Don't skip the introduction; Carla Kelly tells how she wrote the collection of stories included in this collection. It also gives a glimpse of her previous occupation as a National Park Ranger.
Although I'd read two of the stories in previous compilations, the remaining 7 are worth the cost of the book. Besides telling a story, the tales are instructive about the life of those in the frontier army. Who would have thought that an army family could be demoted to the lesser-status housing when a higher ranking officer arrived at the fort? Who would believe that this could happen the whole time you stayed at that fort?
The stories are rich in detail about what army life was like in the American West. I found the conditions to appeal only to people with great strength of character and stamina. Many military wives found the conditions too hard and moved back East while their husbands served in the West.
Two of the stories are award winners. The following two short stories won Spur Awards from Western Writers of America: KATHLEEN FLAHERTY'S LONG WINTER and A SEASON FOR HEROES.
Although I'd read two of the stories in previous compilations, the remaining 7 are worth the cost of the book. Besides telling a story, the tales are instructive about the life of those in the frontier army. Who would have thought that an army family could be demoted to the lesser-status housing when a higher ranking officer arrived at the fort? Who would believe that this could happen the whole time you stayed at that fort?
The stories are rich in detail about what army life was like in the American West. I found the conditions to appeal only to people with great strength of character and stamina. Many military wives found the conditions too hard and moved back East while their husbands served in the West.
Two of the stories are award winners. The following two short stories won Spur Awards from Western Writers of America: KATHLEEN FLAHERTY'S LONG WINTER and A SEASON FOR HEROES.
