The story in one page
Squire Hawkins leaves the decaying logs of Obedstown for Missouri, carrying a deed to his Tennessee land. He charges his children never to sell it for a pittance, convinced it holds a million-dollar future. Decades later, his son Washington and adopted daughter Laura fall under the spell of Colonel Sellers, a man who sees fortune in every raw turnip. As they descend on Washington D.C. to lobby Senator Dilworthy for a federal purchase, the dream of wealth collides with the reality of bribery, rail-road speculation, and a fatal romance that ends in a New York courtroom. The Hawkins family discovers that a legacy rooted in empty hope demands a heavy price from those who wait for it to bloom.
Who's who
- Colonel Beriah Sellers
An irrepressible speculator who feeds his family on expectations and raw turnips.
- Laura Hawkins
A beautiful, cynical lobbyist who seeks power in Washington and vengeance in New York.
- Philip Sterling
An earnest young man seeking his fortune through engineering and coal mining.
- Senator Dilworthy
A hypocritical politician who uses philanthropy to mask his greed for land money.
- Ruth Bolton
A determined Quaker girl who defies tradition to study and practice medicine.
- Washington Hawkins
The Squire's son, whose life is consumed by waiting for the Tennessee land sale.
What it's really about
- Speculation
- The corrosive effect of living on hoped-for future wealth.
- Corruption
- How legislative 'philanthropy' is often a front for private profit.
Why it's memorable
- Colonel Sellers lighting a candle in a stove to pretend the room is warm.
- Philip Sterling finally striking a rich vein of coal after months of digging in Ilium.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The Tennessee land is finally abandoned as a cursed burden; Philip finds success in his coal mine and marries Ruth, while Alice hides her own heartbreak.
For your book club
- The contrast between Philip's manual labor and the Hawkins family's hollow lobbying.
- The social cost of the 'Gilded' era's obsession with overnight millionaires.