"A love affair between Quaker Susanna and merchant's son Will plays out against the persecution of Friends in seventeenth-century England. . . . An engrossing plot and a moving love story." — THE HORN BOOK

An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults

A Bank Street College Best Book of the Year

A Richie's Picks Best Book of the Year

"The complexities of social order and religious persecution unfold gracefully. A tender, involving story, beautifully told." — KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)

"Readers will be hard-pressed to discover two more truly likable and
better matched characters, more deserving of a happy ending." — BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS

"Here is a novel that needs a trumpet to be blown for it. . . . We see the narrative unfolding through the alternating viewpoints of William and Susanna, and this allows us access to every part of a society which is both complex and fascinating. We learn a great deal (without a hint of the author stuffing the narrative with her research for our edification) about seventeenth-century manners, morals, clothes, medicine, reading, eating, and penal conditions. We learn about the quiet faith and bravery of the Quakers. . . . But the main pleasure here is the touching love story. The end of the novel, which reduced this reader to tears, leaves you longing for the sequel." — Adèle Geras, THE GUARDIAN — Adèle Geras, THE GUARDIAN