturdy frame and dark eyes hinted at her heritage, but her family was well respected. With a deep knowledge of maths and finance, she managed her uncle’s store. Until Will Conklin, one of two brothers vying for her attention, asked her to marry him, and head west to found a homestead in Ohio with him.

Flattered, and in love, sixteen-year-old Easter sets out on the great adventure with her new husband. But not all is without challenge, and as their family grows steadily, they eventually relocate to Iowa, where they run a farm. Used to hard work, and highly intelligent, Easter runs the homestead with great efficiency, whilst Will and later their sons work the fields. She grows into a formidable farmer’s wife, clever, reliable, and opinionated. 

Over the decades, Easter gives birth to fourteen children, losing only one girl as an infant. All other children grow into adulthood – and several end up living to a great age.

Years after their arrival in Otter Creek, Will becomes disillusioned with their growing brood, the monotonous but precarious life, and his bossy wife. Racked by insecurities and growing anger at Easter, their love turns sour. One day, things come to a head, and someone is killed.

What happened? Read the book!

Checkout the entire review on The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog.