This was a charming book that slowly worked its magic on me. Two girls, orphaned when their mother commits suicide, come under the care of first their grandmother, then their two great-aunts, and finally their aunt, who was previously a drifter. What I liked most about this book was its setting: the town of Fingerbone. Almost a character itself, it is an isolated place, enclosed by mountains bordering a dark, cold lake in which many people - including the girls’ mother and grandfather - died. The train runs right over th elake, offering an escape from this wet, frozen, often flooded place where time does not seem to move forward.

Quite possibly the most beautifully written book I’ve ever read.
The plot’s slow, delicate pace is one of reasons I loved it so much- it might not have been gripping and exciting, but it was real, and lovely.
It was about growing up in the midst of tragedy, loss, and loneliness; a fast pace just wouldn’t have made sense.

I found cetain passages almost heartbreakingly beautiful, though the plot and pacing weren’t gripping.

Though beautifully written, the eloquence does not compensate for nearly nonexistant plot.