Curzon and Isabel have a complicated relationship, but over the course of the trilogy their lives become entangled. The war is a part of the story, but Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth are the heart of it. This story is more about commitment, resilience, and courage than it is war. Together, they all head to Yorktown where the war is waging. The reunion is not a happy one as Ruth does not trust Isabel. She has been separated from Isabel for years since being sent away by their slave owner. In the final book, Ashes, Isabel again narrates while we travel with her and Curzon to Virginia, where they are searching for Isabel’s sister Ruth. In his story, he focuses more on the war rather than the people, but Isabel and Curzon’s relationship grows as they travel from New York City to Valley Forge. In the second book in the series, Forge, the perspective changes to Curzon telling the story as he enlists and fights for the Patriots. Her friendship with Curzon, a boy she rescued from the British, made me feel like I had time traveled back to the American Revolution and was walking alongside these brave people. Many times in the first book, Chains, I was left sobbing from Anderson’s depiction of the cruelty of slavery through the treatment of the main character, Isabel. It was a long wait for the third book in the installment, but Ashes does not disappoint. The books also feature accompanying vocabulary lists to reference throughout your reading. In all three books, each chapter is introduced by a quote from a primary source that helps give insight into the general attitude during the war. Her Seeds of America trilogy is one of my favorites of all time. Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson were making an appearance together that same evening. That summer, Anderson Bookshop was hosting a reader’s theater by an amazing cast of authors. I even went on a road trip to Naperville, IL with my daughters in 2009 so we could meet her.

I have read many of her books over the years and find them so powerfully written. I have loved Laurie Halse Anderson ever since I first read her book Fever 1793.

Ashes by laurie halse anderson summary