The third of Mary Ellen Chase's Maine novels (following Mary Peters and Silas Crockett), Windswept is the romantic and tumultuous saga of a Maine family who makes its home Down East. Spanning six decades, starting in the late nineteenth century, the novel depicts their lives as they meet head on the joys and challenges of the changing and encroaching world and eventually, World War II. Through it all, their home provides the family with a safe haven in which to sink their roots as they strive to nurture their humanity and spirituality, all the while surrounded by the natural beauty of the Maine coast. Windswept was a national bestseller and the biggest seller of Chase's career. American educator, teacher, scholar, and author regarded as one of the most important regional literary figures of the early twentieth century. Mary Ellen Chase received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota where she served as an assistant professor from 1922 to 1926. She taught at Smith College starting in 1926 until her retirement in 1955. Chase wrote more than 30 books, many using her cherished Maine heritage as the setting, capturing the unique spirit and chronicling a way of life for generations. Her most famous of these works include Mary Peters, Silas Crockett, Windswept, and Edge of Darkness.