This book is the first of the Saga series, and its title, A Place Called Home, looks at the idea of home, coming-of-age, womanhood, and patriarchy in the sixteenth century during the outbreak of the Thirty Years War. The main character, Hyla, feels unsure of her place as a young woman and wonders if love has to mean marriage. War breaks out in the village, and her understandings of her already confused world test her. Her ultimate test, though, comes when she is sexually assaulted and loses her sense of independence. She falls in love with her suitor, Bradford, but the war takes them on a journey of trust and loss that will test their love for each other, even if they lose each other at the end. Hyla and Bradford are challenged in many ways throughout the book, but their biggest challenge is understanding what love can do and what it cannot do.
Heidi Newbauer (Wed,) studied this question.