I picked this up because it is the book of a poet, and because it is centered in West Virginia at the turn of the century (the last one, that is, not the current one), and West Virginia is where the non black sheep of my paternal lineage still seem to hang out (the black sheep skedadled pretty quickly back around the same time McNeill sets her memoirs, off to California).It is beautifully and fiercely written, and so true to country life. It's not prettified, but there are heart stopping moments. There are also rat turds in the spring water and a leaking roof and land eventually ravaged by the onrush of "civilization". It was a hard scrabble life, and McNeill looks back without sentiment, except when remembering the moments of peace and beauty--very few--that her mother had.And it ends bleakly, with her view of the Atomic Age and what that might mean.Very unique little book, with elegant botanical drawings in the margins.
