One of the most difficult of achievements for a novelist is to truly convey the essence of life in another time but Theresa Kishkan's portrayal of life in the frontier country of the Nicola Valley of British Columbia at the turn of the twentieth century rings absolutely true. And anyone who has ever visited the Nicola Valley will smell again the scent of the air, feel the heat on their skin and hear the bird songs, so evocative is her language. A wonderfully accomplished book.