In a rich tapestry of dreams, legend, and the pivotal events of the American Civil War, this haunting novel portrays a family of Irish immigrants fighting to find its identity in the New World while a nation struggles to be born anew out of the carnage of war. In a starred review, "Publishers Weekly" called it "a finely wrought historical novel...remarkable for its artistry and the lingering musicality of its language."

The close of the Civil War finds Mary Mehan as emotionally traumatized as the demobilized soldiers around her, and she must begin a journey of emotional and physical renewal. This moving sequel to one of the most highly praised young adult books of 1996, The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan, is now in Knopf Paperback.