Well, I finally made it out of the church library! No, seriously, I have enjoyed the last two books I’ve read from there, but now I’ve got a whole huge stack of books from the public library sitting by my bed. And somehow I’ve got to read at least a few of those as well.
So I started easy. And different. I don’t usually choose westerns. I kind of grew away from them after overdosing on Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly series in college. I figured after 20 years, it might be time to give them another chance. And the fact that this book was published by the University of North Texas Press (my master’s alma mater), didn’t hurt either. *grin*
This is the first book in a trilogy about Lucinda Roberts, an 18-year-old young woman from the East coast who travels to West Texas to take a teaching position. The school is the only school in town, and her students range from young children to teenagers. The story is told through a series of letters that she writes to various people: her superintendent, her family, her friends, and also through her diary entries.
The story weaves tragedy and joy, heartbreak and happiness, danger and silliness throughout. It is touching, but simple, and I found myself carried away to old-time Texas. It wasn’t a difficult read, and certainly didn’t challenge the mind, but served the purpose of being entertaining and enjoyable. At some point, I’m sure I will read the other two books in the series. A thumbs up, if you don’t set your expectations too high.