2025 IPPY Awards Silver Medal Winner in Historical Fiction
Unruly Human Hearts
A Novel
Description
A tale of faith, passion, idealism, and betrayal, perfect for book clubs, fans of Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings, and those fascinated by love triangles, contradictions between public images and private lives, and the limitations faced by women in the nineteenth century.
Elizabeth Tilton, a devout housewife, shares liberal ideals with her husband, Theodore Tilton, and their pastor and close friend Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, both influential reformers of the Reconstruction Era who promote suffrage for women and former slaves and advocate for the spiritual power of love rather than Calvinistic retribution.
Elizabeth is torn between admiration for her husband’s stand on women’s rights and resentment of his dominating ways at home. When Theodore justifies his extramarital affairs in terms of the free love doctrine that marriage should not restrict other genuine loves, she becomes closer to Henry, who admires her spiritual gifts—and eventually falls passionately in love with him.
Once passion for her pastor undermines the moral certainties of her generation, Elizabeth enters into uncharted emotional and ethical territory. Under what circumstances should she tell the truth? If she does, will she lose her children and her marriage? Will she destroy her own reputation and the career of the reverend who has done much good? Can a woman accustomed to following the leadership of men find her own path and define her own truth?
Reviews
“Southard offers a historical novel about the real-life Beecher-Tilton sex scandal, told from the perspective of the woman at its center . . . Southard’s prose is gripping . . . The characters are well-defined and memorable, and include such prominent historical figures as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Readers will find themselves engrossed in the drama while also learning about a . . . compelling piece of American history. A superbly written story of love, betrayal, and resistance in the face of crisis.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The strength of Elizabeth’s character is at the novel’s core. There are moments of eroticism in which she exercises power and agency, refuting her husband’s claims that she was stupid and naive to fall for Henry’s seduction. Elizabeth is also the only one of the three to take responsibility for her actions . . . She also reminds herself of the good within Henry and Theo, who are both willing to sacrifice Elizabeth to save their own reputations. Her penchant for forgiveness and understanding is conveyed as not a weakness but a strength . . . The riveting novel Unruly Human Hearts is sensitive in following a strong woman as she overcomes adversity.”—Foreword Review
“Imposition of impossible goals, insensitive statements, lies, taking your children away, shame, physical threats, gaslighting—women undergo similar incidents of violence no matter the times and circumstances. Elizabeth Tilton is a mirror to our own experiences. Unruly Human Hearts speaks to our world with loudspeakers, leaving us with a sense of impotence, rage, and hope. It sheds light on suffragist women in the US and women who fight for their rights everywhere.”—Yolanda Rivera Castillo, author of Emergencia de la luz and Baladas de tentación y destierro