"A full moon hung halfway up the sky. Crossing the schoolyard, he stepped over the fence into Seabert's pasture and walked on, with his hands in his pockets, into the grove of trees, and through them up the long slope of the hill, till he came out on top among the tombstones. They stood white and peaceful in the moonlight.
'Good evening,' he said aloud, as to old friends, and moving among the familiar furniture of the dead, he began to feel calmer. Up here the things that troubled him seemed to matter not at all. He sat down, behind a headstone, facing the moon. Looking out into space, where man had found other moons and planets but had not yet plotted heaven, he began once more to contemplate the puzzle of himself.

If I were to classify this book under one category,  it would be a cozy summer read, out on the porch during a warm August night, with the moon shining high above the trees and fireflies flying about. Jetta Carleton, what a marvelous writer you were! It is quite a shame that this is her only published novel, because this woman had talent! This is a family saga, exploring the intricacies of a family who live on a farm in western Missouri in the 20th century.  It's humorous, heartwarming, heartbreaking and complex all at the same time. We start this book with a family reunion, where the daughters of Matthew and Callie visit their aging parents once a year for two weeks. During those two weeks, they forget their individual lives, their individual troubles and worries, the burdens adulthood has irrevocably placed on them, and they lose themselves in that cozy farm life, just like the good old days.After that, we read through a series of flashbacks, exploring each member of this family and we eventually discover that not all is as it seems, and everyone is hiding their own secrets.

The characterization here is superb, each character being as nuanced as possible. There are no good or bad characters, but just like ordinary life, they are layered in different shades of each, and due to this nuance, they are even more likeable and relatable. The writing is hilarious in some parts, and quite heartwarming in others, and beautiful throughout. Magnificent prose that flows like a lovely musical symphony, which is one of my favourite aspects in literature.I love reading things that sound nice,  and this book delivers that in spades.


 “She went outside and down the path, pausing by the smokehouse to county the moon flower pods. Another day or two and they would be ready to bloom. The flowers were so lovely, they lasted so short a time. It was almost like the children's visit, something you looked forward to all year, then it came, and you enjoyed it so much, and then it was over, in no time. Maybe that's the way it should be...”

With excellent characterization and lovely prose, I highly encourage fans of classic family sagas to give this book a try. This should definitely be adapted to a movie or a short series, since I would love to see these characters and the beautiful farm onscreen. Nothing but heartwarming and positive feelings towards this book, my main criticism would be the overly drawn-out conversations which bored me, but that's just a matter of personal preference. This is a character driven story, and the beauty of it is spending time in that farm, through the eyes of each family member.


 Maybe that was the way it went, that all your life you heard the singing and never got any closer. There were things you wanted all your life, and after a while and all of a sudden, you weren’t any closer than you ever were and there was no time left.