This is a delicately put together book of several strands linked together of many women in a small Austrian village who do their best to survive. A book that has an old-fashioned quality that I deeply admire.

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Rather than 12 separate short stories, this is more like one story of life and events in a small mountain village during WW II, told from the point of view of 12 women who live there. The characters are well drawn and varied in personality so you really feel each story is told by someone new, with the transition smooth enough that it doesn't feel choppy. The writing is descriptive without being wordy, and it is easy to picture the characters and picturesque setting in your mind as events unfold. Very highly recommended; this is the best book I read in all of 2011.

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Enjoyable book; 12 short stories woven together...

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A great glimpse into the lives of women living in Austria during the early to late 1900's. Although I did enjoy the book - it was a fast, easy read that held my attention, I was left wanting more. It felt as though just as you were being drawn in to the woman's story it ended. I kept having to flip back to the clan charts in order to keep straight who was related to who, etc. Overall an enjoyable book.

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