In 1862, the men of Water’s Ford, Pennsylvania, rally to President Lincoln’s call while Dorothea Granger marshals her friends to ‘wield their needles for the Union.’

Meanwhile, Anneke Bergstrom hides the shame she feels for her husband’s pacifism; gifted writer Gerda Bergstrom takes on local Southern sympathizers in the pages of the Water’s Ford Register; and Constance Wright struggles to help her husband gain entry to the Union Army-despite the color of his skin.

As the women work, hope, and pray, the men they love confront loneliness, boredom, and danger on the battlefield. But the women of the sewing circle also forge a new independence that will forever alter the patchwork of life in the Elm Creek Valley.

‘Chiaverini has once again written an intense and beautiful book-so much so that readers will almost hear the hollow echo of the fife and drum as they immerse themselves in every compelling page … Truly unforgettable.’ BookPage
‘Jennifer Chiaverini’s strength is not only writing strong female characters, but also placing them in interesting lives and times.’

New York Journal of Books
‘Fascinating … We seldom think beyond the battles and the generals, but the story of the home front is a compelling one.

Although we might know how the big picture turned out, the individual stories presented here are rivetingly new.’

Romantic Times