****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I have to start by saying this was written by my mother-in-law (in every sense except legally). I have met some of the people mentioned in this book and have been to the places that are described. However, those meetings and trips were few and far between and don't hold much space in my memory. As someone who grew up in suburbia with the city licking at my heels, this book transported me with great clarity to a completely different place. I felt like I was right there next to Sandra gazing at Twitchell Pond, watching her mom as she scrubbed the clothes with Fels-Naptha soap, seeing her dad lean back in his chair while tapping his foot, feeling the cold from the window in the attic with frost on it as she lay in bed. The writing is beautifully detailed, but simple in the view of a young girl observing the world around her. These are the stories of a girl who is full of curiosity, mischief, ideas, and a joy of life and love for her family. They didn't have much, and at times I was struck by just how little they had with which to make do. But this was how it was in Greenwood and neighbors looked out for each other and lent a hand without asking. I went through a whirl of emotions while reading this, from laughing out loud, to getting angry, to shedding a tear or two. This book is worth reading even if you've never been to Maine, never heard of Greenwood, never met any of these lovely people. I'm so grateful that I have.
