Hills of the Shatemuc

"The Hills of the Shatemuc" by Elizabeth Wetherell is a novel written in the mid-19th century. The story introduces readers to the lives of the Landholm family, focusing on the aspirations and daily struggles of two brothers, Winthrop and Rufus, as they work on their farm while longing for a life of greater opportunity. Themes of ambition, familial duty, and the pursuit of education are intertwined throughout their narrative. At the start of the book, we are introduced to the Landholm family during an early spring morning, as they prepare for a day of farming. The scene is set at their charming but modest farmhouse, highlighting the simplicity of their rural life. Winthrop, the younger brother, experiences a mishap with a local troublemaker, leading to playful banter and hints of conflict with his elder brother Rufus. The brothers share a deep bond, yet Rufus expresses a desire to escape the constraints of farm life through education, setting the stage for their ambitions to pursue a better future. As the plot unfolds, readers get a vivid sense of the family dynamics and the characters' yearning for personal growth amidst the challenges of their agrarian lifestyle. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Susan Bogert Warner was an American Presbyterian writer of religious fiction, children's fiction, and theological works. She is best remembered for her massive bestseller The Wide, Wide World. Her other works include Queechy, The Hills of the Shatemuc, Melbourne House, Daisy, Walks from Eden, House of Israel, What She Could, Opportunities, and House in Town. Warner and her sister, Anna, wrote a series of semi-religious novels that had extraordinary sales, including Say and Seal, Christmas Stocking, Books of Blessing, and The Law and the Testimony.