A very unique look at the pain of growing up and surviving -- an incredible read that mixes blunt everyday reality and desperate imagination. The characters feel very real, and they range from headstrong toddler to elderly WWII veteran -- each character is well developed with his/her very strong history, perspective and voice. At its core, it's the story of a beautiful teenage girl driven nearly to insanity with her need to escape the cruel realities of her 1960s world, and her various family members, dealing with the same environment of poverty, pain and personal struggles. An impressive debut novel.

Under the unpublished title "Memories of Glory", the novel won a HarperCollins Top 5 Gold Medal award. Here are some of the reviewer's comments: 

"It is very difficult to approach a ‘coming of age’ story, and write in such a way as to not appear clichéd, but [the author] has made a remarkably strong case. In ‘Memories of Glory’, the journey from childhood to adulthood is dealt with in a unique way; the six children in Glory’s family are used to explore various different facets of growing up. The reader is also able to understand more about the pasts of Glory’s parents and their families, allowing adult tensions to be explored too. A compelling feminist take on life dominates, but the feelings of the important men in Glory’s life are not left uncovered. The memories she recalls do not depict a clear straightforward story, rather each is a part of a puzzle which in the end paints an often brutal but fair conclusion on life...Glory is set up well as a whimsical day-dreamer. She lives in an alter-world, and her intelligence and desire to be elsewhere helps build a strong picture of her imagination. Gradually it becomes clear that the world she fashions for herself is an escape from the harsh life that she has had to lead. As a protagonist she is wonderful; her suffering is a result of both her surroundings and of universal teenage trauma: I found her hugely accessible...The use of dialogue, and the focus on different characters in each recollection, allows the reader to build a strong concept of each family member, and their relationships with one another. This is a vibrant read, and no connection is left unexplored. Friendship, as well as sibling rivalry, is beautifully drawn out...The author clearly has a gift for wit and charm, illustrated in the passage where the family go blueberry picking...The role of “Mother Nature”, of fate and fortune, is an interesting theme and one that gives an interesting dimension to the family’s attitude."