The book began at the time of Mary's death (present day) and went back over her life in retrospect to detail the experiences that led to her solitude. I'm old enough to remember people where I grew up who were simply accepted as eccentric or different but would probably be recognized as having treatable conditions today, so the community's acceptance of Mary's lifestyle was not startling to me.
The book held my attention while I was reading it, but it doesn't stand out as one I'll remember as a favorite.
Reading has become a form of escapism for me. I find today's world pretty stressful, so I tend to choose books that allow me to get away from real world problems. I favor female authors and have a special affinity for southern, female authors. As a transplanted yankee currently living in Georgia, I find the characters and settings developed by southern authors to be very interesting and informative. I occasionally read heavier material, but I have been attracted to lighter fare recently. Keeping up with current events and politics via DU and other progressive sites provides me with more than enough heavy duty, thought provoking reading material.
= new reply since forum marked as read
