FATHER AND THE MOUNTAINS

Drawn from personal reminiscences of the author, this nostalgic novel of a girlhood in New England has an atmospheric charm, but may be too slow-moving for many. The story of the Rowson family -- Father, the vigorous and idealistic Methodist minister, Mother, gay and courageous, older sister lady-like Louise, and little Susie through whose eyes the fortunes and misfortunes of the family are seen- takes place in the last part of the 19th century. The adventures of a minister's family at that time of widely scattered farms, squabbling parishioners who found most of their social life in church groups, county fairs, simple but happy holidays and financial struggles for education, provides rich material for a warm-hearted family story. Here, however, the story is a bit diffuse with the focus vacillating between Susie's career from six to fourteen and the struggle of Parson Rowson to overcome the difficulties that threatened him. Although a rambling portrait of a family is accepted by older readers used to an oblique approach, readers of this age group still demand a tighter story with a faster pace. Try with Horse and Country Lawyer type of reader.