The History of Us

Starred Review. "With a playwright's precise, sometimes excoriating dialogue and an insightful novelist's judicious use of interior monologue, Stewart crafts a tearful yet unsentimental family coming-of-age story." - Kirkus Reviews
3 out of 4 stars. "Faced with urgent choices, Eloise and the grown kids react with varying degrees of wisdom and pigheadedness, but as Stewart tenderly demonstrates, they remain - for better or for worse - a family." - People Magazine
"Stewart's novel is an intimate exploration of a family in crisis and the different ways in which people cope with grief." - Publishers Weekly
"Domestic fiction fans favoring strong, intelligent characters will be intrigued by Stewart's introspective examination of a family." - Library Journal
"Stewart takes what could have been a sitcom premise - a single aunt left to care for her sister's three orphaned children - and turns it into a poignant exploration of the meaning of family." - Booklist
..".an emotionally charged story that, at times, will leave you breathless." - The Examiner
"Stewart is a wonderful observer of family relationships, and she adroitly weaves the stories of Eloise and the children she's raised - their work, their loves, their disappointments and dreams - while focusing on what ties families together, and what ultimately keeps those ties from breaking." - Book Page
"A genuine and heartwarming story about the complicated thing we call family, and what it means to be home. I laughed. I cried. And I was very sorry to turn the last page." - Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Four Ms. Bradwells and The Wednesday Sisters
"Leah Stewart possesses magic. It is awe-inspiring to see how clearly and sensitively she presents the numerous ways her characters are broken and then finds a way to offer some hope of healing. With the family at the heart of The History of Us, Stewart shows that she is unafraid of difficult characters and that she is equally unafraid of making s

Starred Review. ""With a playwright's precise, sometimes excoriating dialogue and an insightful novelist's judicious use of interior monologue, Stewart crafts a tearful yet unsentimental family coming-of-age story."" - Kirkus Reviews
3 out of 4 stars. ""Faced with urgent choices, Eloise and the grown kids react with varying degrees of wisdom and pigheadedness, but as Stewart tenderly demonstrates, they remain - for better or for worse - a family."" - People Magazine
""Stewart's novel is an intimate exploration of a family in crisis and the different ways in which people cope with grief."" - Publishers Weekly
""Domestic fiction fans favoring strong, intelligent characters will be intrigued by Stewart's introspective examination of a family."" - Library Journal
""Stewart takes what could have been a sitcom premise - a single aunt left to care for her sister's three orphaned children - and turns it into a poignant exploration of the meaning of family."" - Booklist
.".".an emotionally charged story that, at times, will leave you breathless."" - The Examiner
""Stewart is a wonderful observer of family relationships, and she adroitly weaves the stories of Eloise and the children she's raised - their work, their loves, their disappointments and dreams - while focusing on what ties families together, and what ultimately keeps those ties from breaking."" - Book Page
""A genuine and heartwarming story about the complicated thing we call family, and what it means to be home. I laughed. I cried. And I was very sorry to turn the last page."" - Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Four Ms. Bradwells and The Wednesday Sisters
""Leah Stewart possesses magic. It is awe-inspiring to see how clearly and sensitively she presents the numerous ways her characters are broken and then finds a way to offer some hope of healing. With the family at the heart of The History of Us, Stewart shows that she is unafraid of difficult characters and that she is equally unafraid of making sure they matter to us."" - Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang
""Leah Stewart plunges deep into questions of home and heart. The History of Us is a lovely novel. Just lovely."" - Ann Hood, author of The Red Thread and The Knitting Circle
""Tender and compelling, The History of Us explores how we define our family and who, ultimately, we are both with and without them. These characters and their stories stuck with me long after the final page, and Leah Stewart proves once again that she is a master of understanding the complexity of human nature."" - Allison Winn Scotch, author of The Song Remains the Same and Time of My Life

Eloise Hempel is on her way to teach a class at Harvard when she receives devastating news. Her sister and her husband have been killed in a tragic accident, and Eloise must return home to Cincinnati to take her sister's three children, Theodora, Josh, and Claire, out of the hands of her own incapable mother. Nearly two decades later, Eloise is still in that house, still thinking about what she left behind. With Claire leaving for New York City for a promising ballet career, Eloise has plans to finally embark on a life that's hers alone. But when her mother makes a competition out of who inherits the house, and Claire reveals a life-changing secret, their makeshift family begins to fall apart.