OH, SUSANNA

ost-Civil War homesteading days on the prairies of Kansas were rugged and ; after giving the dry land a try, many returned to the East to resettle into comparative luxury. The Parks family-- father, son and two daughters-- with difficulty survive the hardships of the land. Susanna Parks hates the lack of necessities, the constant threats to safety, etc., but enjoys the attention of two young en-- Joel, a school teacher, and Lin Camden, a rancher's son who wants to be a doctor. The triangle dissolves, and in the process a very real, unsentimental view of the frontier emerges. Good solid reading, mainly for girls-- by the author of The Horse Talker (1960, p. 761, J-277).