This is a fantastic book with fabulous characters! Set in the forests of Michigan, Serena brings history to life. Katie is a strong woman. She flees from an abusive husband and starts a new life. She's no stranger to hard work and she's a dedicated employee. Robert is a generous employer who's dealing with a hurtful past. They both work together to take care of the shanty boys. They also get a second chance for love. A definite must read! ( )

57322

This story has a LOT going on (perhaps too much), but I will say this: the wind singing through pine boughs truly is one of the most beautiful sounds. (Go to Hartwick Pines State Park in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan, especially if you enjoyed this book, and hear for yourself!) ( )

I chose to read this book simply because the era intrigues me, and I wanted to see how the story compared to my own Empire in Pine series of novels set during the rise of the logging era in Wisconsin rather than Michiga. The story was vastly different (much to my relief as an author) and I greatly enjoyed the telling of the tale of Katie, who in flight from an abusive husband who,once a southern gentleman, has clearly lost his mind during the civil war, winds up taking her little brother from a Georgia plantation to the far northern pine lands of Michigan where she becomes a cook in a logging camp.

The love story that follows between Katie and the camp owner is gently and realistically woven, with her own struggles to remain aloof while trying to keep her marriage a secret. The peril of pursuit by her husband remains a constant, ominous threat in the background. Ms. Miller spent a good deal of effort creating a richly developed surrounding cast of characters that also tugs on the heart strings.

The only criticism I would have of the book is that while the story was carefully immersed in historical detail, there were a few occasions now and then when the detail felt just a tiny bit like historical trivia information dumping -- for it's own sake. Nevertheless, the story is a winning one, and I highly recommend it as a great break from other frontier or Edwardian fiction. If you like it as well as I did, you might also enjoy my books, starting with The Green Veil (if I may be so bold). ( )

Wonderful book! Strong characters--very moving. I can sense the fear, the uncertainty, the passion, etc. It was well done! ( )