First published 2021
Antonio and Catalina Usina walk seventy miles along King's Highway in 1777, escaping the brutal conditions of Dr. Andrew Turnbull's indigo plantation in New Smyrna. The Minorcan couple had crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1768 with over 1400 fellow islanders from Menorca, bound by contracts that promised freedom and land after seven to nine years of service. Now they seek refuge in St. Augustine, where the British flag flies and thousands of Loyalists flee the American Revolution. Antonio and Catalina must build new lives in a city caught between war and exodus, carrying forward the traditions of their Mediterranean homeland while adapting to the conflicts that will shape Florida for generations. Their story follows one family line through the Indian Wars, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and both World Wars, chronicling how Minorcan culture took root and flourished in St. Augustine despite centuries of upheaval.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: found-family, generational-saga
Setting: New Smyrna, St. Augustine, Menorca, Florida
Period: 1768, 1777, 19th-century, 20th-century
208 pages · Paperback · Outskirts Press