A Gathering of Finches

Lottie, my Coos Indian maid, called it “the going over place.”

Cassie Hendrick Stearns crossed the Oregon coastal tidewaters in 1899 to begin her life beside the prosperous entrepreneur Lewis Simpson on Oregon’s wild and rugged coast. After her marriage, Cassie seems to have it all: an adoring husband, a loving sister, a daughter, and social position. She inspires a luscious four-acre garden and has wealth to buy anything her heart desires. But fluttering beneath the surface of her seemingly charmed life are self-doubt, fear, and the pain of living with the consequences of poor choices, leaving her empty and longing for more. Through the love and guidance of others, Cassie realizes money and possessions can’t buy happiness or forgiveness, nor permit her to escape the elkets of her past decisions. Only she can choose the path that will truly change her life and finally bring her heart peace.