"More than forty years of history bookend a lifelong love affair with reading for the resilient heroine of [this] novel set in Harvester, Minnesota." —Kirkus Reviews
A Wall Street Journal Top 10 Book of the Year
When Nell Stillman's boorish husband dies soon after they move to the small town of Harvester, Minnesota, Nell is alone, penniless yet responsible for her beloved baby boy, Hillyard. Not an easy fate in small-town America at the beginning of the twentieth century.
In the face of nearly insurmountable odds, Nell finds strength in lasting friendships and in the rich inner life awakened by the novels she reads. She falls in love with John Flynn, a charming congressman who becomes a father figure for Hillyard. She teaches at the local school and volunteers at the public library, where she meets Stella Wheeler and her charismatic daughter Sally. She becomes a friend and confidant to many of the girls in town, including Arlene and Lark Erhardt. And no matter how difficult her day, Nell ends each evening with a beloved book, in this novel that celebrates the strength and resourcefulness of independent women, the importance of community, and the transformative power of reading.
"Sullivan describes small-town life through the eyes of an intelligent, generous narrator who fights off gossip, pettiness and tragedy with compassion, perseverance and forgiveness. Who wouldn't want to spend a late-summer afternoon or two in the company of such a person?" —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Her novels are a reliably inviting world, full of friendly faces and intimate dramas. However you first make your way to Harvester, you'll want to return." —The Wall Street Journal
"[An] inspiring novel, which should find its way onto the reading lists of book clubs." —Publishers Weekly