Ellie's Great War

About this item

A debut historical novel destined to become a classic like Little Women , this coming-of-age story records an upstate New York family's suffering and growth through World War I and its aftermath through the eyes of a young woman. Eleanor Foerster, a bright and irreverent fourteen-year-old, takes her first step into adulthood on the day she learns that America has entered the Great War against Germany. Suddenly, her quiet town in upstate New York is swept up in the turbulence of World War I, and Ellie watches as her family and community are reshaped in unexpected ways. Ellie's impulsive elder brother Francis tries to escape family expectations by enlisting in the army, but then discovers that the army has expectations, too. Her sister Lucy finds love, loses it, then finds it again. Her uncle and mentor John helps his roomer Reid find a way to avoid the draft without breaking the law, but then learns that his political frankness can be costly in a small