"Get it." -Kirkus Reviews
✹
"Get it." -Kirkus Reviews ✹
From the Author:
West Barnstable, 1830. Lighthouse keeper Joseph Nickerson and members of the Jenkins and Fish families are tied to the sea through their work. Their voices are those of men and women who braved years-long sailing voyages as the United States split apart at the seams.
Young James Jenkins follows the sailor’s life, rising over a decade to become a merchant ship captain who transports guano, tea and coal around the globe. He finds his match in Ruth Fish, the daughter of a ship’s captain who bristles with passion to see the world and escape the confines of her small town.
Separated for years from his family, James binds himself to them through letters that span the vastness of oceans and time. At home, the rumbles of conflict over slavery reverberate into every corner of life.
James and Ruth are united in their vision to sail the world together while their country strains under the tension between North and South.
An uncertain future awaits.
Based on the true story of a family from West Barnstable, Massachusetts, during the final chapter of the Great Age of Sail and the tumultuous years leading up to and through the Civil War.
““A well-developed novel that uses copious historical sources to vividly bring its characters and scenes to life.””
Our Take: Based on the true story of a family from Massachusetts during the final chapter of the Great Age of Sail and tumultuous years leading up to and through the Civil War, The Journey Begins offers a richly researched portrait of seafaring life during one of America’s most turbulent eras. Sweeping and quietly powerful, it promises lyrical prose and a strong sense of place. The novel follows two families as they navigate oceans and upheaval, distance and duty. It’s a story of love, letters, and longing—perfect for readers drawn to historical fiction rooted in truth, and to tales where the pull of the sea echoes the deeper pull of home.
From a Reader: “A well-developed novel that uses copious historical sources to vividly bring its characters and setting to life.”