Susanna and Sue

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Pages: 97

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About this book

White orchards, orderly farms and a quiet lakeside settlement greet Susanna Hathaway and her young daughter Sue as they approach a Shaker community near Albion in Maine. Susanna remembers the kindness she received there as a child and returns with hope and fear. Sue brings a different energy to their arrival, skipping along the road and asking eager questions about the unfamiliar people and their customs.

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin's novel brings family concerns into contact with a shared religious life. The community's work, songs, prayers and rhythmic worship form the setting for Susanna's effort to decide whether she belongs among its members. After nearly three months, she speaks openly about her gratitude and the duties that may draw her away. Readers interested in domestic fiction and Shaker life will find the mother's uncertainty set beside her child's lively curiosity.

About the author

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923) was an American educator and novelist who opened one of the first free kindergartens on the West Coast, in San Francisco, and wrote fiction partly to fund her teacher training work. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm carried her name well beyond it.