The Friendly Persuasion Paperback - 2003

Summary

First line

"NEAR the banks of the Muscatatuck where once the woods had stretched, dark row on row, and where the fox grapes and wild mint still flourished, Jess Birdwell, an Irish Quaker, built his white clapboard house."

From the rear cover

A S a n F r a n c i s c o C h r o n i c l e western 100 Best Book of the Twentieth Century

A quintessential American heroine, Eliza Birdwell is a wonderful blend of would-be austerity, practicality, and gentle humor when it comes to keeping her faith and caring for her family and community. Her husband, Jess, shares Eliza's love of people and peaceful
ways but, unlike Eliza, he displays a fondness for a fast horse and a lively tune. With their children, they must negotiate their way through the Civil War, a time that constantly confronts them and tests the strength of their beliefs. Whether it's a gift parcel arriving on their doorstep or Confederate soldiers approaching their land, the Birdwells embrace life with emotion, conviction, and a love for one another that seems to conquer all.
Jessamyn West's first novel and a classic tale of the American Midwest, The Friendly Persuasion will charm generations of readers, as it has in the past, for years to come.

"West writes gracefully...poetically, in a voice both innocent and brave."-The Washington Post
Jessamyn West (1902-1984) was born in Indiana to Quaker parents and lived most of her life in California. Her work appeared in Harper's, Mademoiselle, Kenyon Review, and the New Yorker among other publications. Her other books include Massacre at Fall Creek and The Collected Stories of Jessamyn West.

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