The Kingsley House - Paperback

by Arliss Ryan (Author)

A classic American novel inspired by a real house In 1843, newlyweds Nathan and Mary Kingsley envisioned a good life in their new house in the pioneer community of Livonia, Michigan. Then a runaway slave on the Underground Railroad takes refuge in their cellar, and Mary must make a desperate attempt to save her wounded husband and the slave from hunters who are pursuing them. Drawing on her own family history, Arliss Ryan has written a richly imagined story of five generations-from Nathan's son Horace, a born schemer who is all too ready to sacrifice his birthright; to Emma, who helps sustain the family through a heartbreaking diphtheria epidemic; to Nathan's great-great granddaughter Laura, who falls in love with a daredevil pilot. By the time the wilderness where Nathan built his home has grown into a suburb of Detroit, the Kingsley House has seen wicked deeds, a summer of lost childhood, a suicide, and a chance to fall in love a second time. Arliss Ryan vividly brings over one hundred years of American history to life through the unforgettable story of a simple family house and the generations whose lives passed within its walls. The real Kingsley House is preserved in Greenmead Historical Village.

Author Biography

Arliss Ryan is the author of three other novels: Sanctuary, The Secret Confessions of Anne Shakespeare, and How (Not) to Have a Perfect Wedding. She lives with her husband in St. Augustine, Florida, where she works as a writer and professional storyteller. Visit her website at arlissryan.com.