Pembroke revolves around the complexities of love, willpower, and societal expectations set against the backdrop of a traditional New England village. The story focuses on Barnabas Thayer and Charlotte Barnard as they navigate their complicated relationship, particularly through tensions arising from political and personal disagreements. The novel opens with Barnabas preparing to visit Charlotte, his intended bride, only to be turned away after a quarrel between him and Charlotte's father, Cephas Barnard, over their differing political views. This argument leaves deep emotional scars, especially for Charlotte, who longs for Barnabas but is bound by her father's rigid expectations. The story delves into the characters' inner thoughts, highlighting their desires, struggles, and the societal pressures that constrain them. The natural beauty of the changing seasons contrasts with the emotional turmoil they face, setting the stage for interpersonal conflicts and the exploration of love, duty, and the evolving dynamics of a rapidly changing world.
Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman was an American author. Freeman was born on October 31, 1852, in Randolph, Massachusetts, to Eleanor Lothrop and Warren Edward Wilkins, who christened her "Mary Ella". Freeman's parents were conservative Congregationalists, and he grew up under severe supervision. Religious limitations play an important role in some of her works. In 1867, the family relocated to Brattleboro, Vermont, where Freeman graduated from the local high school before spending one year at Mount Holyoke College (formerly Mount Holyoke Female Seminary) in South Hadley, Massachusetts, from 1870 to 1871. She eventually completed her schooling at Glenwood Seminary in West Brattleboro. Freeman's father died unexpectedly in 1883, leaving her with no close family and an estate of barely $973. Wilkins returned to her hometown, Randolph. She moved in with a friend, Mary J. Wales, and started writing as her sole source of income. During a visit to Metuchen, New Jersey in 1892, she met Dr. Charles Manning Freeman, a non-practicing doctor seven years her junior. After years of courtship and delays, the couple married on January 1, 1902. She immediately established her name as "Mary E. Wilkins Freeman," and requested that Harper's use it on all of her work.
![Truth [Verite] Book I](http://www.double9books.com/cdn/shop/files/9789368098935_300179e1-8196-45a7-a5e3-156d28267b73.jpg?v=1742824179&width=200)
