Katherine Paterson credits the idea behind Jacob Have I Loved to William W. Warner's Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and Chesapeake Bay. After this book peaked her interest in the Chesapeake Bay watermen, Paterson began her novel Jacob Have I Loved as an exploration of this Chesapeake tradition.
Jacob Have I Loved takes place during WWII. It is the story of a young girl who comes of age on a conservative Methodist Island on the Chesapeake Bay, an isolated island called Rass. The protagonist, Louise, struggles to find her way out of the shadow of her beautiful and talented twin sister Caroline. The Methodist tradition on Rass Island serves as a fascinating backdrop to the story. As Louise attempts to find herself and define her own identity she struggles with God, seemingly carrying her religious upbringing like a.....
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