This reads like a long short story. The language in parts surprised me at first but then it became just part of the story. In this novel, the reader meets Agnes' parents...how they met, how they married, how they fell in love. They have two children: Agnes and Dolly. Tragedy strikes and more hardships arise. Agnes has to grow up quicker than her age as she is faced with tough life situations.Likeable characters and certainly does make the reader interested in the other books in this series.