Octavia, in 1812, lived near Lake Ontario; she was known as "Fire Hair" and married Wind Cloud, a Seneca Indian and gave birth to Silver Grass in 1824. Silver Grass lived near Lake Superior and was the great granddaughter of Broken Reed and married Olav Johanson. She gave birth to Elm Leaf and later died giving birth to Marta.

When Olav married Freda, she changed Elm Leaf's name to Elma. Elma lived near Lake Erie during the Civil War; she was so anti-confederacy, it seemed inevitable that she would fall in love with a Confederate soldier, CPT Hunt Drury, who she met while volunteering at a prison where he was incarcerated. After Elma married her captain, she passed the locket to her younger sister, Marta, who moved to the Lake Michigan area as a cook's assistant to her former beau's cook, Edith. There, the owner of the camp knew she would be perfect for his son, Larch Pendleton.

This couple's daughter, Henrietta Grace Pendleton, lived on Lake Huron and defied society's view of what was proper for a woman to do in the 1870s. Rietta, as her Grandpa Pendleton knew, was determined to be the captain of her boat/ship. She met Garth Laidlaw on the Mackinac Island where her grandpa had built their summer home. He also had a dream of captaining his own ship someday. Ten years after their chance meeting when she was 12, the two met again!

This is an extraordinary book which showcases these five women's genealogy. Each supporting character is an asset to the story; though over 400 pages, I guarantee you will not get bored reading. It is a great book that I proudly recommend.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
April 10, 2007