I was visiting Texas from New Zealand and at that time wished to read a well-written novel with sound historical content based on the early years of that State. I was very disappointed with my choice. The characters did not appeal to me and I could not relate to Cricket at all. In my view she had very few redeeming features and was, in fact, quite unlovable. I read only a quarter of this book and found that I was simply not interested its the outcome or the fortunes of its characters. Life's too short to waste time on trashy novels when there are so many great books out there!