The Liberation of Jane Carter: A Novel

She was taught to endure. Her daughter teaches her to dream.

In the early 1900s, fifteen-year-old Jane Carter is forced from the harsh mining settlements of the mountains of Upstate New York into a marriage her family believes will save her from a life of poverty and danger. Instead, she finds herself trapped in another kind of hardship. While her husband dreams only of expanding his farm, Jane is expected to bear children who will become little more than unpaid labor.

As the new century unfolds, Jane's daughter, Eunie, discovers a world beyond their isolated homestead through the education her father insists she doesn't need. She returns home with stories of women who vote, drive automobiles, pursue their own ambitions, and speak their minds. With every new possibility Eunie shares, Jane begins to imagine a life she never believed she could have.

Set against the rugged backdrop of Upstate New York during a time of profound social change, The Liberation of Jane Carter is an emotionally resonant historical novel about resilience, motherhood, and the quiet courage it takes to break free from the life others chose for you.

About the Author

Carol Hoenig is the author of Before She Was a Finley, Without Grace, Of Little Faith and The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events. She is President of Carol Hoenig Publishing Consultant, Inc., co-owner of On the Road Book Events and co-podcaster on Wildflowers Podcast: Books, Booze and Banter. She’s a member of Women’s National Book Association and presently working on another book or two. Having been raised in Upstate New York, she now lives on Long Island.

Praise for The Liberation of Jane Carter

“The Liberation of Jane Carter is enthralling. Carol pulls you so expertly into the setting—a New York farm in the 1930s—that you start to believe you can tap on the main character’s shoulder to try, in vain, to guide her. It’s a beautifully written story about the decisions we make and those that are made for us.”

—Stacy Raine, founder, Raine Media