Review: Uplifting and Heartwarming Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2013
Ms Havel captures the essence of the Great Depression. Amidst the hopelessness and despair of those historical times, a young sharecropper family finds pleasure in what we today think of as normal things.  Can you imagine being grateful for a cook stove?  Cooking over a fireplace would be a daunting challenge for me. I can't imagine life without the microwave. Newspaper for wallpaper? Well, something needed to cover the cracks in the wall to keep the chill out.  The preacher makes the comment, "Maybe someday we'll look back and understand these hard times....maybe not till heaven."  This book made me thankful for the present day and it made me grateful for my ancestors who lived during these difficult days. This is a good book.  I always enjoy Carlene Havel's writing. It's a short read, but she develops the characters well and the reader can easily put herself in the shoes of Alice Shoemaker.  Thanks Carlene!  Good job.