The Civil War has ended, but Ellen Slater Reed now has to confront not only the loss of her husband in battle and the challenges of aging but also vast and disturbing changes in the country: the bitter struggle over Reconstruction, including the impeachment of the president; the rise of corporate megaliths; and, most upsetting, the corruption that seems to be seeping into every aspect of American life. In a voice at times reminiscent of Emily Dickinson's,...