The award-winning tale of a mountain pioneer woman in the 1890s, reflecting the hardships and rewards of life in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. An excellent fictional account... "A beautiful piece of American Storytelling."
Helpful Score: 4
The prose is taught and spare, the characters are real and you come to care about them very quickly. A true portrait of pioneer life set in a fast paced novel.
If you enjoy Oregon history, you will enjoy this book.
Helpful Score: 3
I read this book in two sittings. The story is a hard one; a woman homesteading alone in harsh surroundings. The woman lived a difficult past so her courage comes hard-won and the circumstances she faces living and working all by herself to make a home takes all of it. The characters in the book are all unique and believable. The writing style is a little different; no long-winded descriptions or details but the reader sees it all perfectly. A writer of lesser talent would have taken this story all over the place, adding dozens or hundreds of pages to make sure the reader 'gets it.' I could sit right down now and read it again, it was that good. Highly recommended.
I love Molly Gloss and could not wait to read this book. I was not disappointed. I recommend it for readers who appreciate strong female characters. I give it 6 stars.
