The last time the crows circled the old farmhouse, her husband Chester was found dead, and the town named her a murderess. Thirty years later, the truth she buried with him is stirring again, the country is splitting in two, and the family she fought so hard to hold together is being pulled apart by a war that hasn't yet been declared.
Her grandson Auggie wants to fight for the Union. His mother, born to a Virginia plantation family, will do anything to drag him south instead. Millie — the rector's daughter with golden hair and a satchel full of letters — waits at home for a boy who may never come back. And in the chapel behind the lilacs, Elcira and the women of her garden club continue the work no one is supposed to know about: sheltering freedom seekers as slave catchers tighten their grip on the Connecticut coast.
Then a telegram arrives. And another. And the war everyone said would never come has come for the Cranberrys all at once.
Perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah, Marie Benedict, Paulette Jiles, and Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain — a story about what families inherit, what they hide, and what they're willing to risk when the country they believed in begins to come apart.
COVER: All the covers for this series are amazing. You get that old-style New England feel, and the colors are muted, yet stunning.
FIRST CHAPTER: It is 1861. Lincoln has been elected President of the United States, but has not yet taken office. Rumblings of war are stirring, and states have seceded from the Union. Despite Elcira and Felix yearning to keep the family safe, even the Cranberrys may be pulled into the conflict no one thought would come.
KEEP READING: The Sparrow and The Crow has a strong opening, which draws the reader in. It is 1861, and Elcira is now a grandmother. Felix is destined to inherit the family property one day. However, what seems like a distant or not even likely war threatens the family's peace and prosperity. Cusano does an excellent job of setting the scene, creating quick tension, and ends well so that the reader is eager to continue. Out of all three books, this might end up being my favorite. The descriptive details are fewer. The first chapter tighter. Though there is backstory tying to the first book, it is not so abundant as to overwhelm the current storyline. Looking forward to reading more.
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Thanks so much! This does sound like a fantastic series! I hope to find time to read it someday!
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