I’m not sure when I have so thoroughly enjoyed a trilogy! Not only is The Light Before Day, the third book in the “Nantuckett Legacy” series, a wonderful historical tale; but it is so relevant today. Suzanne Woods Fisher tackles important themes like segregation, integrity in journalism, valuing women and minorities, and what living out faith day to day looks like.

I literally would be engrossed in the story and then momentarily be transported back to present day thinking about how relevant the themes were. I fell in love with the characters and was highly invested in the outcome of their stories. Beyond that I learned a great deal about Nantucket, the Quakers, and so appreciate Fisher’s attention-to-detail and commitment to accuracy.

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The third book in the series was a beautiful combination of the story. Phoebe’s Light, Minding the Light, and now The Light Before Day are not like anything I have ever read before. The story jumps between time periods, while reading great Mary’s Journal and also the “present day” story, you get to know generations of families that were the founders and current residents of Nantucket. While this may be familiar to some I haven’t encountered it often in my reading. I certainly have not seen it done so well. It’s amazing to watch the two story lines parallel each other, give the reader insights into characters and family lines, reveal minut details that pertain to both stories, and so significantly demonstrate the value of knowing our own history. Fisher has to be a master of story to balance both, have the complete picture in mind when weeding all three stories, and ties them together seamlessly. I would highly suggest starting with book one, Phoebe’s Light, if you are just now finding out about the series!

Don’t miss the awesome Amazon giveaway from the author herself! Suzanne Woods Fisher also provides wonderful historical background in her interview below.

Grateful to Celebrate Lit Bloggers for providing me a copy of the book. All opinions here are my own.

About the Book

Book: The Light Before Day

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: October 2, 2018

“Henry, this . . . fortune, this sudden wealth . . . I fear it will change our lives. And I don’t want my life to change.”

After three years on a whaling voyage, Henry Macy returns to Nantucket to news that his grandmother has passed, bequeathing her vast fortune to him and his sister, Hitty. And it was truly vast. But Lillian Coffin was no fool. The inheritance comes with a steep cost, including when each should marry and whom—a Quaker in good standing, of course. But if they relinquish the inheritance, it all goes to Tristram Macy, their father’s thieving business partner.

As Hitty and Henry seek a way to satisfy the will’s conditions, they’ll be faced with obstacles on every side—and it may be that Lillian Coffin will have the last word after all.

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Find out more about this amazing deal at http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com/thelightbeforeday

About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Phoebe’s Lightand Minding the Light, as well as the Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She has also written several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. Fisher lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow her on Twitter @suzannewfisher and Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor.

Guest Post from Suzanne

The Mortgage Button

In each story of the ‘Nantucket Legacy’ series, there’s a reference to a mortgage button in the newel post of a stairway. Phoebe Starbuck, the main character in Phoebe’s Light, made a point to notice it in the captain’s house on Orange Street, the famous residences of sea captains. In Minding the Light, Daphne Coffin touched the mortgage button on the newel post of her horrible mother’s grand house each and every morning. Hitty and Henry Macy were well aware of the absence of their childhood home’s mortgage button—and all that its absence symbolized—in The Light Before Day.

Mortgage buttons meant something to each of those characters. It made a statement to anyone who walked into a house.

Have you ever seen a mortgage button? It’s a very Nantucket-y tradition. In fact, some say the mortgage button originated on Nantucket Island, thirty miles out to sea.

Supposedly, when a house’s mortgage was fully paid and there were no liens against the property, the homeowner drilled a hole in the newel post of the main staircase, rolled up the mortgage document, put it inside, and capped the hole with a decorative plug of scrimshaw.

Scrimshaw is a term for an American folk art developed during the 18^th and 19^thcenturies. Whaling in New England was an industry that lifted Nantucket Island to become the world’s wealthiest port. After a whale’s oil was rendered, the ship’s captain would give his crew the sperm whale’s teeth or bones to carve during long tedious hours at sea. Whaling had its exciting moments, but they were far and few between. As a pastime, sailors carved all kinds of useful gifts to bring home to their loved ones: needles, combs, games, clothespins, busks…and mortgage buttons.

But let’s jump back to the mortgage button. Some legends say that the actual mortgage papers were ceremoniously burned and the ashes stashed inside the drilled hole before sealed with the button. However, as appealing a thought as that might be, it is most likely a myth. There’s never been any evidence of ashes or even hidden mortgages found in salvaged newel posts. Still, mortgage buttons are common among Nantucket homes, and the tradition has spread to other parts of the country. In southern states, for example, they’re called brag buttons. Whether myth or truth, today it’s more a matter of a charming nostalgic custom than a nod to your healthy (or…not so healthy) net worth.