Two Sisters' Secret

Book excerpt: From author, Diane Holmes, comes a story inspired by the life of her grandmother, Bernadine. In this work of historical fiction, the relationship between Bernadine and her older sister Elizabeth is complicated. Bitterness between them develops when Elizabeth asks Bernadine to keep a deep dark secret about her past. Later, Bernadine must endure betrayal when Elizabeth moves to West Virginia and leaves her behind. The story gives a detailed look at Bernadine's life as she matures, marries, and raises a large family on an Iowa farm, always harboring bittersweet feelings for Elizabeth. Two Sisters' Secret is not just the personal story of Bernadine and Elizabeth but the story of rural America at the turn of the century and beyond - the days of horse-powered farm machinery and transportation, the transition to electric lights and telephones, the sadness, fear, and loneliness of an immigrant in the United States, and the very real hardship of The Great Depression.