From Publishers Weekly
Haas's (Fire! My Parents' Story) exquisitely crafted prose is the driving force in this heartfelt story of family ties, as the author traces the emotional journey of an adolescent girl in rural Vermont at the turn of the century. The novel opens as Harriet Gibson?better known as Harry?is informed at school that her mother has had a tragic accident; she dies soon after Harry arrives at home. "I used to feel a strong line from Mother's heart to mine whenever I saw her, and love moved along it like a telegraph signal. Now the line was cut," notes the grieving Harry. Her mother's will states that Harry is to live with her father's sister?stern, disapproving Aunt Sarah. Haas convincingly evokes the rigors and beauties of farm life, the pettiness of small towns and the sometimes hopeless tangle of blood relationships that can as easily wound as they can comfort and heal. As Harry struggles to break her colt?also orphaned in the accident?so that she can ride to town and continue her education, she also struggles to tame her grief and to hold her ground against her aunt, whose stubborn, outspoken nature mirrors Harry's own. It's not until another accident occurs, seriously injuring Harry, that the two begin to approach a measure of mutual understanding. Haas has a gift for description and graceful simile ("Night after night I lay still and narrow, like a wrinkle in the blanket"), and her characters are sharply observed, especially honest and wise 13-year-old Harry who can coax compassion from even her frozen Aunt Sarah. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-When her mother dies in an accident involving a horse and a Model T car, 13-year-old Harriet's life changes irrevocably. Left orphaned and grieving, she must move away from her friends and school to live with her stern and critical Aunt Sarah and her complacent Uncle Clayton on their farm. Living with them, Harriet is told some painful things about her family that make her all the more desperate to return to school and the way of life she has always known. To do so, she must train her stubborn colt so that she will have the means to get back and forth to town. In her impatience to tame the creature, Harriet seriously injures both of her hands. The accident forces her to realize that she has been too harsh with the colt and makes Sarah recognize that her treatment of Harriet has also been severe. Aunt and niece are then able to approach their relationship with a new appreciation and understanding of one another. Haas's memorable characters are well drawn and her descriptions of farm life in the early part of the century palpable. This is an emotionally rich and powerful tale of love, reconciliation, and healing.
Christy Norris Blanchette, Valley Cottage Library, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
