The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker

 

They are two of the town's oldest families and there is bad blood between them.  The Turners are rich and powerful and don't mind letting anyone know it.  The Gillys are farmers of the salt that is plentiful in this New England coastal town.  The Gilly salt is bound into the town's traditions and most people believe it brings them luck although they wouldn't say so.

These days the Turners are represented by Whit, the last of the Turners.  There are two Gilly sisters, Jo, the oldest and the one who knows the salt best and Claire who only wants to escape the hard work and poverty of the salt farm.  Whit first loved Jo but when she refused him he settled for Claire.  Claire is the beautiful one but her heart has never been Whit's either.  She is in love with Ethan but he went away and became a priest so she settled for position and wealth only to learn that neither can bring happiness.  The two sisters are estranged and haven't spoken in years until a crisis in Claire and Whit's marriage brings Claire home.

Whit is determined to acquire the salt farm to go along with all his other property.  His mother, Ida, who ruled the town while she was alive, told him that the salt farm would keep their wealth and position safe.  Jo refuses to sell although she is about to lose the farm to the bank from a loan her mother took out before her death.  How far will Whit go to get his way?

Tiffany Baker has created characters that the reader will remember for a long time.  Jo is strong and always does what she believes is right even at great personal cost.  Claire's chance at happiness flew away at eighteen and she has been desperately chasing it every since. It is also interesting to learn about the trade of salt farming and what it entails.  This book is recommended for readers of women's fiction.