Susan Stinson

The characters in this book have almost no other language to describe their interior life than that of the fundamentalist religion of the community and all is seen in shades of sin and grace and openness to god. In a demanding northern landscape offering sparse entertainments religion is it. And it is presented quite organically and believably with out requiring belief or empathy from the reader. An excellent historical in that, for me, it presented a truly different mental landscape, though that might not be the case for a reader who came from a conservative Christian sect. The author does hit some false historical notes on costume, but that's my thing.… (more)