No matter how far we may wander, Texas lingers with us, coloring our perceptions of the world.
— Elmer Kelton, Texas Western Fiction Author
Next up from the NCHM Book Club: The Knotted Ring by Myra Hargrave McIlvain.
The story follows Susannah Mobley, a young woman from Louisiana who comes of age in the early 1820s. Susannah is raised on a plantation and falls in love with Philippe, an enslaved man two years her senior. After she becomes pregnant, her father marries her off to Hezekiah James, a traveler headed to Texas in 1821 to join the Austin Colony.
The novel follows Susannah's life and the impossible situation in which she finds herself but also is an adventure story of life on the Texas frontier at a moment when nothing was certain.
Myra Hargrave McIlvain is a sixth generation Texan and historian. She has written markers for the Texas Historical Commission, penned articles for Texas Highways as well as for newspapers, and written six nonfiction books as well as multiple novels.
Join us in person on July 21st at 10:30AM to discuss The Knotted Ring, with lunch following the conversation. For those unable to join us in person, we will have a zoom conversation on the afternoon of July 23rd at 2:00PM.
Wonder what we have been reading? Take a peek, and then join us at our next meeting!
