Daughters of Nantucket: A Novel

Written by Julie Gerstenblatt

Narrated by Keylor Leigh

“Gerstenblatt's distinctive tale, a triumph in storytelling, celebrates the courage and tenacity of women.” —Booklist, starred review

Set against Nantucket’s Great Fire of 1846, this sweeping, emotional novel brings together three courageous women battling to save everything they hold dear…

Nantucket in 1846 is an island set apart not just by its geography but by its unique circumstances. With their menfolk away at sea, often for years at a time, women here know a rare independence—and the challenges that go with it.

Eliza Macy is struggling to conceal her financial trouble as she waits for her whaling captain husband to return from a voyage. In desperation, she turns against her progressive ideals and targets Meg Wright, a pregnant free Black woman trying to relocate her store to Main Street. Meanwhile, astronomer Maria Mitchell loves running Nantucket’s Atheneum and spending her nights observing the stars, yet she fears revealing the secret wishes of her heart.

On a sweltering July night, a massive fire breaks out in town, quickly kindled by the densely packed wooden buildings. With everything they possess now threatened, these three very different women are forced to reevaluate their priorities and decide what to save, what to let go and what kind of life to rebuild from the ashes of the past.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

"A memorable story of friendship and courage." —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Release date: Mar 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781488218118

Julie Gerstenblatt

Julie Gerstenblatt holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Cognoscenti, among others. When not writing, Julie is a college essay coach, as well as a producer and on-air host for A Mighty Blaze. A native New Yorker, Julie now lives in coastal Rhode Island with her family and one very smart shichon poo. Daughters of Nantucket is her first novel.

Reviews for Daughters of Nantucket

[Jennifer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The four female characters are written in a manner that you feel like you know them. It creates a personal conflict as you see one of these characters act against the other. I felt immediately invested.

The setting is so richly detailed. I easily felt I was part of the story following each character through the streets of Nantucket. I’ve never been there, but I can’t wait to go.

I felt the urgency and isolation when the reality of the fire had destroyed most of the community. Where do you go when you’re on an island with a raging fire? What are the most important things to gather as you are evacuating? Finally, it hit me - this is an island 30 miles from mainland!

It was a fantastic and beautiful read!