A John Scognamiglio Book
Featuring: Emilie McCain
352 pages ISBN: 1496753143 EAN: 9781496753144 Kindle: B0FV5WVRPM Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook Add to Wish List
Pioneering Alabama, Arkansas and settled Washington
feature in this historical fiction. Emilie McCain was born
during turmoil and tragedy in Alabama in 1813. The story
follows her through the middle of the century. DAYS OF SUN
AND SHADOW could also include days of rain, as flooding
forms part of the narrative on a few occasions.
Poor Emilie is blamed by her hysterically upset mother
for the loss of the rest of the children. Loved only by her
grandmother, the child takes to caring for horses in a
nearby barn. Travel in those days involved oxen and endless
days of trudging in terrible weather with scant food. But
people did it, as long as they thought they had somewhere to
go. Susannah Ross moves from the Appalachians, ending up on
Emilieβs doorstep with a husband dead on the trail.
She is adopted by the McCains and provides a much-needed
balance.
Land grants or deeds feature a few times. The McCains
move to the Arkansas Territory. A riverboat provides part of
the transport. Life is no easier wherever people go, because
their grants are always for the poorest land.
I was fine following Emilie, who inherits the second
sight and believes she sees an owl spirit. I got a bit tired
of yet another woman being added to the mix, with her
backstory and added turmoil. One such is Jodie, a plantation
girl sold to a brothel and chosen by men who want someone
barely older than a child. Thatβs not the only bad
thing that happens to women, including Emilie, who finds out
the hard way that she canβt trust her husband, Keller.
Β
Horses to be trained provide Emilie with an income during
those pioneering days, and she buys a mare called Star for
herself. Mainly, we are shown that life was hard for women,
and involved more births than were practical, deaths of
young and old, endless work and plentiful walking, and
sometimes getting bought and sold or beaten by men just
because they were female and men were greedy cowards. Only a
couple of men come out well from this tale, Emilieβs
father being one. Expect violence, strong language and
crimes.
India Hayford has carried out endless historical research
for DAYS OF SUN AND SHADOW, from the Red River changing its
course to the fate of heroes in the Alamo. Letβs hear
it for the women who made frontier life possible. Β
Born into tragedy but gifted with a powerful connection to the natural world, a resilient young woman comes of age amid the wild beauty of early-1800s Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas in this incandescent, hauntingly moving epic about home, horses, human connection, and the transcendent awe of nature for readers of Go As a River and The Giver of Stars.
Alabama, 1813: In the midst of the battle and massacre at Fort Mims, a baby is born. It’s a portentous beginning for Emilie McCain, who has inherited the Sight—visions that come in dreams guided by an owl. Owl is Emilie’s steadfast companion, a welcome balance to her mother’s neglect. Along with the Sight, Emilie possesses an innate talent for communicating with horses. In an era when a woman legally belongs to her husband, such gifts may be the only things that are hers to keep.
The family makes a perilous move to Arkansas Territory, where Emilie becomes a master horse trainer and leatherworker. For all her skill with horses, Emilie sometimes fails to see the dark truth about the people she encounters. Other dangers, even when predicted, may be impossible to defend against—yellow fever, greed, vengeance, and the unforgiving land itself.
Through love, marriage, heartache, and hardship, Emilie gains strength and resilience. After years of avoiding emotional entanglements, she meets a man who presents her with a horse to be trained and an offer of friendship she could sorely use. But with his arrival come other tests of her will and her judgement. Finally, a shocking revelation inspires an act beyond her imagining—and may set her free to find the place she truly belongs . . .
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