Above the Salt

An irresistible and sweeping love story that follows two Portuguese refugees who flee religious violence and reignite their budding romance in Civil-War America. ΓÇ£Vaz’s work is gorgeous at every levelΓÇösinging sentences and pull-you-in plot. She is the real thing,an American treasure.ΓÇ¥ ΓÇöTayari JonesNew York Times bestselling author of An American Marriage John Alvesson of a famous Presbyterian martyr on the Portuguese island of Madeiraspends his childhood in jail and in poverty. When he meets Mary FreitasΓÇöthough the adopted daughter of a master botanisther true lineage is the subject of dangerous rumorΓÇöa spark kindles a lasting bond. But soon their families must confront the rising blood tide of warfare between Catholics and Protestants. Fleeing with only what they can carryJohn and Mary are separated and arrive at different times and places in a rapidly growing and changing mid-nineteenth-century Illinois. Years laterJohn settles into his life as an educator at JacksonvilleΓÇÖs nationally renowned school for the deafand Mary is a gardener in Springfield for handsomewealthy Edward Moore. After John and Mary reconnectthe home of rising politician Abraham Lincoln provides a prime setting for their courtship. But conflict looms on the horizonand John is torn. Should he join the Union army to prove his loyalty to his new countryor should he stay to fight for the chance to make a life with the one he loves? And should Mary accept EdwardΓÇÖs marriage proposal since he is a partner in her business of selling the miracle-berry fruit she transported from Madeiraor should she choose her passion for John? Social jealousies and betrayals compound the obstacles unleashed by the Civil War. In poignant and lyrical proseKatherine VazΓÇÖs Above the Salt is a captivating and beautiful tribute to the power of true love and the sacrifices we make to harness it.