Survivors of the 60's will be surprised and delighted by Curtain Creek Farm, a new book by Nance Van Winkle that reads more like a novel than a collection of stories. There's just nothing used or hackneyed in it; every place, every character, every event seems fresh and new. I came to love both the characters that formed the original commune, and the young, contemporary characters who find a refuge there. The stories are original, funny, and touching. These stories will stay with me a long time, not only because they are original, but because they are beautifully written. They offer sharp, immediate description, and an insight into the larger metaphors time, of life and death, of the search we all have made for a sense of place, a way to feel we might belong on this earth after all.

This book was one of the many fine works of literature we needed for 11th grade at my school. While reading it I was engrossed and couldn't put it down. A really, really good book.

This collection of short stories, connected by common threads of gypsys, quakes and troubled lives, was one of the most enjoyable books I've read yet. I practically read it cover to cover in a single sitting, it is that enthralling. If I have a complaint, it would be that it ended too soon, before I was ready to put it down. I recommend this book to everyone.

I really loved this book. It's not just "short stories" but a carefully crafted work that interweaves the lives of the characters throughout. At the end, another complete story has revealed itself. A very cleaver and difficult thing to accomplish. What I really liked is that the stories didn't get showy and exaggerated. It left me feeling like these were real people that had interesting lives that were worth hearing about. Van Winckel's other books are a treat as well.