Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have no idea what other reviewers are on about. I’ve been an English teacher for over 20 years at pretty prestigious institutions and I would give my left breast to have a student ever write anything as lovely, complex, and layered as this quiet little novel. Yes, much of the dialogue is unattributed — meaning you will have to read slowly and carefully, as one would with Cormac McCarthy or many other novelists. It’s not the end of the world, or a sign of a bad writer. The plot is thin, but this isn’t an adventure novel. It’s a character study disguised as a romance novel. Yes, the characters sometimes speak in an anachronistic way, but that makes it easy to relate to, and never stuffy or dull, as frontier romances often are. And yes, the lord’s name is taken in vain. Several times. If that’s all it takes to turn you off, you’re nuts. But... if you love a well-written, thoughtful novel with richly-drawn characters and some sexy romance and lovely settings, this is that novel. The Native characters are respected and complicated, the pioneers are plucky and sometimes terrible people, and everyone creates a family from those who best fit them. It’s brilliant. I read it twice in three days.