A Door Just Opened
By Dorothy Stephens
Thirteen-year-old Anna’s passionate dream is to go to high school, the first girl from her tiny farm community back in 1910 to do so. She is determined not to stay at home like her older sister, Mary Ellen, helping their mother and waiting to marry a local farmer. But there is no money to send her to River Heights, seven miles away, and anyway, her mother needs her. When sixteen-year-old Mary Ellen is sexually assaulted by a local boy from a well-to-do family, the situation gets worse. No one suspects Mary Ellen is pregnant until she gives birth to the illegitimate baby.
The surprise birth threatens to ruin the family’s standing in the community and Mary Ellen’s reputation. Anna wrestles with helping her parents and sister while still striving to escape the boundaries that have been set for her and make her burning desire to go to high school a reality. Meanwhile she becomes involved in solving the mystery of a missing ring, and in stopping another attack by the boy who assaulted her sister. The climax comes when some unexpected developments change the course of Anna’s life.
Reader's Comments
"Stephens is one of a kind. We do have some 80-year-old authors, not many, and other than Dorothy, no 90 year olds. She has a straight-forward, no-nonsense voice with perfect technique. Her ability to convey her characters’ voices and make them each different is a gift, and she does it well.”
Nancy Schumacher
Publisher at Melange Books
"Kate, the sweet, but strong and resourceful, young wife and mother in Willow Run is captivating. She develops her talents while being supportive to her ex-military husband and their two little ones. In the process, we watch her become a major factor in improving everyone around her. Ms. Stephens unfolds this delightful story with interesting scenarios and wonderful characters throughout. It’s set in the 50’s, but still relevant to the present. The writing is smooth and a pleasure to read. I loved this book and would enjoy reading a sequel."
Mary Cooney-Glazer
Author of This Time Forever
Photos from the Early 20th Century
