The second edition of After the Storm contains added content and a new cover. This historical novel shares the unforgettable story of a 19th-century quilter through some of the most challenging times in American history. This story is told in her own words through a lifetime of diary entries and a memoir she dictated to a grandchild shortly before her death.

Hannah Applegate Benson Stone weathered many personal storms in her life yet found strength in her family, friends, and her own resilience. Orphaned at four years old during the Civil War and raised by a caring aunt in a small New England farming community, she grew from a frightened child to a confident woman and successful quilt pattern designer. At a time when women had few opportunities available to them, she witnessed and participated in sweeping changes as her small world expanded.

This fictional memoir is based on many of the author’s own life experiences and those of her family transposed to another time. These memories bring Hannah’s story to life. Readers will experience for themselves what it was like to grow up without any of the modern conveniences we take for granted and the excitement of discovering one’s own abilities and strengths. They will mourn and rejoice with Hannah as she loses her first love but finds new love a second time in this enduring story of loss and renewal.