Eva and Henry: A Cape Cod Marriage - Irene M. Paine

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Résumé :
It is 1886, and the Cape Cod village of South Wellfleet is stirring back to life after a long, cold winter. Strong-willed Eva Paine has always admired her dashing neighbor, Captain Henry Smith, and as fruit trees blossom, she abandons thoughts of a college education and arranges her own marriage. Eva's wedding day is bittersweet- she bids her dear parents and brother good-bye and moves down the lane to Henry's family homestead. There she eagerly enters the realm of marital relations by night, and by day she practices the art of housekeeping under the watchful eyes of her new mother-in-law. Eva accepts the joys and disappointments of her marriage with a unique combination of faith, good humor and forgiveness. She is soon in charge of all household affairs while Henry is out to sea, but is then expected to slip back into submission upon his every return. Motherhood seems elusive, even though Eva strongly desires to bear a child. Motivated by the alternating forces of passion and lonliness, Eva pushes towards the modern machine age as Henry insists upon continuing in a dangerous traditional profession. Their fiery relationship swings like a wind-blown weathervane between bliss and crushing pain, until the storm of the century provides final answers.

Biographie:
Irene M. Paine was brought up hearing stories about her hardy ancestors, intrepid sea captains from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the self-reliant women married to such men. Curious about the faces peering from old photographs in the family attic, Paine conducted research which led her to writing her first novel. In Eva and Henry, A Cape Cod Marriage, Paine illuminates the joys and trials of her own great great aunt, Eva Paine Smith, a sea captain's bride. Irene holds a B.A. from Rivier College and an M.S. from American University . She is married to storyteller Jim Wolf and is a mother and grandmother. She lives on Cape Cod with frequent visits to her other favorite state, Montana.