I had a friend write the description below.
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Wreck of the Gossamer, written in 2016 by Shawn P. McCarthy, is a sweeping historical novel set in 1891, a time when America is being transformed by industry, electricity, labor unrest, and expansion into the West. The story begins dramatically when Victor Marius, a brilliant inventor and entrepreneur, is lost during a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod. Before disappearing beneath the waves, Victor releases a mysterious handcrafted box into the ocean, hoping it will preserve secrets tied to his life’s work and protect his legacy from those who might exploit it.
Far away from the wreck, Amanda Malcom struggles through an unhappy and emotionally difficult marriage. Intelligent, resilient, and yearning for freedom, Amanda unexpectedly discovers the strange box after it washes ashore. Her discovery becomes the catalyst for a dangerous journey that changes the course of her life. Drawn into mysteries she barely understands, Amanda leaves behind the familiar world of New England and begins a cross-country odyssey through an America in the midst of enormous social and technological change.
As Amanda travels westward, she encounters an unforgettable range of characters whose lives reflect the tensions and possibilities of the late nineteenth century. This is the first book in a six-book series that’s centered in Massachusetts, with chapters that cover Amanda’s journey westward. She meets former slaves still coping with the scars of the Civil War, Plains Indians confronting the destruction of their traditional ways of life, labor organizers fighting for workers’ rights, and charismatic con men surviving on riverboats and frontier towns. Each encounter broadens Amanda’s understanding of the country and of herself, forcing her to confront questions about justice, loyalty, and personal independence.