Finkbeiner
has written an interesting novel of the Depression and Dust Bowl era.
The harsh events of the time are seen through the eyes of Pearl, a
ten year old . This book is a sequel to A Cup of Dust. (You can read
my review of that book here.) While
this book reads well on its own I would highly suggest A Cup of Dust
be read before this one.
After
a devastating tragedy, Pearl's family makes the long journey from Oklahoma to Michigan to start a new life. The location change
does not alleviate the effects of the family tragedy and Pearl finds
her life changed forever.
The
first novel was a good one on the depression and its effect on family
life. This novel centers more on a tragedy and how it changes the
family. We are along with Pearl as she experiences unsettling events
and the resulting pain. There is a little about Depression era
experiences in Michigan but the novel is more a coming of age story.
Finkbeiner
reveals in an afterward that this novel is a reflection of her own
experiences visiting the southeastern Michigan farming community as a
child, riding the tractor with her Grandmother Pearl's cousin. Her
grandmother is long gone but memories remain, captured in part in
this novel. I recommend it as a good coming of age story of the
Depression era. Discussion Questions are included for use in a
reading group.
You
can find out more about the novel and read an excerpt here.
My
rating: 4/5.
Susie
Finkbeiner is a stay-at-home mom, speaker and author from West
Michigan. She has been fiction editor for and regular contributor to
the Burnside Writers Collective and to the Michigan Abolitionist
Project's Unbound magazine. She is on the planning committee
of the Breathe Christian Writers Conference, and has presented or led
groups of other writers at several conferences. She blogs at
www.susiefinkbeiner.com.
Kregel
Publications, 310 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
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