Honestly, I'm still trying to find the words to describe this book. It's beautifully crafted and the characters are magnificent in their realism. I know I'll be coming back to it for years, looking for inspiration and retorts I can practice in my own life. The book lets us see the everyday lives - their struggles, achievements, and losses - of two families and their associates in Ohio around the time of World War I. This is a book I will forever cherish and come back to for years to come and I recommend it wholeheartedly. It's a wonderfully descriptive read. I never once questioned a characters motives or decision-making as each thought, comment, or action was so true to who they were as a person. They are so real to me, I'm sad I can never know them outside of this story. ( )

Very touching story of small town everyday people with drive, goals, histories. Narration enjoyable, fast read. The emotional state of mind of the heroine toward the end made you wonder if she would every have a normal state of mind, unsuaul character. ( )