Book Description

After the Stormshares the unforgettable story of a 19th-century quilter through some of the most challenging times in American history. This story is told in her own words through diary entries and a memoir she dictated to a grandchild shortly before her death. Hannah Applegate Benson Stone weathered many personal storms in her life yet found strength in her family, friends and community. Orphaned very young during the tumultuous years of the Civil War, and raised by a caring aunt in a small New England farming community, she grew from a frightened child to a confident woman, and successful quilt pattern designer. At a time when women had few opportunities available to them, she witnessed and participated in sweeping changes as her limited world expanded. This fictionalized memoir is based on many of the authors own life experiences transposed to another time. These memories bring Hannahs story to life. Readers will experience for themselves what it was like to grow up without any of the modern conveniences we take for granted and the excitement of discovering ones own strengths. They will mourn and rejoice with Hannah as she matures into a loving wife and mother as well as a creative and successful business woman. It is a timeless story of love, loss, and resilience. After the Storm will appeal to anyone who enjoys quilting or other craftsand reading historical novels. Young teens, especially, may enjoy learning about what it may have been like to grow up in an earlier time and what it takes to become a strong, resilient woman. This book will also appeal to readers of the novels of Nancy Turner: These is My Words, Sarahs Quilt, The Star Garden, and Resolute. Highly recommended for Home Schoolers who will learn about living in a 19th-century farm community, (growing and producing everything needed for a self-reliant life), the changes that came to rural America after the Civil War with the advent of the railroad and modern conveniences such as the treadle sewing machine and how to create and rely upon community to survive. This tender portrayal of love, loss, and resilience and the potential healing power of family, friends, and community, invite you to ponder the gifts and challenges of your own ancestry. --Edie Hartshorne, MSW, musician, artist, and author ofLight in Blue Shadows A lovely story of a young quilter and her life in rural nineteenth century New Hampshire --Morna McEver Golletz, Founder/CEO International Association of Creative Arts Professionals and Creative Arts Business Summit