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Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
A tale of faith, passion, idealism, and betrayal, perfect for book clubs, fans of Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings, and those fascinated by love triangles, contradictions between public images and private lives, and the limitations faced by women in the nineteenth century.
Elizabeth Tilton, a devout housewife, shares liberal ideals with her husband, Theodore Tilton, and their pastor and close friend Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, both influential reformers of the Reconstruction Era who promote suffrage for women and former slaves and advocate for the spiritual power of love rather than Calvinistic retribution.
Elizabeth is torn between admiration for her husband’s stand on women’s rights and resentment of his dominating ways at home. When Theodore justifies his extramarital affairs in terms of the free love doctrine that marriage should not restrict other genuine loves, she becomes closer to Henry, who admires her spiritual gifts—and eventually falls passionately in love with him.
Once passion for her pastor undermines the moral certainties of her generation, Elizabeth enters into uncharted emotional and ethical territory. Under what circumstances should she tell the truth? If she does, will she lose her children and her marriage? Will she destroy her own reputation and the career of the reverend who has done much good? Can a woman accustomed to following the leadership of men find her own path and define her own truth?
Elizabeth Tilton, a devout housewife, shares liberal ideals with her husband, Theodore Tilton, and their pastor and close friend Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, both influential reformers of the Reconstruction Era who promote suffrage for women and former slaves and advocate for the spiritual power of love rather than Calvinistic retribution.
Elizabeth is torn between admiration for her husband’s stand on women’s rights and resentment of his dominating ways at home. When Theodore justifies his extramarital affairs in terms of the free love doctrine that marriage should not restrict other genuine loves, she becomes closer to Henry, who admires her spiritual gifts—and eventually falls passionately in love with him.
Once passion for her pastor undermines the moral certainties of her generation, Elizabeth enters into uncharted emotional and ethical territory. Under what circumstances should she tell the truth? If she does, will she lose her children and her marriage? Will she destroy her own reputation and the career of the reverend who has done much good? Can a woman accustomed to following the leadership of men find her own path and define her own truth?
Product Details
- Publisher: She Writes Press (January 28, 2025)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781647428310
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Raves and Reviews
“The strength of Elizabeth’s character is at the novel’s core. There are moments of eroticism in which she exercises power and agency, refuting her husband’s claims that she was stupid and naive to fall for Henry’s seduction. Elizabeth is also the only one of the three to take responsibility for her actions… She also reminds herself of the good within Henry and Theo, who are both willing to sacrifice Elizabeth to save their own reputations. Her penchant for forgiveness and understanding is conveyed as not a weakness but a strength… The riveting novel Unruly Human Hearts is sensitive in following a strong woman as she overcomes adversity.”—Foreword Review
“Imposition of impossible goals, insensitive statements, lies, taking your children away, shame, physical threats, gaslighting—women undergo similar incidents of violence no matter the times and circumstances. Elizabeth Tilton is a mirror to our own experiences. Unruly Human Hearts speaks to our world with loudspeakers, leaving us with a sense of impotence, rage, and hope. It sheds light on suffragist women in the US and women who fight for their rights everywhere.”—Yolanda Rivera Castillo, author of Emergencia de la luz and Baladas de tentación y destierro
“This is not just a story of a woman who tried to be a good Christian wife while passionately in love with her pastor, it’s a revelation of her anguish as she struggled to protect herself, her children, and the two men she loved from the toll of escalating public scandal.”—Linda Ulleseit, author of The River Remembers and Innocents at Home
“In Unruly Human Hearts, Barbara Southard has created a delightful and poignant novel about the Beecher-Tilton scandal in the Reconstruction Era. Focusing on Elizabeth’s internal struggle to cope with her husband’s public support for women’s rights while maintaining the double standard in private, this story will inspire readers to ask themselves how women should confront similar challenges today. Perfect for fans of well-researched and engaging historical fiction!”—Jacqueline Friedland, author of The Stockwell Letters and Trouble the Water
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