Overview
In the brilliant society of 1880s America, King Coal fuels fortunes and drives prosperity for the privileged as it also destroys lives and the dreams of the unfortunate. Harry Robinson, coming of age in southwestern Pennsylvania, is the hope of his family for the next generation, expected to ride Gilded-Age momentum to the American Dream.When he meets Niamh, an immigrant Irish woman married to a coal miner, he falls in love for the first time. Niamh’s arranged marriage brought her to America with the hope of giving her brother Patrick opportunities for a better life, and she asks Harry to continue the boy’s education. He agrees, hoping to stay close to Niamh and dreaming about ways to make her his own.Through Niamh and Patrick, Harry begins to realize the extent of the prejudices that stalk Irish Catholics and all immigrants. When Niamh’s husband beats her and she escapes, Harry is determined to take her away, though it means overcoming her religious scruples and the disapproval of his family. But Niamh and her brother disappear.Reviews
"While many novels have been written about the actual Civil War, fewer have focused on the Kansas-Missouri debacle that proved to be a microcosm of the powder keg that would explode as a result of decisions made in that initial conflict. The characters are likeable, intelligent, humorous, spunky and passionate people whose zest for adventure is met and then some! Superb historical fiction this reviewer highly recommends." —Historical Novel SocietyAuthor Biography
Award-winning author Deborah Lincoln grew up in the small town of Celina, among the cornfields of western Ohio. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Michigan State University and a master's degree in Library Science from the University of Michigan. She and her husband have three grown sons and live on the Oregon coast. Agnes Canon's War won Best in Category in the 2013 Chanticleer Review Laramie Awards and was a finalist in Women Writing the West's 2015 Willa Awards for historical fiction.