Johanna of Yarrow Hall: A Family Saga

Johanna of Yarrow Hall is a historical family saga during the late eighteenth century in Northern England. During this time, many social and economic changes promote unrest and hardships. The Industrial Revolution demands more wool and cheap labor—at the expense of the poor and wretched. The Wesley brothers, John and Charles, are preaching a gospel of grace and social action.

People are leaving England for a better life in North America and women are demanding more education and equality. It is a wonderful, often turbulent time to be alive, especially if you are a woman of determination, education, and ideals. Johanna Lewis is that kind of woman. In her early thirties and unmarried—without a proposal in sight—she has discouraged more than one suitor with her independent and outspoken personality.

But when she receives a marriage proposal from Squire Robert Penney, a widower much older than her, it makes her realize that this could be her last chance to escape the bleak prospect of living out the rest of her life as a lonely spinster. Johanna is confronted by trials and tragedy, and by the many interesting characters and adventures that accompany her through the years as the wife of Robert Penney.