Gone with the Wish

Eileen Goudge's Swept Away #1

by Eileen Goudge

Sixteen-year-old Ashley Calhoun journeys back through time to a pre-Civil War plantation, where she encounters a young girl named Violet, who will become her own great-great-grandmother--if Ashley can keep her from marrying the wrong boy.

Genres: Time Travel, Young Adult, Young Adult Romance, Romance

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

I began writing at the age of eight and wrote my way through the lean years before I found success as New York Times' bestselling author with my first novel GARDEN OF LIES. To date I have published 19 novels and a cookbook. Every life experience I've weathered has found its way into my novels in one form or another: bad exes, births, deaths, divorces, romances, and even true crime. My heroines are like me: tough cookies who don't crumble.

My latest novel, Book One of my Gold Creek series, ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW, is the story of a woman fleeing her abusive ex who finds refuge in a small California mountain town, where she's befriended by a group of women who call themselves The Tattooed Ladies and reinvents herself as a police sketch artist. Kyra "draws lines to stop crimes," as they say in the biz, never imagining she'll one day be forced to confront the biggest criminal of all: her ex.

I'm married to former entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon and the mother of two grown children. We live in Sacramento, California, where we remodeled a 1940's house for which I was the on-site project manager. Fortunately, multi-tasking is my superpower, so I was able to write a book and supervise a home remodel at the same time. The latter is sure to find its way into a future book. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see pics of my home remodel and other adventures.

Reviews

[Amy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cracking up that I found this on goodreads. Bought this book at my middle school book fair around 1988 and LOVED it. It's a time travel romance, so maybe that's why I love Susanna Kearsley so much? ;)

I wonder if I have this copy still at my mom's...

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this series, Swept Away, with my daughter in the 80s. This is the first book. The series are teen romance/ time travel stories that are endearing. I enjoyed it just as much the second time around, although computers are much less mystifying that they were in the 1980s, before I even owned one.

Ashley Calhoun is a rather awkward girl (although with her red hair she sounds beautiful) who likes her classmate Len but she doubts he would ever like her. She's a whiz with her computer, whom she calls Merlin, and has invented a fractal program. Ashley has always admired her great great grandmother, Violet, a Civil War beauty living on a plantation in the south. So one day Ashley programs Merlin and is taken back to 1861 and she becomes best friends with her ancestor Violet. Who wouldn't want to do that? However, through a series of circumstances Ashley is afraid that Violet will be forced to marry another man. Then Ashley will cease to exist! Her stint in the south in 1861 is amusing. It gives her the courage to face her life in current times.

This is a cute series. You just have to forget that when they talk about current times, it's the late 1980s.

[Aja Millar-Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series when I was in middle school. They are so nostalgic for me. Sadly they are out of peeing and not all of them are available for a decent price… sad.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am lookinf for a copy of any of the books in this series. Please let me know if you would sell or give this book away!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really like books about time travel.