As a professional, non-traditional working mother, I was horrified yet interested in what it was like to be a woman back in the 1850s. I've read historical fiction before, but it was all much more romanticized and not as stark as this retelling. Although the story started …more out slowly and some parts were difficult to read, in part because of the topic and the main character's choices, I kept reading since I wanted to know how her story ended and whether she was reunited with her loved ones.

I would recommend this for anyone who has an interest in early women's liberation and/or just an interesting historical read. It would definitely lend itself to book clubs since there is much to dissect and discuss, and many turns that if she had decided differently, may have perhaps led her to another ending. (less)