White Peak Farm - Softcover

Grade 7 Up --A vivid story of relationships, told in a graceful, fluid style. "We were a house of secrets" says Jeannie, the narrator. The short vignettes, each about one family member, are intrinsically linked, yet are as separate as the individuals are from one another. Their farm in Britain is the nucleus: the family's lifeblood for generations, it takes on its own character and influences all their lives. Foreshadowings and premonitions abound, as private people lead secret lives and harbor secret dreams. Lack of communication almost shatters their lives, stemming from a proud, stubborn father with a ferocious temper who is afraid to care and afraid to let go; from children whose own dreams do not conform to his expectations and who therefore must hurt him. In the end, all is not-so-neatly resolved through love and family bonding, but readers still come away with an all's-right-with-the-world feeling. Doherty is a born storyteller with a flow of language that begs to be read aloud. This is a book filled with rifts and renewals, tempers and tensions, all healed by the bonds of love. Don't let it slip by older YAs. --Trev Jones, School Library Journal
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