The River Between Us

Ok . . . the book "The River Between Us" starts out in 1916 listening to a young 15 yr old boy's thoughts. Howard Leland Hutchings takes a car ride to visit his dad's side of the family to learn the history of his Grandmother and Great Aunt. Now the story flashes back to 1861. Tilly Pruitt lives with her brother, Noah, her sister, Cass, and her mother, in a small town called Grand Tower, Illinois. Tilly lives throughout World War Two for the North, President Lincoln at the time. Times weren't great for Tilly, then things change when her mother takes in a couple of young ladies, Delphine and Calinda, heading towards St. Louis but were stopped because of the war. Tilly learns of mirrors, corsets, beauty, and more, the Pruitt family becomes a more lively bunch until Noah, Tilly's twin, slips away in the night off to war like all the other young 15 yr old boys. Tilly and Delphine set off to bring their Delphine's love and Tilly's brother back home to Grand Tower. Tilly and Delphine had never seen such a horrible sight in their life. Wounded men breathing their last breaths, death was surrounding them like a swarm of wasps. At last they spot Noah, the moment Tilly cures him Noah is sent off to fight. Noah comes back barely alive the girls cure and bring him home to dead mother and a soon to be dead sister. Calinda leaves the next year and Cass dies, Noah and Delphine never got married but they did have a kid, Howard Leland Hutchings dad. ☺