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For Polly Justice, freedom does not arrive all at once. In Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife, it develops gradually through books, practical knowledge, hard experience and the courage to imagine a life beyond the limits others place on her. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the 1850s, the novel follows Polly … Read more

A dead man in the woods is disturbing enough. But when strange clues begin appearing beside other victims, the question becomes impossible to ignore: is someone deliberately leaving a message? That unsettling mystery runs through Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife, a historical novel set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. While the book … Read more

In Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife, education is not simply about learning to read, write or memorize difficult words. For Polly Justice, learning becomes a way to claim authority over her own life. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the 1850s, the novel follows Polly as she grows from a young … Read more

Marriage is rarely simple in Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife. For Polly Justice, it becomes even more complicated because her heart has never belonged entirely to one man. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina beginning in the 1850s, the novel follows Polly as she navigates an increasingly difficult marriage to John Justice, … Read more

John Justice knows how to calm a room. He can listen to two angry men, sort through accusations, expose a lie and reach a decision that both sides are expected to accept. In Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife, that talent earns him the admiration of Blue Ridge and the nickname “The Peacemaker.” But the closer … Read more

In Blue Ridge, John Justice is the man people call when tempers flare. He settles disputes. He listens to both sides. He uses patience, logic and even scripture to bring arguments to an end. His neighbors respect his judgment and his growing reputation earns him a fitting nickname: “The Peacemaker.” But Polly Justice knows a … Read more

Some people spend their lives running from the moments that hurt them most. Polly Justice does something different. In Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife, one of Polly’s deepest wounds comes from the death of her baby sister, Lucindy. As a young girl, Polly is present during the difficult birth of twin babies. When Lucindy does … Read more

A dead man under a blanket of leaves would be disturbing enough. But in Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife, that discovery is only the beginning. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of nineteenth-century North Carolina, the novel follows Polly Justice as she builds a life around healing, motherhood and survival. Yet running alongside her personal … Read more

A man can be admired in public and feared in private. That contradiction sits at the center of Julie Dorsey’s The Peacemaker’s Wife. John Justice earns respect in Blue Ridge because he can settle quarrels. Neighbors see a man who listens, reasons, and helps keep disputes from turning violent. His reputation grows because he appears … Read more

When people think of the Civil War, they often picture soldiers, battlefields, generals, and military campaigns. But women were carrying another part of the war at home. In communities like the Blue Ridge Mountains, women kept households functioning while men left to fight. They raised children, prepared food, cared for livestock, tended gardens, preserved supplies, … Read more