It is 1865, the American Civil War has just ended, and 18-year old Vita Tenney is determined to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a country doctor like her father. But when her father tells her she must get married instead, Vita explores every means of escape - and finds one in the person of war veteran Jacob Culhane. Damaged by what he's seen in battle and with all his family gone, Jacob is seeking investors for a fledgling business. Then he meets Vita - and together they hatch a plan that should satisfy both their desires. Months later, Vita seemingly has everything she ever wanted. But alone in a big city and haunted by the mistakes of her past, she wonders if the life she always thought she wanted was too good to be true. When love starts to compete with ambition, what will come out on top?
Author
Martha Conway's latest novel is THE PHYSICIAN'S DAUGHTER. Her other novels include The Underground River (Simon & Schuster), which was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, and Thieving Forest, which won the North American Book Award for Best Historical Fiction. Her short fiction has been published in the Iowa Review, the Carolina Quarterly, The Quarterly, Folio, Massachusetts Review, and other journals. She teaches creative writing at Stanford University's Continuing Studies Program. Martha is one of seven sisters and now lives in San Francisco with her family.
