I found this story absorbing, and was still mulling it over 24 hours after finishing it. Truth be told, it had a somewhat oppressive effect on my mind. It emphasized the constraints of temperament and circumstance, and how difficult-to-impossible it is to defeat our own "wiring."

The closest thing to transcendence in Carol Ryrie Brink's novel (which follows pretty closely events in her family history) are the impassive mountains overlooking the human drama playing out in the town of Opportunity, Iowa. Faith in God is portrayed as ineffective. I do like a little more redemptiveness in my novels, but there's no denying this was well told, and I sympathized with even the most abrasive and headstrong characters. Anna, the character based on the author's grandmother, shines brightest. This book reminded me of other novels I've read with a Western setting, such as Angle of Repose and My Antonia--a worthy addition to that list, I think.

Love, love, love this book! I re-read it every year at least..... if not more.

I loved this book at first and then it lapsed into melodrama. Compelling melodrama that kept me awake thinking about the sadness for so many of the main characters. I didn't read chunks of it.

I loved Caddie Woodlawn as a child and loved it again when I reread it recently. I loved Caddie Woodlawn's Family. I will read the introduction again and see how it all fits together with Brink's life in Moscow, Idaho.

----------So there really was a murder and an affair and a suicide. Maybe not just the way Brink fictionalized it but there were tragic events in that little town.

It is so fun to get engrossed in a great story made more fascinating by its historical nature. I found myself wanting to walk downtown and see the buildings as they must have looked then, wishing there was a "Buffalo Coat" historical tour! Everyone in Moscow, Idaho should read this book - I will enjoy looking at our mountains so much more thinking of the way Carol Ryrie Brink describes them throughout the story, through the eyes of different characters. Loved the colorful personalities, darkness and scandal included - nothing makes history come alive like identifying with interesting characters from the past.

This was a book club book and I had never heard of it before it was handed out to us. The author is from Moscow, Idaho and the book takes place there though the town's name is changed to Opportunity. I didn't really know what to expect, but I really got sucked into the story and finished it in only a few days. It was very simply and beautifully written and the story was very compelling. I'd say that if you liked books like These is My Words and Mrs. Mike, then you would probably like this as well.

This beautifully written tragic story is going to stick with me a long while. EBN23 Category: A book by an Idaho author.

I got this very old book from a garage sale across the street. It was a charming and yet tragic story of a small town in Idaho when the west was settled. Mrs. Brink also wrote children's literature and won the Newberry Award in 1935 for her book "Caddie Woodlawn."

Wow! CRB is one of my favorite authors for chidrens lit and this book is confirmation for me as to why I LOVE childrens literature. Such books are usually happy and uplifting, not too much tragedy. This book is a simpler version of Dostoevsky. Pain and suffering!! Maybe it is that I am 9 months pregnant and feeling emotional but man o man... life in the isolated settlement is harsh! A worthy read but a bit slow to start. At the end, I was sitting up and eagerly reading quickly to figure out just how it would end. I will read the sequels, just not right away!

Available at Suzzallo/Allen Libraries.

The story is engaging, but made much more interesting because it is set in Moscow (renamed Opportunity) in the late 1800s. Made me want to learn more about Moscow's history and see pictures from that era.

This is one of those rare books that years later I still remember snippets from, and stop to think, "You know, I really liked that book." Bro. Samuelson had us read it in English class, so I did the assignment, and forgot about it. But, like I said, every once in a while, something will come back to me from the book. I still think about.

This book was on my parents' bookshelves, and I thought I remembered reading it many years ago. But nothing about it stirred a memory. I liked how she developed her characters, but the end seemed sort of melodramatic in a way the rest of the book was not.