The Three Black Pennys: A Novel

About this book

Pennsylvania’s iron and steel trade frames a multigenerational family novel about the Pennys and the fortunes built around their industry. On a winter trip, canals, mule-drawn coaches, and smoke-hazed factory towns make transport and production part of daily life. When Howat Penny meets James Polder, a brief dispute over the young man’s family name makes inheritance feel unsettled rather than straightforward. Hergesheimer moves between private resentments and the business legacy shaping the family.