The Shrouding Woman - by Loretta Ellsworth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A young girl's awakening as she becomes an apprentice to a shrouder

It was once common practice for small towns to have a shrouding woman to help put their dead to rest. Still, when eleven-year-old Evie's Aunt Flo--herself a shrouding woman--comes to town, Evie knows little of a shrouding woman's ways and wants nothing to do with this aunt of hers, especially after her own mother's recent death. But as this mysterious woman slowly makes her way into Evie's life, her strong presence brings far more than signs of death to a grieving girl's home.

Set in the mid-1800s, this lyrically written novel, centered on the little-known practice of shrouding, sensitively touches on the healing process of life.

Review Quotes

"Reminiscent in tone and setting of Patricia MacLachlan's Sarah, Plain and Tall.... An important offering from a very talented newcomer." --School Library Journal

"An intriguing topic, responsible period research, and skillful thematic development make this an accessible and unthreatening introduction to a neglected area of women's history." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Loretta Ellsworth is the author In Search of Mockingbird. A former schoolteacher and mother of four grown children, she lives in Lakeville, Minnesota, with her family.