Rachel Callaghan

I felt that this book had a slow start, but picked up shortly after. The twin stories revolve around an old farmhouse in Pennsylvania. In the 1860s, the house was owned by William and Aoife Sprigett. After William joined the Union army, his wife and trusted servant Thomas ran the farm. In modern times, Benny and Iris Pearl bought the tumbling down wreck to bring it, and their marriage, back to life.

The link between old and new was dredging up a baby out of the pond. How did Baby Jack end up in the pond, with the boggy water keeping him in tact for 160 years? Why was he dressed in such finery, as if loved?

The 1860s thread tells the story of William, Aoife, Thomas, and Thomas’ common law wife Lettie, a former slave. Theirs is the story of how Baby Jack ended up in the pond.

In between renovation disasters, Iris and Benny are trying to bridge the rift that happened after their only natural child was born dead. Much as they loved their adopted son, they loved their baby daughter, too. As this marital rift heals, newspaper reports about Baby Jack bring out a writer and an historian, who also want to help solve the mystery.

The characters and the storylines were compelling. The switches from one character to another, and one time period to the other, were handled smoothly. I was drawn in.… (mehr)