An Orkney Maid

One word in a New York newspaper—“Kirkwall!”—summons a harbor of fishing boats, smuggling craft, and centuries of danger from the forgotten corners of an old woman’s memory.

In 1853, on the Orkney Islands, the old Norse ways are giving ground to new customs, but the Ragnor family still lives by its own traditions in a weathered, many-roomed house. Thora prepares for a gathering as her brother Boris is expected home from the sea, while talk of her dress and her future reveals how closely her choices are watched. In this household, affection and duty share the fireside—and love may not follow the path others have planned. What will Boris bring home, and what will Thora choose for herself?

With centuries of literature, it's inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. We hunt down public domain works and restore them so they're not lost to the world.

Who are we? We're Cairn Press. Our background is in design, publishing, typography, and technology. These skills fuel our mission to create the highest quality Public Domain eBooks available online, at an affordable price. We give them the treatment they deserve; our proprietary process restores books for a better overall user experience in design, readability, and e-reader compatibility.