The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
A widower and his 3 sons are homesteaders in 1909 Montana. They hire a "mail order housekeeper", Rose, who arrives with her brother, Morrie, in tow. Morrie, it turns out, has arrived just in time, as the boys' one-room school is in desperate need of a teacher, and Morrie fits the bill. This is a quiet, slow paced story with lots of detail about getting educated in a one-room schoolhouse and its advantages over consolidated schools in that area. Halley's Comet, boxing, and dry-land farming are all featured in this novel in interesting ways. Told from the viewpoint of the oldest son, it reminded me a little of a more sophisticated "Little House on the Prairie". I enjoyed this.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.