I won this book through first reads, and I absolutly LOVED it. I almost didn't enter for this book, and now I'm wondering why I had doubts. This book tells the story of three generations of women, and the trials of life and love they endure.

Nealie, who had experienced more heartache in her short years then most people do in an entire life time is the first. Her back story kind of broke my heart. But the upside is that she experiences true love, and to me she truly embodies the saying "better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all."

Pearl, her daughter, doesn't really live until she is well passed the age her mother died. She is the very image of her mother, but lacks the spirit. To be honest at this point I thought this book might have lost me. I was worried that the things I loved about the heroine of part 1 weren't going to surface and I was going to get bored. But I'm happy to say I didn't, and remembered that every character needs a point to grow from. Why write about a fully self aware, confident person? There would be no story to develope! It is incredibly satisfying to become invested in the well being and happiness of a character in a novel.

Susan, Pearl's daughter, and obviously Nealie's granddaughter, finishes off the story, bringing everything together full circle. I really don't want to say too much, because I would hate to accidently spoil this wonderful story for someone else.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, or coming of age stories. It was interesting to see how each woman's experiences were similar, and different, because of the time they grew up in. I am so glad I decided to enter for this book because it really brightened my day when it came in the mail, and I really, really enjoyed the heck out of it. This is a great addition to my shelves and will be reread for years to come.