Islanders

First published in 1927, Islanders tells the story of an indomitable woman. The novel begins as Ellen's lover, brother, and father go off to the gold rush in California in 1849; it concludes as Ellen's grandniece waits for her lover to go off and fight in World War I in 1917. In between, other men of the family go off to war to make their fortunes—leaving the women, "islanders," to run the farm and care for their families. The prolific writer Helen R. Hull offers a portrait of rural American women's lives over three generations.