A quiet and gentle book; which was a great relief to me, as I read it immediately after finishing Little Bee, which was about as far from gentle as you can get. The story was told both from the perspective of Will Kiehn, a missionary in China in the early decades of the Twentieth Century, and his wife, Katherine, whose journal entries are juxtaposed with Will's reminiscences. The story shows what everyday life was like in China during that era, and how famine and the revolutionary changes taking place during those years affected both this missionary couple and the people who were their neighbors and friends.

I was concerned before reading this that the story would be obscured by a heavy-handed religious message, but this wasn't the case. Caldwell shares with us the lives of people who live their religion by helping others every day, and while their religion is certainly a major element in the story, it doesn't overwhelm it.

A beautifully written and engrossing story. I look forward to reading more of Ms Caldwell's books!