The Uneven Road: Book Two of First Light

by Linda Cardillo

Overview

Innisfree—the wild and isolated land on Chappaquiddick Island where Josiah Monroe grew up—was the only place where he felt he belonged.

And now it was gone.

When his parents make the painful decision to sell the land—the symbol of his mixed Wampanoag and Irish heritage—Josiah abandons the island in anger. As he makes his way on the uneven road beyond Innisfree, he uncovers family secrets and seeks to redefine himself in a wider, more dangerous world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781942209232
Publisher:	Bellastoria Press LLP
Publication date:	03/31/2016
Series:	First Light , #2
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

LINDA CARDILLO is an award-winning author who writes about the old country and the new, the tangle and embrace of family, and finding courage in the midst of loss. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as a "Fresh Face," Linda has built a loyal following with her works of fiction-the novels Dancing on Sunday Afternoons, Across the Table, The Boat House Café, The Uneven Road, Island Legacy, A Place of Refuge, and Love That Moves the Sun; the novellas Catríona's Vow, True Harvest, and A Daughter's Journey; the short story collection Italian Tales (an Amazon #1 New Release); and the illustrated children's book The Smallest Christmas Tree. She is also co-founder of Bellastoria Press, an independent hybrid publisher partnering with authors to produce, distribute and promote compelling and beautiful stories. When she isn't writing, Linda loves to cook and is happiest when the twelve chairs around her dining room table are filled with people enjoying her food. She speaks four languages, some better than others. She plays the piano every night-sometimes by herself and sometimes in an improvisational duet with her younger son. She does The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle in ink, a practice she learned from her mother. From her mother she also absorbed a love of opera, especially those of Puccini and Verdi, whose music filled her home when she was a child. She once climbed Mt. Kenya and has very curly hair.For news and upcoming events, previews of new work, and musings on the writing life, sign up for Linda's newsletter at lindacardillo.com.

Table of Contents

THE UNEVEN ROAD
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1955
Cape Pogue
Martha's Vineyard

Chapter 1
"On the grey sand beside the shallow stream"
Josiah

Chapter 2
"I have walked and prayed for this young child"
Mae

Chapter 3
"The key is turned on our uncertainty"
Mae
Chapter 4
"Walking with slow steps"
Mae

1957
Wampanoag Burial Ground
Chappaquiddick

Chapter 5
"You tread on my dreams"
Josiah

1960
Innisfree
Chappaquiddick Island

Chapter 6
"The cold wet winds ever blowing"
Mae

1961
Cove Meadow
Chappaquiddick

Chapter 7
"A fire was in my head"
Mae

Chapter 8
"A frenzied drum"
Josiah

Chapter 9
"I have nothing but the embittered sun"
Mae

1961
Boston

Chapter 10
"I only ask what way my journey lies"
Josiah

Chapter 11
"Love is the crooked thing"
Mae

Chapter 12
"Dance upon the level shore"
Mae

Chapter 13
"A prayer for my daughter"
Mae

Chapter 14
"Someone called me by my name"
Josiah

1961
Cove Meadow
Chappaquiddick

Chapter 15
"All disheveled wandering stars"
Josiah

1962
Cove Meadow/Innisfree
Chappaquiddick

Chapter 16
"These are the clouds"
Mae

Chapter 17
"My wall is loosening"
Tobias  

Chapter 18
"Here we will moor our lonely ship"
Izzy

Chapter 19
"While day its burden on to evening bore"
Tobias

Chapter 20
"A grey gull lost its fear and flew"
Izzy

Chapter 21
"Together in that hour of gentleness"
Mae

1963
Dak To
South Vietnam

Chapter 22
"And the cries of unknown perishing armies beat about my ears"
Josiah

1963
Cove Meadow
Chappaquiddick

Chapter 23
"Gaze no more in the bitter glass"
Mae

Chapter 24
"She carries in the candles"
Mae

Chapter 25
"Go gather by the humming sea"
Tobias

Chapter 26
"Let us try again"
Mae

Chapter 27
"Now all the truth is out"
Josiah

1964
Western Massachusetts

Chapter 28
"Once more the storm is howling"
Josiah

1964
Boston and Northampton

Chapter 29
"A hunger for the apple on the bough"
Izzy

Chapter 30
"Moments of glad grace"
Josiah

1965
Northampton and Chappaquiddick

Chapter 31
"And he had known at last some tenderness"
Josiah

1969
Amherst and Boston

Chapter 32
"The darkness drops again"
Josiah

Chapter 33
"The labyrinth of her days"
Mae

Chapter 34
"Courage equal to desire"
Josiah

1970
Cove Meadow
Chappaquiddick

Epilogue
Josiah

Editorial Reviews

"A measured, riveting tale, written in a confident, impassioned voice." - Kirkus Reviews

"The Uneven Road is a sophisticated coming-of-age novel that intersects with historical events of this period. . . . written with verve and intelligence. Cardillo carefully constructs The Uneven Road with rich characterizations, diverging and interlocking plot elements, and fine attention to detail that explores family dynamics and the search for individual identity. . . .Captivatingly infused with often raw emotions and haunting memories of race, heritage, culture, and family dynamics, The Uneven Road, scatters its characters over time and place and draws them back together again with enduring values of family love and respect for heritage." - Chanticleer Book Reviews

From the Publisher