Ann Weisgarber

A New Novel

Winter, 1888. In the inhospitable canyon lands of Utah Territory, glovemaker Deborah Tyler awaits her husband’s return home after months of working in southern Utah. As the expected date of his arrival comes and goes without a word, Deborah starts to fear the worst. Matters are compounded when a desperate stranger arrives on her doorstep. And with him, trouble.

Told from the points of view of Deborah and Nels Anderson, her husband’s stepbrother, Deborah and Nels must make decisions that will change their lives.

Unter Heiligen (German Edition)

1888. Es ist tiefer Winter. Deborah ist allein in ihrer Hütte am Rande der Mormonensiedlung Junction. Ein Fremder klopft an ihre Tür. Er ist auf der Flucht vor dem Marshal und erbittet Hilfe.

Ist er einer der Ihren, ein «Heiliger der Letzten Tage»? Wird er wegen Polygamie verfolgt? Dann wäre Deborah zur Hilfe verpflichtet. Auch wenn Deborah und Samuel die Vielehe ablehnen, sie misstrauen den Behörden, die ihre Glaubensbrüderseit Langem hetzen. Aber sie weiß: Wenn sie dem Flüchtigen hilft, bringt sie sich und die ganze Gemeinde in Gefahr. Je weniger Siedler Bescheid wissen, desto besser.

Ins Vertrauen zieht sie nur Nels,Samuels Stiefbruder und besten Freund. Doch Nels verbirgt mehr als nur seine Gefühle für sie …

Vor der mächtigen Kulisse winterlicher Wüstenlandschaft entfaltet sich Deborahs Geschichte.

Terra crudele (Italian Edition)

Nelle inospitali terre dello Utah, durante l’inverno del 1888, la trentasettenne Deborah Tyler aspetta che suo marito Samuel, che si guadagna da vivere come carradore, torni a casa da un viaggio di lavoro. È pieno inverno, Samuel ha un ritardo di settimane, e Deborah si sta preoccupando. Deborah vive a Junction, una piccola città di sette famiglie mormone, tutte lontane dalle rigide regole della chiesa, disseminate lungo il fondo di un canyon, e riesce a mettere da parte qualcosa curando frutteti e creando guanti da lavoro.

Isolati dalle scogliere di roccia rossa che circondano la città, lei e i suoi vicini vivono separati dal mondo esterno, guardati con sospetto dai fedeli mormoni che mettono in discussione la profondità della loro fede. Quando una notte, uno sconosciuto, inseguito da un maresciallo federale si presenta disperato sulla soglia di casa in cerca di rifugio, Deborah non può fare a meno di accoglierlo, mettendo in moto una catena di eventi che stravolgeranno la sua vita.

1900. Caught in a scandal, Catherine Wainwright, pianist, must leave her comfortable life in Ohio. She travels to Galveston, Texas, and marries the recently widowed Oscar Williams, a childhood admirer whom she has not seen in years.

Catherine is unprepared for the life that awaits her. The weather is sweltering, Oscar's home is rustic and remote, and his little boy, Andre, resents her presence.

But it's Oscar who most unnerves her. He has expectations that Catherine is unable to fulfill.

Then there is Nan Ogden, Oscar's housekeeper. Catherine's arrival comes as a shock to Nan. Not only had she promised Oscar's first wife that she would take care of Andre, but she has feelings for Oscar that she struggles to hide.

Meanwhile, a powerful hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico gathers strength and spins toward Galveston.

Longlisted for the Orange Prize, Shortlisted for the Orange Award for New Writers, Winner of The Langum Prize in American Historical Fiction, and Winner of the Stephen Turner Prize for Best Work of First Fiction.

When Rachel, hired help in a Chicago boardinghouse, falls in love with Isaac, the boardinghouse owner’s son, he proposes a bargain: he’ll marry her but only if she gives up her 160 acres from the Homestead Act so he can double his share. Landownership, Isaac believes, will give him a measure of equality with the white man. Rachel agrees to the bargain, and together they stake their claim in the South Dakota Badlands.

Fourteen years later, in the summer of 1917, it hasn’t rained in months and supplies have dwindled. Expecting another child, Rachel struggles to feed her family and is concerned about the welfare of the children. Isaac, a fiercely proud former Buffalo Soldier, refuses to consider giving up the ranch and is determined to pull the family through this rough time. Somehow, Rachel must stand up to her husband and do what is right for their daughters and son.