This is a very interesting and unusual book by Haldeman. It covers the life of a women and her son as recorded in her journal. Therefore Haldeman uses a first-person viewpoint from the woman, and at least in my opinion he does a very good job. It is an unusual story that begins when her abusive husband sexually abuses her son and she takes him from Philadelphia in 1899 and begins a flight the leads her across the country and eventually into the gold fields of Alaska. Along the way she is helped by a crow that actually speaks to her and saves her by giving her advice. Her journey reveals much about the society in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It provides accurate details about traveling by rail, steam ship, and riverboat and much about the harsh realities of life in the still untamed west and especially in the gold rush areas of the Yukon. The story turns even stranger when she is helped by a being with supernatural powers and knowledge. I enjoyed this book and was surprised that I was never bored during this read. ( )