Imbued with mystery and romance, this provocative novel pays homage to Naomi Wise, an orphan who lived in Randolph County, North Carolina during the early 1800s. Like Naomi, author Sandra Redding grew up near the banks of Deep River. There, as a child, she heard the sad tales and haunting songs describing how the orphan was murdered by devious Jonathan Lewis, the man who promised to marry her. The author revives feisty Naomi on these pages. Pos-sessing neither family nor dowry she works on a farm from dawn to dusk to sur-vive. Though men succumb to her charms, her free spirit offends the delicate sensibili-ties of many women. As Mary Ruth, a farm wife who migrat-ed from Pennsylvania, and Arabelle, an escaped slave, attempt to guide Naomi from harm's way, the three women bond, bravely sharing sorrows and savoring triumphs.