Even My Family

Even My Family is the story of a young woman set on the path determined by her familys heritage, and her struggle to find her own path and follow it.  Although the story takes place just prior to the Civil War, her challenges are timeless.  Every woman today can relate to Elizabeths dilemma.  The heroine, Elizabeth Randolph, must deal with a family that does not communicate, that has expectations for her life which are not her own, and that is devoid of unconditional love.  Her family members are lonely, isolated individuals joined by the accident of birth and held together by community expectations.  Elizabeths spiritual family and the man in her life are at odds with her familys ideals.  After facing numerous obstacles, Elizabeth turns from her familys path to her own to enable joy and love to enter her life.  This entertaining story allows the reader to witness what transpires before an individual sees the reality of the world around her and then what transpires before she turns off the well traveled pathway and onto her own.  How often do we bang our heads against the wall before we turn and see an open window?  Born in 1840 to image conscious plantation owners, Elizabeth tries and continually fails to fulfill her parents' expectations.  Her love for freedom and her infant bonding with strong, loving slave women keep her from turning away from herself and the slave community.  Elizabeths deep sadness contrasts greatly with the beauty, comfort, and ease of her life.  Coming of age during a politically unstable period, Elizabeth wants to escape from the traditional Southern woman's life, but her family supports the Southern System.  Elizabeth's travels stretch from Richmond, Virginia to Newport, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts.  The men in her life include the perfect Southern gentleman, the established Boston Brahmin, and a young freethinking architect.  Not until Elizabeth is faced with life and death decisions does she come to terms with her destiny.