Crosby uses a unique technique in this book. As we hear first person the account of the mail charcter's life, we come to find that the narrator is actually dead, and tells us as much. The auther jumps from past to present, with the present being told after the narrator has died.
There are many story lines that we follow. The family story starts with a patriarch who does not care for his daughters. He has several wives, and with each hopes to have a son heir. With his final wife, he gets just that, as well as a daughter (the narrator).
In our glimpses of the past, we see her fall from his grace, and leave to pursue independence. Through her life as a single woman, we see her struggle to find work and support herself, we see her succeed in finding a niche in life, and we see her broken.
In the future, she is an independent old woman, befriended by a young sweet girl living next door. Their relationship blossoms, and late in life, she has seemingly found a daughter to share life with.
Additionally, we see the appearance of a long lost distant relative who begins to dig for the family fortune, left to the main character after her brother's death.
The story is well written, and fun to read. The ending left me disappointed however. There were too many unanswered questions. Normally, that is ok with me, as I will conjure up my own endings, but in this story, I actually left the book extremely disappointed.
Aside from the ending, another great historical fiction addition to my year!
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